To Swytch or not?

[mjb_red5]

Hi folks - new to the forum and interested in the world of e-bikes. I bought myself a second hand claud butler hybrid a few years ago and use it mainly for exercise - 1 hour rides at weekends - and the occasional commute to the station. It's got a nice lightweight frame, I've added new puncture-resistant tyres/tubes and new brakes to it, and it's a nice bike to ride for my purposes.

I need to lose weight and want to cycle more often - and use it as my main way of getting to and from the station, but the hills around here really put me off, it's just a bit too much effort. I know this will get easier the more I do but it's a real disincentive to get on the bike.

I've signed up for Swytch pre-orders as we're tight on money and I can probably get away with £3-400 worth of kit. I was looking into a proper e-bike under the delusion that I'd be able to commute to work on one - but it's at least 17 miles into London where I am and not an easy journey.

Has anyone on here got experience of Swytch and can recommend it (or not)? Or are there other conversion kits available? Or should I just save my pennies/look into finance and get a proper e-bike?

Any help gratefully received!

 

[sjpt]

Lots of other conversion kits. Most aren't as good at advertising as Swytch, but often otherwise superior.

Look at Woosh (https://wooshbikes.co.uk/, excellent UK customer service) and Yose (https://yosepower.com/); there are several other good companies as well.

Double-check details on Swytch of what you will end up paying after carriage, VAT etc. I think you may find it comes out well over £100 more than you think. (There was another post here recently I think?) Also remember they have low capacity batteries; batteries are one of the biggest parts of an ebike or conversion kit cost; cost roughly proportional to capacity.

Whatever, don't fall for the low cost direct drive kits you see cheap on ebay. Illegal, very heavy on battery use, bad at hill climbing.

 

[mjb_red5]

cheers @sjpt - appreciate that and the Woosh stuff looks good. I've also spotted their Camino bike on there which looks lovely...

Am I mad to even be contemplating a 17 mile commute into London at my level? How easy would an e-bike make this? I'm just thinking about costs of commute, plus post-covid nerves about getting on packed trains etc etc.

Offset the cost of a daily train ticket and suddenly an e-bike looks more affordable...

 

[vfr400]

I started my 15 miles each way commute on an ebike when I was completely unfit, 57 years old and I weighed 100kg. I loved every minute of it from the first ride until I retired. 8 miles of it was one straight open main road, the rest was suburban.

The main concern with London commuting is whether you have somewhere safe to keep your bike while you're at work. if you don't, you can forget it.

 

[mjb_red5]

That's really good to know @vfr400 - thanks for sharing. I'm 41 and 17 stone, with a similar level of unfitness.

I'd be travelling in from Dartford, so it could be quite a busy route, but we do have a locked garage at work so this is looking more of a possibility...

 

[sjpt]

I started my 15 miles each way commute on an ebike when I was completely unfit, 57 years old and I weighed 100kg. I loved every minute of it from the first ride until I retired. 8 miles of it was one straight open main road, the rest was suburban.

The main concern with London commuting is whether you have somewhere safe to keep your bike while you're at work. if you don't, you can forget it.

I was lucky enough to have much shorter commutes on minor county roads: biggest danger were the private school mums with their odd ideas of where to park (middle of the road then throw open the doors without looking). No ebike at the time, and no need for one; a bit over 1/2 hour doing it slowly so I didn't need a shower.

Unless you have a really uninterrupted route you are unlikely to do 17 miles in much less than 1:30 even on an ebike; 3 hours a day is a lot of time even if enjoyably spent.

 

[Fat Rat]

Hi welcome

 

[sjpt]

I see Swytch are £399, with explicit *Excludes taxes and shipping
And later (with £25 shipping)
Pre-Order Price* £424
*Total to pay now excludes 20% VAT and import duties.

So certainly over £100 above that £399 price (unless VAT is removed before it eventually arrives!),
maybe more if there are import duties as well.

Ah they are even more direct about it further down (good that they are clear)
Local taxes are payable on delivery. Based on your location (UK) your estimated taxes are 20% VAT and 3-5% Duties, total £98. Bringing your order total including taxes to approx. £522.
That is with the very low capacity battery.

It would be totally silly at the non discount price (I don't think anyone has ever paid that),
and just about OK at the discount price.

 

[mjb_red5]

Yeah. Over £500 and a possible 3 month wait rules it out for me... I really like the look of the Woosh Camino for only £500 or so more with the kit it comes with...

I've dropped @Woosh a line on their website to get their views on conversion/camino to suit my needs. Thanks all for the warm welcome and helpful advice, I'll let you know how I get on!

 

[GSV3MiaC]

Right now bikes (e or otherwise) are definitely a seller's market, so you could probably unload your existing claud butler via ebay (if you want to) at a profit .. assuming you can find a replacement e-bike which is actually in stock somewhere. Raleigh, for a random example, are quoting new order deliveries out in January for many models and sizes (I think they mean 2021, but I wouldn't guarantee it), while a KTM Macina I was looking at slipped 3 months in the last 4 weeks.