Should we bail on the new Swytch conversion kit

[Rickybails]

+1 to swytch battery connector bracket causing cut outs

I fitted a swytch kit but it kept cutting out. I got a 2nd battery/controller (used with original bracket) from swytch but cut-outs still happened. I then bought a woosh kit which didn't cut out. Using the woosh battery/controller with the swytch wheel and pas worked fine. So probem must have been with the swytch mounting bracket and attached wired.

The woosh kit came with its own wheel motor and I also bought a dileger motor wheel along the way, but the swytch motor was way better than the other 2 - almost silent. Today I use the swytch wheel with the woosh battery/controller.

The woosh controller is crude compared to the swytch - it only turns the motor on full or off, there are no levels. The 5 levels only apply different top speed restrictions. The swytch wheel is noticeably more powerful with the woosh controller than the swytch was. The levels on the swytch kit however give you different levels of power assistance to the wheel which is great for extending range. So I do miss that but the cut-outs made it a non-starter. I'll probably go for a grin controller next so I can run with different power levels for better range rather than riding with full 250w power everywhere.

 

[Nealh]

A tail of how two controllers act differently the switch a current control model and the woosh a speed control model. The woosh though is likely 20a rated whilst the switch is likely only 12 or 15a.

 

[ChrisMeBike]

Jim, one more question. My support person said she was handing me off to the aftercare team. That was Wednesday. No mention of when I will be contacted again. Did similar happen for your wife? I have no idea if there's much churn in their support teams or how many customers are looking for support. So it may be too much to expect rapid responses all of the time. Until the hand-off the responses were daily however.

 

[ChrisMeBike]

I am encouraged various Swytch owners are experimenting with modifications to utilize the Swytch kits in some way despite the technical issues. I am watching these thread with different experiments with hardware. Thanks for posting these experiences with different hardware.

The Swytch had several favorable reviews on Electrek, the last review being an off-road experiment. The ability to use our current bicycles on which we have achieved a good fit and easily revert back to human-only power was partially what attracted me. I'm not experienced with working on our bicycles at all. I struggle to set my wife's brakes to work correctly (but thank you Youtube). Of course the Swytch kit is so basic to apply I've had no difficulty with that. It would be just about perfect for me if it were not for that connector issue.

 

[jdunphy]

Jim, one more question. My support person said she was handing me off to the aftercare team. That was Wednesday. No mention of when I will be contacted again. Did similar happen for your wife?

Chris,

Swytch support (Edwin) diagnosed it as a bracket problem and would arrange the replacement to be shipped. We immediately heard from Michael - 13 mins later (aftercare team??? - they didn't use that term with my wife) stating they didn't know when it would be available to be shipped but we should expect it.

Summary... item wasn't in inventory
April 25 they diagnosed it as a bracket problem
May 10 item arrived in Victoria, BC

We were notified of pending shipment and had tracking.

Jim

 

[jdunphy]

Thought I would share this for a potential upgrade if you need extra battery or are having a problem with the connector later that can't be resolved.

These are pictures I have found of what others are trying - This came from a facebook post in the group: Swytch Bike Chat. They use that balance/extra battery cable I posted in a previous post on this thread and stick the entire bag into a new front bag + extra battery. They cut a hole to pass the cables from the bottom of the bag and also cutaway some fabric on the top so you can see the display from the existing bag. That would be a fairly easy hack to extend battery range without doing much to the existing kit. Threading that balance wire pigtail through the existing opening in the Swytch battery bag is the only technical challenge.

One could also bypass the entire cable connector harness and plug directly into the individual components like PAS, throttle, motor, etc. They are using water proof connectors inside the bag for PAS, Throttle, Brake, etc. Pictures shown earlier in the thread of these cables and ends. Most difficult part would be to map external 9 pin to an internal 9 pin cable. Perhaps someone else has already done that. I haven't researched it that far yet nor dissembled that connector harness myself to see what is the best strategy.

 

[ChrisMeBike]

The summer has gone by since I engaged on this thread. Giving a final update here. I got plenty of support from Swytch but it took a while for the email back and forth. Tech support first end me a new controller. It was easy enough to swap out the old one and put in a new one. Unfortunately that didn't cure the issue. They then sent a completely new battery pack/controller. They sent a RA and prepaid label to return the defective unit. That has pretty much cured the problem. My wife gets a few occasional drop out. Some of that is the PAS/sensor. There could still be a bracket connection issue similar to what Jim's wife had but it isn't the main issue. It's unfortunate to have technical issues but despite the problems I felt I got good support from Swytch.

 

[Bonzo Banana]

The summer has gone by since I engaged on this thread. Giving a final update here. I got plenty of support from Swytch but it took a while for the email back and forth. Tech support first end me a new controller. It was easy enough to swap out the old one and put in a new one. Unfortunately that didn't cure the issue. They then sent a completely new battery pack/controller. They sent a RA and prepaid label to return the defective unit. That has pretty much cured the problem. My wife gets a few occasional drop out. Some of that is the PAS/sensor. There could still be a bracket connection issue similar to what Jim's wife had but it isn't the main issue. It's unfortunate to have technical issues but despite the problems I felt I got good support from Swytch.

It's great that you got good support from Swytch. I personally would expect it as the Swytch kits are sold at quite a premium and there should be a good margin there for issues for some customers to be sorted out properly.