Category Archives: city cycling

Honey, I Built an E-Bike: the Swytch E-Bike Conversion Kit

Posted on by
14

My introduction to e-bikes has been a mixed bag.  The first e-bike I rode was Portland’s own Biketown model – a giant clunky bike meant to be shared and abused by the masses.  While the e-bike version of this bike was a vast improvement over the analog version, it is an unwieldy beast with a rough ride on rough pavement.  Later, I purchased a Brompton e-bike (C line electric model), and have had mixed feelings about that riding experience.  Earlier this year I bought a used e-bike from an acquaintance and the bike motor failed on my second outing.

So, it was with some trepidation that I decided to order the Swytch ebike conversion kit – a “universal” front hub motor kit marketed as lightweight and easy to install – with the added benefit that if I didn’t like the system, my chosen bike could be simply restored back to its previous (and glorious) human powered version.

The Swytch Technology Company is based in the U.K. and is relatively new on the e-bike scene.  It uses a “customer funded” purchase order model, and appears to carry little if no inventory on hand.  From a purely machiavellian perspective, this is a great business model if you can pull it off.  From a customer service standpoint, it leaves much to be desired.  But with demand exceeding supply, this is a business model that appears to be working for them, for now.

It’s important to know key details about what you want to order before placing your order:  wheel size in ISO, rim drilling (Presta vs. Schrader), front dropout width (must be 10mm), desired battery range (10 miles for the Air and 20 miles for the MAX versions), whether you want brake/motor cut-off, whether you want a throttle, what kind of display you want.  The process for ordering is strange:  first you get yourself in line for a “batch” by paying a down payment consisting of the price of the basic kit.  Later, you are “invited” to complete the order with all of the details noted above and paying any extra cost for ad-ons.  Orders are shipped on a schedule, which appears to currently be about two months out.

I scoured on-line forums and customer reviews before taking the plunge and based on what I had read, was prepared for the worst:  orders with missing parts, orders with extra parts, orders with the wrong parts, orders that never arrived.  But I did place my order back in October and received the kit two months later, as expected.

When the kit arrived I was pleased to see that it was well packed, and with almost no plastic, meaning that I could recycle about 99% of the packaging.  All the boxes were labeled, making it easy to unpack and check off the items in the box, carefully comparing them to my order.  There were only two minor mishaps:  I had ordered an extra battery charger with a U.S. power cord, but it was shipped with a U.K. power cord.  And, I ordered my rim drilled for Presta, but received a rim drilled for Schrader valves.  Both problems were easily solved:  the charger power cord port is the same as my Brompton’s so I can easily swap them, and I often use Presta valves in Schrader rims.  My process for doing so involves cutting out a small collar from cloth rim tape to fit over the valve stem.  This provides extra protection from the tube attempting to herniate into the larger Schrader hole and also guards against the valve hole cutting into the base of the valve stem.  You can do the same thing with a small piece of extra tubing.

I had decided to order a 26 inch/559 wheel for my kit since I have 3 bikes with that wheel size.  The 1980’s Bridgestone MB3 was my chosen bike for the installation. I followed the steps in the instruction manual carefully, and read it through a few times and also looked at a few videos before starting the process.  Since the kit is advertised as being easy to install with no special tools, I did not take it to my shop but instead assembled it in my office, turning the bike upside down to begin, and using the small set of tools that I keep on hand there.

The first step is to remove the existing front wheel and swap out the tire and tube from that wheel to the Swytch motor hub wheel – a 36 hole rim with machined sidewalls laced in a 2 cross pattern.  I weighed the Swytch wheel before installation and compared that to the weight of my existing wheel (sans tire and tube) – the weight difference was 4lbs. 3 oz.  I also weighed my MAX battery (2lbs 9 oz) as well as the other components and came up with a total added weight of 8 lbs 8 oz – higher than the advertised claim of 5-6 lbs. but still reasonable.  Obviously, weight will vary based on wheel size and battery size as well as any extra accessories.  The wheel appears well built and spins perfectly true.

The front wheel installation went fine once I finally got my Kojak tire off of my existing rim.  After much frustration trying to get the bead off, I finally resorted to using my metal tire levers which are both narrower and stronger than my plastic ones but also run the risk of puncturing the tube.  Fortunately, the Kojak tire mounted easily to the new rim.  Once the anti rotation washers were secured in the proper position and with the motor cable pointed downwards (toward the ground when the bike is upright), I secured the axle nuts and pushed on the covers.

