Відео

Buying a Brompton electric will cost you about 1k more

@@AlexWaite yes, this is pretty clear, matter is about performances, weight, autonomy and so on.

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment Louis

Thank you Saimiri, I am glad it was helpful. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

thanks for the info.@@wgh-cs2nw

It does not damage the gearing - you effectively have a 2 wheel drive bike. I guess that there may be a very minimal chance of increased brake wear if you travel faster and therefore brake from higher speeds.

Rebecca, Thank you. Hopefully your kit has arrived by now and you have it fitted. Mine is still going strong and I have added a MAX battery and an OLED controller.

@@mikeknowles6063 Going to be my configuration, too Mike. Are you using the Swytch OLED, or did you find one that fits and is less $$ ? My kit arriving soon.

Thank you. Coincidentally, as a child I had many holidays on boats on the waterways of France, Ireland, England and Scotland, but now we cycle, and stay in hotels. Glad you enjoyed the video.

I use conventional rechargeable lights. I think this is the best option for the Swytch system. My wife has a Shimano powered electric bike and this does have terminals to wire lights, but this was a £3000 bike.

Thank you. I am really happy that the video has been useful for you and so many others.

​@@mikeknowles6063May I ask if riding up a steep hill is Easy, Okay or Challenging

Sorry, no, I don’t have a Brompton electric to compare.

Thank you. I am glad that you and many others have found this video useful.

Thank you, I hope you enjoy using your electrified bike.

Maybe get this checked out at a friendly bike shop

The outside shots were in Pontrhydyfen in Wales.

Yes, I saw similar differences between the display and the lights on the battery.This seems to be normal, and the correct and trusted level is that shown on the display. Since making the video, I have purchased and installed the OLED display, and this has the same characteristics. I don’t think there is any way to connect lights to the kit without taking it apart and hacking into the wiring which personally I wouldn’t do. There are some great rechargeable lights available these days, I’d recommend some Lezyne Zectos which I recently put on my wife’s bike.

Danny, Switching gears does not affect the assistance from the motor. A huge change in cadence could effect how much assistance you get, but if you are using the gears normally then there should be no huge differences in cadence. I suppose it’s a bit like having a two wheel drive bike. It all feels surprisingly normal and natural.

where did you run the cable? under the frame?

@@danielezefiro7492 Yes, pretty much as seen on the video.

@@spet2904 my cable runs over the lower part of the frame so I do not have this issue.

Emilie, Thank you. This is a good question, and something that I should have shown in more detail on the video. So, for the pedal sensor I used two cable ties. The rearward one is easy, it goes behind the seat tube on top, and underneath. The front cable tie is the tricky one, if goes in front of the seat tube on the top, and then behind the seat tube underneath. It seems odd, as you thread them this way, but when they tighten it all seems secure. On the underside you should find that there is a slight protrusion of seat tube (not seat post) which prevents the ties from moving even when the seat post is fully extended. Finally I used a third small cable tie to secure the wire for the sensor to the rearward cable tie. This is to make sure there is no strain on the sensor during the folding/unfolding process. Hope this all helps.

Thank you for leaving a comment. We were using hotels, and with our luggage transferred each day. Bike hire, hotels and the luggage transfer were all part of a package by a Evazio. If you look up Evazio on the internet there is some more detail, prices, and many other tour routes they offer.

Thank you, Personally, I didn’t order the parts to mount the battery in place of the luggage block because I regularly use a bag on the luggage block. In the future I may investigate fabricating a bracket in aluminium to combine the battery mount and a Brompton luggage mount. You are correct, it would lower the centre of gravity, but also don’t forget, the Swytch batteries are not as heavy as on most e-bikes.

Yes there is some drag in the wheel. I was also a bit worried about it initially. There is another video on my channel where I compare two Swytch wheels, one for a Brompton, and one for a 26inch bike. Have a look at this video and see if it looks similar to how your wheel behaves. After more riding I have become less worried about the resistance. It doesn’t seem to slow me down above 15mph.

Axel, I don’t seem to have any issues with the disk of magnets. I did initially have an issue where tension in the cable was moving the sensor during the fold. This was alleviated by allowing some slack in the cable. This doesn’t sound like the problem you have. I am aware that the Brompton design has changed very slightly over the years, but I don’t know what those changes were. If you’ve tried Swytch themselves for support and still have issues please can I suggest posting a question with picture on the ‘Swytch Bike Chat’ Facebook group. This is a big community of users and someone may be able to help.

No problem, thank you. I hope your stall went smoothly.

Yes, I have seen the ARCC kit in another UA-cam vide, it looks good and I especially like the idea of using easily available power tool batteries.

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment under my video. My audio quality from a GoPro camera is not the best, and I use music to hide as much wind noise and clicks and bangs as I can. Have a look at some of my cycle travel videos on my channel and see if you prefer the music tracks on these videos. Thanks again, I hope your Swytch install has gone well.

Simon, thank you for taking the time to leave such a great comment under my video. Your point about the rotational direction of the front tyre is very interesting, and something that I am going to research further. Next time I am in a bike shop that has a factory front drive bike ride, such as a Brompton electric, I am going to try and see what they have done with the front tyre. You are correct, there is a difference between cadence and torque based sensors. We are lucky to have several e-bikes in the household, front hub drive, Mahle rear hub drive, Shimano mid drive, and a very clever Fazua system (recently bought by Porsche). All have subtle differences, and different sensors The most efficient seems to be the rear hub drive, with a cadence sensor, but I agree the bikes with torque sensors seem more natural. The Swytch kit in this case has done its job, a simple conversion, and the owner of the bike is cycling again and enjoying it. Thanks again !

