Woosh Another Brompton Owner

[Mick_Aitch]

Hello all, I have a Brompton and bad legs.

I've ridden the official e-Brompton and quite liked it - although I thought the battery was physically too big and I didn't like the fact that I had to lean over the bars to adjust the power input - dodgy when moving and annoying if you follow the guidance and stop, adjust the power, then start again.

Conversion kits seem to be the best bet and having looked around for a while I think that the Woosh offering fits the bill for me and gives good 'bang for buck' value.

I'm here to learn what I can before I make a decision.

Oh, FWIW I'm in Leicester.
Cheers
Mick

 

[sjpt]

You'll have seen that people here (including me) are generally pro Woosh for decent value and excellent customer service. Also that Swytch is one of the main options for Brompton conversion, but their customer service is often not at all good.

 

[StuartsProjects]

Whoosh does two versions of a Brompton conversion kit; one puts the battery controller on the front Brompton block, the other used a bag battery on the handlebar.

With the battery\controller bag on the handlebar, when the brompton is folded down the bag is on the outside edge of the folded bike and this can make it unstable, its inclined to tip over. Not a problem however if you just want to roll it under a table or into a corner for storage.

With the battery\controller on the Brompton block, when folded the battery\controller is in the middle so this should increase rolling stability, good for pushing it around shops etc.

I would agree that having the controlls on the bag on the block that you cannot reach is a pain. I also have a Swytch converted Brompton and considered moving the battery pack from the standard handlebar fitting down onto the Brompton block, so the battery could stay in place when folded, but then you have to stop to use the controls, not practical. I did consider building a Arduino type remote control for the Swytch bag, but eventually decided I wanted a much lighter electric Brompton (the Swytch one was 18.5kg) so started an lightweight conversion instead. That has an display on the handlebar.

You can do a DIY conversion, but if you just want an easy life, and something thats supported, stick to kits like those from Whoosh.

One conversion I would go for if it was a lot cheaper is the ARCC one;

https://www.arccbikes.com/product-page/arcc-electric-conversion

But £1800 is just a tad too expensive .......

 

[StuartsProjects]

Swytch is one of the main options for Brompton conversion, but their customer service is often not at all good.

Also on the newer Swytch kit the 'Max' battery is 5Ahr, which may not provide enough range for some. There have been a few posts on here asking about how to add additional non Swytch batteries for longer range. No-one seems to have managed that hack yet.

 

[saneagle]

There have been a few posts on here asking about how to add additional non Swytch batteries for longer range. No-one seems to have managed that hack yet.

We know how to do it and it's very simple. We're just waiting for someone to do it.

 

[Woosh]

As far as I am aware, there are two convenient settings available on the Woosh kit for the Brompton that are not on other kits.
- Powerset: that sets the number of assistance levels, percentage of power for each level
- Maximum current. The default is 15A max but you can change it up/down in 0.5A steps

 

[Mick_Aitch]

You'll have seen that people here (including me) are generally pro Woosh for decent value and excellent customer service. Also that Swytch is one of the main options for Brompton conversion, but their customer service is often not at all good.

I have to say that while the Swytch offering looks good I have been put off by their lead times and what I’ve read about their customer service. Woosh seem to be well ahead of them on both fronts.

 

[Mick_Aitch]

You can do a DIY conversion, but if you just want an easy life, and something thats supported, stick to kits like those from Whoosh.

It’s as though we’ve met!
I think fitting a Woosh type kit is probably towards the top end of my skill set.

 

[Mick_Aitch]

As far as I am aware, there are two convenient settings available on the Woosh kit for the Brompton that are not on other kits.
- Powerset: that sets the number of assistance levels, percentage of power for each level
- Maximum current. The default is 15A max but you can change it up/down in 0.5A steps

This is very interesting. I would have been wary of trying something like this, although I know others have, for fear of invalidating my warranty. I believe the installation instructions warn against certain tweaks but as you have posted this I guess I would still be covered. I have another question for you which I will put in an email.
Cheers

 

[guerney]

As far as I am aware, there are two convenient settings available on the Woosh kit for the Brompton that are not on other kits.
- Powerset: that sets the number of assistance levels, percentage of power for each level
- Maximum current. The default is 15A max but you can change it up/down in 0.5A steps

I like it, and I can certainly see why people in the market for a Swytch would be interested, so why isn't that information on your website? Also, I've been meaning to ask this for a while: Why not make it easy to link to specific kits on your website? I had to look at the page source to make this link - is that display supplied with this kit?

LINK

 

[Woosh]

so why isn't that information on your website?

the website is geared to make life easier for people who work at Woosh, basically anticipate questions, lower expectations and under promise on everything - which is totally at the opposite of the usual goals of marketting.
So I usually don't put on the website that you can do this or that if the feature needs explanation. I would also like to use videos but none of us is good at making videos.

 

[guerney]

the website is geared to make life easier for people who work at Woosh, basically anticipate questions, lower expectations and under promise on everything - which is totally at the opposite of the usual goals of marketting.
So I usually don't put on the website that you can do this or that if the feature needs explanation.

Making it easier for you and others to link to specific products, would surely be more convenient when discussing your products on this forum? A small "Share link" button link on the product popups perhaps? Your website seems quite organised, I'm sure that wouldn't take too much time to do.

 

[Woosh]

Making it easier for you and others to link to specific products, would surely be more convenient when discussing your products on this forum? A small "Share link" button link on the product popups perhaps? Your website seems quite organised, I'm sure that wouldn't take too much time to do.

sorry I was caught up in the shop serving a customer.
Your suggestion is good.
There has always been a link to the product web page, a link named 'view full details'.
I have now replaced them with a more readable wording: LINK
I will replace it with a royalty free icon tomorrow.