Converting My 80's MTB Commuter In To An E Bike With @SwytchBike
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- Опубликовано: 21 янв 2023
- Commuting to work by bike can be a drag but with the Swytch E Bike kit it easily changes my 80s MTB in to an e-Bike commuter.
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Camera Gear
GoPro Hero 8 Black : amzn.to/33JFH1l
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DJI Mini : amzn.to/2VJO0py
Nikon 18-105mm Lens : amzn.to/3f7f7nb
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Bike Spec & Product Links
Frame : Tange Infinity
Handlebars : Nitto Bullmoose 1'" Quill
Grips : Burgtec Bartender : amzn.to/34WatHK
Shifters : Shimano Deore XT SL-M730
Brake Levers : Shimano Deore XT BL-M730
Stem :
Headset : Tange Levin CDS : amzn.to/3oN5Cjg
Fork :
Brakes : Shimano Deore XT BL-M730
Brake Pads : Kool Stop Salmon : amzn.to/3HHdcn7
Wheels : Hubs - Shimano Deore XT - HB-M730
Rims - Rigida
Spokes - Plain Gauge Stainless
Nipples -
Tyres : Maxxis DTH 26" x 2.15" : amzn.to/3JocOKO
Seatpost : SR
Seat Clamp : Shimano Deore XT
Saddle : Charge Spoon : amzn.to/3GKfPmH
Front Derailleur : Shimano Deore XT FD-M730
Rear Derailleur : Shimano Deore XT RD-M730
Jockey Wheels :
Crankset : Shimano Deore XT FC-M730
Chainring : Shimano Biopace 48/38/28
Chainring Bolts :
Bottom Bracket : Tange
Chain : Wipperman 708
Cassette : Shimano Uniglide 6 Speed
Pedals : Shimano Deore XT PD-M730
Decals :
Paint :
Weldtite Grease : amzn.to/3eAyMhn
Jagwire 4mm Outer Gear Cable : amzn.to/3ixMkcS
Jagwire 5mm Outer Brake Cable : amzn.to/3dXHdiP
Jagwire Inner Gear Cable : amzn.to/3dZcMJ9
Jagwire Brake Cable : amzn.to/3dYk2am
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Развлечения
Thanks for showing everyone how easy it is to convert a bike into an ebike with this Swytch kit. And I was going to get that kit but took a flyer on a Green Zone Bikes kit and I am one happy clam of a commuter with it. And it has really helped me get to work on time on many a morning and that's life, no, we're not always up for the huffing and puffing it takes to beat the clock. But these ebike kits, O my, that make commuting life so much better, like having a friend to draft and then some. And because I love, love, love that juice on flats and false flats, I am motivated to romp out of the saddle up ramps and rises, knowing that juice will give me a break after that interval, as it were. And the Green Zone Bikes kit is just a front-wheel 250-watt hub motor, thumb throttle, and two wires back to the Samsung battery, which I stash in a rear pannier and wrap up against the cold in winter. Plus my bike had a normal profile, pretty much, and i like that, no big battery on display or whatever. And I'll close by noting the safety aspect of power at your fingertips, there are a few stretches of two-lane road where motorists really wind it out and the faster I am off those the better. And that power helps me motor up the road and get beyond them quicker than otherwise. And my commute is 28 miles total and, to my surprise, the battery pretty much gets me the assistance I want each way, not totally as I do supplement up hills and such with my quads, but I suppose I'm like those gas-stingy motorists who do everything they can to stretch their mileage, I can really stretch that juice and I'm amazed that a little consumer unit stands up to the daily grind as well as it has so far.
Nice to hear your thoughts on it! Thanks for sharing.
@@MonkeyShred Thanks and the Green Zone kit is certainly in the same class as the Swytch kit and I was actually on the list for one when I opted for the Green Zone deal, just didn't want to wait another month or whatever the production run required. And with each, it is just great that a regular bike can be transformed by power yet still nimble without power and I look at e-bikes with their beefy frames and fat little tires and wonder, hmm, how does one pedal one of those when they don't have juice in the battery and maybe that's something that doesn't happen, just use it for short commutes and errands and that's cool, that works. And as I mentioned in my post, I am amazed at the useful range I get from my Green Zone kit, doing the dance between power and not and wringing a more enjoyable commute out of the assistance.