I have now been able to buy a MAX 180Wh battery for £280 including delivery from the Swytch shop. There is no option in there to buy the Air 90Wh battery separate from the kit.

Jennie, Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. The Brompton itself is a great bike, I am sure you will like it, either Brompton Electric, a Swytch conversion, or even the standard non electrified version. The Brompton electric has a bigger battery with more range, and a torque based sensor. The Swytch is slightly lighter due to the smaller battery, and uses a Cadence based sensor. The conversion is a enjoyable process if you have a Brompton already, but don’t rule out the official Brompton Electric if you spot on 2nd hand or at a reduced price.

@@mikeknowles6063 I bought 2 Bromptons on sale and one Swytch kit! I'm going to throw them both in the trunk at our upcoming family vacation so we can all have fun and get the concept of how revolutionary the Brompton could be in our lives. Thanks again for the great video

This is interesting. Thank you for your extra research. I don’t think that the resistance is too much of a problem , ot just seemed a bit disconcerting, especially when compared to a larger Swytch wheel.

@@mikeknowles6063 I've had mine for almost 300 miles on a 26 inch wheel. There has been no lessening of the resistance.

Dominique, when the video was made I had just the Air battery and the basic controller. My range with the Air battery was around 16km. I have now purchased the Max battery and the OLED controller. I have only used the bike once with this new configuration , making three journeys in one day, carrying laptop etc in front bag, and with some hills. The total was 35km and the display still showed I had 2 bars of battery remaining. It’s difficult to say for sure but I have the feeling the OLED display is improving my range too, but I have nothing scientific to back this up. I think I should point out that I consider myself a fairly strong rider, and weigh 70kg. I use mainly the lowest power level 1, only switching to level 3 for one short 12% hill. I do not have a throttle, and the kit is working pedal assist only. My tyres are inflated to the optimum pressure.

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I am glad that you found the video helpful. It’s amazing how many people are buying 3D printed parts to fix the PAS sensor when there is an easy solution that we have both done, and it looks much neater. Enjoy your new electrified Brompton.

I feel silly asking but what is a G3 Brompton kit ??

@@lonestarlaurel 3rd generation Swytch kit

Yes I agree it does now seem expensive. There are now cheap e-bikes on the market which make converting a bike look less attractive,.It does work very well though.

Thank you for leaving a comment. I’m not sure that I understand what you are saying, but thanks anyway.

@@mikeknowles6063 To Quote Swytch "With the brushless technology, you’ll notice no resistance while you’re out on the road - even if you’re riding with the Power Pack switched off. " Mike, Thanks for testing a showing the true state of affairs. Rather false advertising, though in practice, probably not noticeable with an adult's weight and gravity pushing the bike along. Did you notice the drag before you tested for it ?

@@SimonBrowneNZ The drag is not an issue whilst riding, and I hadn’t noticed it before someone commented on my build video. The Brompton is mine, and the 26 inch wheeled bike is for a family member. Whilst I had access to the two bikes I thought a comparison video would be useful.

Norman, thank you I am glad you found the video useful. It’s difficult to quantify the performance uphill, but I will try. I would call myself a strong rider, live in a hilly area, and mostly use the very lowest power level on the bike. I’m very much treating this kit as assistance rather than propulsion and have been pleasantly surprised . Out of the saddle under high effort you need to be careful not to knock your knees on the battery, but with electric assistance this level of effort is unusual. I can imagine that a user who was expecting this tiny motor and tiny battery to propel them up long steep hills without any user effort they might be disappointed. As I’m sure you’re aware tyre pressure is also critical for the performance of any Brompton, electrified or not. By far the best upgrade I made to the Brompton for climbing and everyday use was to switch from the standard 50 tooth chainring to a 44 tooth. To me, the Brompton with a 50 chainring seemed overgeared for the type of riding I used it for. Hope you enjoy your new electrified Brompton.

Thank you Mark, you are correct. With the bracket mounted to the back of the handlebars and therefore facing outwards when folded, there is an increase in the folded width. My S type would be 32cm wide folded as standard un-modified, but with the Swytch bracket it’s about 38cm wide. It would be good if they made a bracket that somehow worked in conjunction with the luggage block. Coincidentally I had a similar worry about the folded size when I ordered the kit, but luckily the bike still fits (just) in the front boot of my Porsche.

This video and comment got me thinking that an engineering design solution might be possible. How about making the battery mounting block somehow foldable, thus minimizing the obtrusion. My kit, to be installed on the M handlebars, arriving soon. Fingers crossed re all functionality aspects.

@@lonestarlaurel I have a similar issue with a Tern bike, have just rechecked the Swytch website and they now sell a mounting kit for the luggage carrier on the front, since I don't regularly use this I think it is a good solution with keeping the 'fold', have emailed Swytch support to see what they think, and how much the kit is, it's called Bro Block.

The price varies depending on battery size, and how long you want to wait for delivery. Check the Swytch website for the latest price.

I would say that the pedal sensor installation was easy once I worked out which parts to use to assemble the magnet ring and where to place the sensor. Check out the installation video “installing a Swytch kit on a Brompton” on my channel for more details. The price of the kit changes depending on which battery you chose, and how long you are prepared to wait. The Swytch website will have the up to date pricing for your region.