The next step is to install the magnetic disk and pedal sensor.  This kit does not include a torque sensor, and so is activated and controlled only by the rotation of the magnetic disk attached to the left side crank arm as it passes over the pedal sensor, mounted to the frame.  I found the instructions for this part of the process somewhat confusing and ended up dismantling my first attempt and starting over.  The magnetic disk needs to face in the correct direction (noted on the disk) toward the frame.  The inner connecting pieces are meant to grab onto the axle and center the disk so that it stays in the same position while rotating.  There are two hinges on the crank arm attachment that allow you to adjust the plane of the disk so that it is parallel to the frame, and once done should be tightened down with a 3mm allen key.  But, I learned that it’s best to zip tie it to the crank arm first, and then adjust the angle, and then tighten the hinge bolts.  Next up is the pedal sensor which when correctly positioned needs to be 3mm away from the magnetic disk. The sensor has an adhesive backing plus additional adhesive spacers (of which all were used for this installation).  I used the 3mm allen key to perfect the distance from the sensor to the magnetic ring, then zip tied it down using the supplied ties, after tightening down the angle bolt and nut.  I did not have any clearance problems because this is an 80’s mountain bike with a long bottom bracket spindle and plenty of frame clearance.  Modern “road” bikes may have significantly less clearance and thus require more problem solving for this step.

Off center clamp
Cables – a bit messy even after clean up.

Next up was installing the battery clamp (which houses the controller), installing the base display, and then hooking up all the cables, which are all color coded.  The battery clamp/controller comes with 3 different sized shims to accommodate different bar sizes.  I ended up needing to position the clamp off-center because the clamps fell directly on that spot that is between the stem clamp and the bar.  So, I used one set of shims for the bar portion and one set for the stem clam portion.  It all worked out fine and the clamp feels very secure.  I jammed my cables behind the clamp to get everything to fit. I took a little more time to adjust my zip ties and clean up the cable routing.

Now it was time to set up the base display.  You need to enter your wheel size and maximum desired speed (15 mph for the UK or 20 mph for the US), as well as the initial power level.  That’s when I discovered that the display shipped was not the same display as pictured in the manual.  It is smaller and operates differently.  So, I needed to download the pdf for that component, which I quickly found on the Swytch website.  After some fiddling I managed to get my wheel size set and to select my maximum speed (20) as well as the initial power level.  Then I lifted up the front wheel, turned the crank, and behold, I had power to the front wheel.  Whew!

On the first test ride, I noted that it takes several rotations of the crank before the power kicks in.  Likewise, it takes several seconds for the power to turn off once you stop pedaling.  Since the bike is slow off the mark, this means that you need to shift down before stopping at intersections, a bit of a feat with a derailleur geared bike because while you are slowing down for a stop you also need to pedal to shift down which means the motor is propelling you forward and your brakes need to be strong enough to bring you to a halt while the motor is moving the wheel forward.  I had not purchased the add-on brake/motor interrupter but in retrospect believe this could be a good idea if you are installing it on a derailleur geared bike.  Probably, I will learn to adapt to this by downshifting a little earlier. Internally geared hubs would be ideal for this system because you can shift without pedalling.

There are 5 power levels for this little 250 watt motor, which I think is overkill.  3 levels would probably be fine.  I started out on level 4 and it was way too much power for riding on flats.  I quickly overcame my maximum cadence in my top gear (45/12=92) at 20 mph, so I backed it down to level 2 and found that to be about right for general riding.  The power delivery feels smooth and the motor is nearly silent.  The motor has been proclaimed “free of drag” but I did find the drag noticeable when coasting and when pedalling with no power.  Not daunting, but noticeable.

On my first test ride I rode from my office to the top of Mt. Tabor (8 mile round trip).  What a blast!  But, I discovered it is really necessary to shift down while climbing as well as to increase the power level on steep hills.  Even so, it was really fun to cruise up to the top without feeling fatigued.

I purchased the “Max” battery for this kit which has a purported range of 20 miles.  On the first test ride I noticed that the battery charge level lights (5 total) and the display battery bar (4 lights total) did not seem to match up.  When climbing, after just 4 miles of riding, the lights on the battery went down to 3 of 5 and the lights on the display went down to 1 of 4.  When descending, the lights all returned to full power level.  This made me think that the charge level may be difficult to determine with any accuracy while cycling.

After 7 miles – battery charge level says 100%
After 15 miles – battery charge level says 25% (display) vs. 60% (battery)

To further test battery range as well as reliability during inclement weather, I took the bike out on a 15 mile round trip in a Portland late December rain storm.  My chosen route had several steep hills and their accompanying descents.  I started out in level 2, and increased the power to level 4 on climbs.  The display unit is meant to allow one to change the power levels on the fly by cycling through each level until you arrive at your chosen power input.  Unfortunately, with only one button controlling all operations on this display, I found that once I reached power level zero, I could not get the power to change while underway.  I had to stop, turn the display off, back on, and then select my power level.  I’m not sure yet if this is “operator error” or a malfunction in the unit.