I mentioned in the poll post, these are great first steps for people with no mechanical exp or tools. But there are much better value kits out there. These kits are quite dated and front wheel is regarded as the worst placement for the motor, but like you mentioned doesn't require a chain whip and cassette wrench. Would love to see you do a mid-drive build with an em3ev battery. If a kit like this gets people out on bikes, esp ones that are sitting in the shed rusting away, or even better gives them the confidence to start working on their bikes, I'm all for it. E-bikes are an amazing tool at a time we're loosing a lot of our countryside to private hands, we need to get people out there enjoying life.
Yeah that’s fair! I would be interested in trying other variants too. The FWD is the simplest form of conversion so it does have that appeal and at the end of the day - if it gets more bikes out the shed and on to shred it’s great!
nice kit that :-) the more people who ride whatever bike the better
I remember years ago when I used to commute as part of my training regime, and was race fit. Cycling home one day and on spotting someone riding ahead I decided to chase him down as part of an interval workout. I couldn't catch him though. Now, I knew all the local fast riders- even from a distance - but couldn't work out who this chap was. We got to a climb and I put in a massive level 4 effort to catch him, only to find he was on a very early electric bike. Oh how we laughed…
Now I'm disabled after illness and would love an electric bike. I'll probably go for something pre-built though as I don't think a Swytch kit would suit any of my bikes sadly.
They complete bikes are getting harder to spot now before you try to race them! 😅 Hope you find something that suits your needs!
My first thought: Yuck, an Ebike.
My second thought: Oh yay a front wheel drive only e bike. No way this could go poorly. I mean front wheel drive cars handle poorly too but at least they have crumple zones independent from the rider.
Oh they're going to mitigate this with pedal sensors. Youre still likely to die in the ice/snow if you have a driven front wheel. Unless youre like me and you wear so much padding in the winter you could get hit by a car and brush it off.
Then I saw the magnet receiver and thought say goodbye to that thing when it meets a stick. Then I head the delay between stop pedaling and power cut off from the front wheel and now I know someones washing out that front wheel on even a decent surface. And once youre at its speed limit I assume it becomes a restricter. I waited until the end of the video to post this comment like a good youtube commentator, and I'm pleased you addressed the slip issue inherent in the concept. And yeah I would only recommend this to the elderly and obese, and other slow joy riders. Time will tell if they're as good as a 90s hardtail for commuting.
Great vid! It’s great to see a different pov (and some same) compared to what I experienced!! Def been enjoying the extra juice when I’ve been lazy 😂😂😂 Keen to see what you put it in next cheers!!
It’s got to be a more cargo focused bike eh 😏
@@MonkeyShred heh heh 😈
Very nice video! Will be looking into the Swytch for use on rolling hills!
I've been considering getting one of these for my bike, as my bike with the 80cc engine can only be riden round fields. Thanks for uploading this. It'll give me chance to look into them
No problem 👍 thanks for checking them out.
Be great craic putting one on me Orbera Gain, i might be able to keep up with some of the boy racers from the CC. Great post i enjoyed it, looking forward to part two.
Up hills would help but on the flats.. sheesh club rides can still average around 20mph right? They’d be gone 😅
We have a great ebike kit and I was wondering if you could do a comparison review of our Geeko kit and the swytch kit if possible?
They must have spent a whole 10 pence on that magnet ring.
🤷♂️
You addresed every last one of my predictions. Well done video indeed. They should pay you more. And you mentioned what I forgot. You're putting a decent weight on the front bars. This makes Colin Chapman roll in his grave.
Great video, looking forward to more adventures with the Swytch. I’m guessing once you got used to an electric bike would go back to a normal bike?
Yeah I would! I love a ‘manual’ bike and would never change that but I know ebikes and conversions definitely have their place too. I really want to make a more cargo based bike for the Swytch to run on 😉
I’d do it, brings a new lease of life to some older bikes
Right? That’s what it’s all about.
Very interesting.
I have a Dutch-Style normal City Bike that would match to this kit.
Cheers
Yeah I think they’re perfect for that style of bike.