While cycling the route, I noticed again a real disconnect between the battery level displayed on the battery and that shown on the display, plus the freaky zero power displayed on my climb back to my house.  Once I arrived home, I again found an extreme variance between the battery and the display, as noted in the photo above.  So, at this point I’m going to assume that it’s not possible to determine with much accuracy how much battery power is remaining.  With only 20 miles stated as the maximum for the largest battery offered, it might be wise to purchase several batteries so that you can install a spare if one wants to go on longer jaunts.  Battery maintenance instructions advise charging after every ride, and I think that is good advice given the lack of accuracy in the charge levels displayed.

So, how did this kit perform in inclement weather?  Well, just perfectly.  I found it wonderful to be out on a day I would not normally ride, and even though under power I still felt like I did something of a workout.  I had been concerned about how the magnetic disk would handle rain and road debris, but thanks to my mudflap everything stayed clean.  One thing I did notice is that I need to upgrade my brake pads for better performance in the rain.  The NOS Suntour pads are not up to par, and so I’ll probably install some KoolStop rain pads to insure more confidence for inclement weather.

I love how stealth the kit is – the bike barely looks altered from a distance and the motor is quiet.  I think the Swytch kit is a viable option for those not wanting to spend a small fortune on a quality e-bike, given its ease of installation (I spent $618).  I think converting an existing bike to an e-bike is an ideal way to go since you already have a bike that fits you, works well, and is beloved.  For older cyclists, I think conversion kits are a fantastic option to allow continued cycling without fear of fatigue or other health issues.

I’d love to see the Swytch Company “normalize” itself by stocking inventory for its kits and accessories and by making the ordering process equivalent to that of other online retailers.  It would be nice if the kit offered a lighting accessory, or at least a cable for it.  There is a way to hack the installation of a lighting kit, but probably most consumers will not be up for that.  The kit is probably ideally suited for 3 speed bikes, which are generally geared higher than touring or mountain bikes.  I’d also like to see the warranty/product registration process streamlined.  Currently, in order to secure your 1 year warranty, you must submit photos of your installation and receive approval from the company before the warranty is activated.  I submitted this documentation 5 days ago but have heard nothing back from company.

Overall, I’m happy with this conversion kit.  The upsides are the low cost, ease of installation and reasonable range with the Max battery.  The downsides are the lack of a longer range option, a torque sensor, lighting option, and a normal customer interface. The fiddly display is also a problem.  But, for my purposes – grocery hauling in my hilly neighborhood and general commuting – this kit is fine.  I love that I’m still riding a 37 year old bike and that with each grocery haul I’m not using my car.  That’s a real win.

A Southeast Portland Adventure

Posted on by
8

I love it when a routine bike ride turns into something a little different.  This morning, with a promising break in the rain, I set out on my 1975 Centurion for what I thought would be my usual route out to Oaks Bottom and back to town on the Springwater Trail, with a brief stop at Tadpole Pond.  But, as I was getting underway, I could see that other COVID escapees had a similar plan.  My initial leg of the journey was crammed with pedestrians and other cyclists, as well as a fair number of cars.  So, en route I veered off course.

I headed south on SE 28th, past Clinton and Powell, and at that point thought that maybe a stop at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden would be first up.  I cycled past the encampments which line 28th as one approaches the East Moreland golf course.  The course was fully stocked with golfers teeing off on its manicured greens, and offered a disturbing contrast to the disarray of the encampments just across the course’s fence line.  But, I kept my thoughts in check as I maneuvered the bike through the debris and then pulled in to the Rhodie Garden’s parking lot.  There were only two other bikes parked there, including a cargo bike with kid’s strider bike tucked neatly into its giant bags.

Unfortunately, once again everyone seemed to have the same idea as I did, and the Gardens were jammed with people taking in the serenity of the 9.5 acre park, with its teeming waterfowl.  So, I opted not to go in.  The above videos are from a recent visit (middle of the week, rainy day) when I was lucky to be one of just a few guests.  The birds featured in the 2nd video above are American Wigeons, a type of duck with an interesting, delicate call.

Upon deciding not to head down to Oaks Bottom, which I suspected would also be crowded, I meandered back into town going first north on 22nd from the Sellwood area, and then followed previously un-vetted (by me) cycling “greenway” routes back in to town.  As is sometimes the case with Portland’s cycling infrastructure, the recommended routes can be ill-conceived which I discovered when I found myself at the apex of a 5 way multi-lane intersection with no bike lane in sight.  Once I’d found my way again, I finally had a chance to see the Gideon Crossing, a structure which was built to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians waiting on railroad crossings.  This part of my route was at one time a section of my regular commute but I haven’t been out this way for about a year and a half.  I tried out the elevator, and then walked my bike across the bridge.  All worked fine, and the view from up top was fun.