Good alternative then e bikes which can cost from 600 to 3000 here in the us going to check out cost. Nice to see your videos again😎
You can get an eBike for £600?! I popped in to my LBS the other day and the cheap end of things for them, a ‘city’ eBike is 3K minimum 😳
HI, what is the tyre pump adaptor you are using at 3.48. Does it fit schrader valves?
It’s just an airwave track pump. It has both Schrader and Presta on it.
It should be cool retro uphill bike with 2wd :D
Stick a motor in the back too? 😅
A friend of mine, who's in his 80s, had a Swytch kit fitted to his Brompton, which makes it much more usable for them to ride around hilly Sheffield. On the other hand, I know a bike shop mechanic who, based on his experiences with customers, is somewhat sceptical of their long-term value and performance vs a "proper" e-bike. 🤷🏻♂
Will you be doing a long-term review for us?
I'm guessing it is reliable, based on my own conversion kit of another brand, and the wonderful benefit of these kits is that most of us already have bikes--mountain bikes, folding bikes, whatever bikes--that are great for converting so why not go for it and besides a lot of us aren't up for the thousands it takes to get a new ebike and then, if you have a shiny new one, are you really comfortable leaving it on the street all day at work? That's a big benefit, too, of these kits, old bikes with conversion kits are not nearly as eye-catching as fancy new ebikes and that's just a reality of life, no knock on any beautiful new ebike.
I’ll be popping this kit on another bike but I don’t know how well a long term review would go. I have a lot of bikes to rotate 😅
A couple of weeks ago I would have been persuaded by this BUT I’ve been commuting on the mighty Triumph 3 speed only using it in 2nd like a single speed. After a few days of hard riding my body has adapted and I can smash out the commute. Like you say, it can be handy if you feel lazy but I’m not sure of the weight and ultimately the cost. Still not sure.
Ah you’ll come around again. 😉
I have a feeling that with high fuel prices, these bicycle conversion kits will become very popular...just use the bike you already have. Does it cost much less than purchasing an e-bike?
It depends what ebikes you look at really! The cheapest I saw in my LBS the other day was a Giant ‘city bike’ eBike and that was £3000 so compared to that, it’s around a third of the price. Maybe less if the deals are on when you look!
It’s weird Swytch is providing RUclipsrs with the old batteries rather than showcasing the new ones. This is a concern because it suggests there are problems with investment/production for the new batteries (of which I am waiting on delivery following order in September)
No idea to be honest. Hopefully a newer kit becomes available too.
Plastic component near the crank, automatic pass for me
Ok. That’s fair.
Avoid Swytch! They have had my money for two years and I'm still waiting for a wheel to fit my old 9mm MTB. 61 emails later, I'm having to threaten legal action to get my money back 😮
Damn. Sorry to hear that! 2 years is crazy! What is the delay?
What happened to your finger?🤔😬
That was either a Torvi nail slice or eczema got really bad 😅
Way more than 4kg
I took the weights from Gary’s Projects and he weighed them on camera.
@@MonkeyShred His scales must be wrong
@@ianmangham4570 why do you think that? Are you assuming a weight or have you weighed everything yourself?
@@ianmangham4570 my scales are definitely not wrong , not sure what you’re smoking 😂
@@garysprojects I'm smoking Purple Stardawg
Not a fan of taking a vintage or classic bike and putting something like this on it
I'm older now and putting a electric conversion on my older bikes gives me the confidence to ride out in economy mode ( low assistance) and have the peace of mind that I will get back home. I'm going out riding for hours instead of minutes now if I want. Older bikes are built for bike riders. Cheap electric bikes, not so much. That said, I'm reluctant to do something to destroy the character of a classic myself. This front wheel motor and handle bar battery system can be added or removed and put back to original in 5 minutes. My bikes still ride pretty much the same as before. It just feels like any hills are less steep than they actually are. With my kit the electric assist cuts out above 10 mph in the lowest setting. So it's all me on the flats.
I am.
Thing is with resto-moding anything like this cars included..you can just swap it back
Some good points have already been made. Something like this can easily be changed back without damaging the bike and it’s taking something you already have and love and making it a bit easier to ride.