Once back in town, I stopped off at one of my favorite local haunts, and a place that I miss now that “hanging out” is not an option.  Often there are interesting bikes (and persons!) parked out front.  Today it was quiet, so I ordered a latte and began a walk through the neighborhood while I sipped my decaf, in between re-masking whenever others were nearby.

And that’s when today’s special moment happened.  I approached an intersection that I ride every day on my commute, but I came at it from a different direction.  I caught a whiff of something extraordinary and unexpected during the height of winter:  the fragrance of jasmine, strong and powerful.  I looked up to see a lovely stone house with a front garden which has to be the envy of all its neighbors.  It was teeming with jasmine plants in full bloom and with ripe berries as well.  What a fantastic way to wrap up today’s journey.  In that instance, my trip turned into an adventure instead of a ride. The fragrance of the jasmine is still with me.

Vintage Mopeds and Scooters: the Precursor to e-bikes?

Posted on by
3

1962 VeloSolex moped

A lot of DNA is shared among vintage bicycles, motorcycles, scooters and mopeds.  Pneumatic tires, Bowden cables, chain drive, frame and fork geometry, as well as components including stems, seatposts, handlebars, grips and brake levers were utilized in common across these vintage machines.

I had an early introduction to scooters when my parents trucked home a Honda CT 90 to our rural farm back in the late ’60’s.  Once the little motorbike was off the flatbed, I was stricken with intrigue.  My parents made the mistake of “allowing” me to ride this little machine on the rural roads around our hay farm in the Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon.  At age 12, I propped my 9 year old sister on the back, and proceeded to ride far afield of my parent’s requirements, even crashing the bike into a ditch in a particularly unpleasant and embarrassing experience.  But most of the time, my spirits soared whenever I threw a leg over.  Even though I had my internal hub 3 speed bike to explore logging roads and irrigation canals, this gas powered machine allowed me to venture much further beyond the limitations of my little kid muscles and my clunky 3 speed Sears-Puch diamond-framed bicycle.

1897 Millet motorized bicycle

Motor-assist bicycles were first introduced over 120 years ago, back in the late 1890’s.  By this time in history bicycles were widely accepted and utilized for transportation, leisure and sport, but with the advent of the internal combustion engine (first developed in 1794) inventors made headway with adapting an engine to a bicycle frame. The above pictured bike utilized an air-cooled radial 5 cylinder engine incorporated into the rear wheel.  The rear fender doubled as the fuel tank.  It used a twist grip throttle, and could be started with pedals, much like modern mopeds.  The bike reached a maximum speed of 21 mph at 180 rpms.  The pedals served not only to start the bike up, but to provide for an alternative option should the engine fail.

Another fascinating approach to power assist on a bicycle was developed by Wall Auto-Wheel. First patented in 1908, this device could be added to any bicycle.  The 118 cc air-cooled single cylinder engine was mounted in a sub-frame which attached to the bicycle at three points.  There was a lever control at the handlebars which operated the throttle.  The whole unit was “lightweight” at 45 lbs.

1947 Whizzer Luxembourg

In the U.S, Los Angeles based Breen-Taylor Engineering developed the Whizzer bicycle engine in 1939.  This was a motor kit which could be added to any bicycle.  As you can see from the above photo, this was no small feat, and required many modifications and enhancements to allow this 150cc engine to perform with relative safety.  Whizzers were often added to the very robust American steel frames offered by Schwinn and others during this era.

After WW2, many different kinds of motor-assist bicycles entered the marketplace.  One of the most common was the “moped” which used pedals to start the bike and assist it on steep inclines when the engine was stressed.  While VeloSolex dominated the market in Europe, many other manufacturers stepped in to provide competition, such as this VAP model depicted above.

The above photo depicts Motobecane’s offerings from 1962.  French bicycle builders embraced the idea of motor-assist and many manufacturers offered mopeds and motor-assist bicycles.

Wall Auto Wheel added to a BSA bicycle. Photo courtesy of http://www.oldbike.eu

But are these historic innovations really comparable to today’s e-bikes?  In some ways they are:  they attempted to take existing bicycle engineering to add motor-assist to the bike, thus extending the bike’s range and reducing fatigue for the cyclist.  Not all vintage motor assist bicycles incorporated the concept of rider pedal assist.  And, as is obvious now, gas powered engines, especially 2 strokes engines, are not environmentally friendly.  Are e-bikes environmentally friendly?  That’s an issue worth exploring, given that the batteries needed to power these bikes require harvesting materials that may have a negative effect on the planet.  That may be outweighed by a cyclist leaving their car at home and commuting on their e-bike.  And, the health benefits of riding an e-bike have been documented in numerous studies.  The behavior of e-bike cyclists was a concern for me initially, but I have noticed that here in Pdx, e-bike riders behave no differently than the rest of us, for the most part.  So, I say, if it has two wheels, get on it and ride!