Woosh C70 Brompton conversion

Warwick2

Pedelecer
Mar 19, 2021
74
20
Regarding the rattling battery; I've applied two layers of black Gorilla tape to either side of the mount on the battery and that seems to have done the trick for now, at least. Three layers was too much of a squeeze.

The front frame hinge has become very stiff of late. It may be nothing to do with the conversion, of course, so I'm going to look into that once I get back home from my ride
 

DBrown67

Pedelecer
Feb 26, 2017
77
27
57
Leeds
Well I've done just short of 500 miles on my Brompton kit now. Up to 249 miles though I had a problem in that I'd had 4 punctures by then and all on the front wheel. It got to the stage where I couldn't rely on the bike at all. I contacted Woosh and they suggested fitting a Marathon Plus, which I did. No more punctures up to press.

It may have been something I hadn't seen inside the rim after the first puncture.... but all the repairs were in different places on the tube. I did damage the side wall of the original front tyre after a roadside repair and only getting around 60psi in the tyre with my feeble little pump. So that may have contributed to the subsequent punctures.

I cannot comment on the battery in this kit as I used my existing HL battery. I've yet to use power levels 4 or 5. I find level 3 adequate for everything so far. I didn't realise I could tweak the number of levels and their powers either. That's nice to know but I've got used to it now.

I'm thinking of tweaking the gearing a touch as my B75 came with a 44 tooth crank. The Brompton "standard" is 50 teeth I believe which I found to be really tough when I test rode a Demo bike. But with this power assist it might just be perfect. I don't use 1st gear much as 2nd is OK for setting off unless it's a hill start. 2nd could do with an increase in cruising speed as I spin out too early. 3rd I leave for purely descents.
 

Kelliana

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jun 20, 2021
9
1
London
Hi,
I also had the issue with everything being on really tight when installing the kit. It made the kit installation more stressful than I think it needed to be! Again not the kit's fault.

I'm loving my kit so far I bought it for the hills and it certainly helps me zoom off at lights even on 1. It surpassed my expectations on the hills. I still get overtaken by road bikes sometimes on the flat but I didn't buy it to race around. I mounted my battery upside down initially (I had the switch at the top) so it rubbed on my mudguards but that is all sorted now.

I also had some issues heat shrinking the cables but I'm working on that ASAP.

I had this knocking about that I put this controller in. It did come open the other day but I think it does the job.

I impulse bought this for myself on my birthday: https://www.brompton.com/catalogue/bags/liberty-fabric/zip-pouch-made-with-liberty-fabric-metropolis
but unfortunately the velcro is too short and the wires do not reach for the controller to go inside so I'll probably take it back unless I can be bothered to replace the velcro.

Best wishes, Kelly
 

Warwick2

Pedelecer
Mar 19, 2021
74
20
Yes, I don't know why Brompton overtighten the crank bolts like that, it's totally unnecessary. One advantage of having the sensor where it is is that it's hidden away from any bangs or scrapes that having it on the other side might cause. Swytch put theirs on the opposite side and it does look vulnerable.

One tweak I've made to my kit is to customise the power level settings. Instead of the 5 levels, I now have 9 with much smaller jumps between them as a result. It's easy to do and is covered in the manual that Woosh posted, but the link is here: Contents (wooshbikes.co.uk) See the lower half of page 6 onwards.

One other little tweak was to route the power cable through the braze-on guide that Brompton provide for the brake cable. It was a squeeze to get the plug through, but it did fit. It makes the cable run that bit tidier.
 
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Warwick2

Pedelecer
Mar 19, 2021
74
20
A friend rode my e-Brompton yesterday and quickly became an ebike convert. He got the hang of the gearing and the power levels quickly and we set off for a sneaky pint at a couple of rural pubs. It's given him food for thought and it'd be good if he were to splash out.
 

afia2k8

Pedelecer
Dec 14, 2021
28
2
Just received and installed my Brompton kit from Woosh today for my B75. Before I go any further I want to stress that I bought a kit from them without battery. This was because I wanted to use my existing 17AH HL battery I got in a kit from them over two years ago for my Cube MTB conversion. Plus I wanted to keep the use of the luggage block from my Brompton bag. So please bear in mind this isn't a review of their full kit.

However, I can say that installation was a doddle. One or two cables were a bit long but I was able to coil them neatly round the HL cradle mounts to shorten them. The mounts I used on the stem were Tesla pipe clips from Screwfix. Cheap as chips, and nothing to do with Tesla cars :) As you can see from the pics the way I've mounted the cradle isn't the most elegant but is there a better way? But looks aren't everything... especially with a Brompton. They can be a bit of an acquired taste for many people.

I did have one moment where I thought I'd done some serious damage to the controller (housed neatly in the base of the HL cradle). As I was screwing on the cradle to the mounts the screwdriver touched the middle two pins where the battery connects. I jumped as there was a loud spark, but no power was connected anywhere. I'm wondering if I just discharged some capacitors in a non-standard way. But those pins are very close to the mount hole and screwdrivers are usually made of metal. So I don't know what really happened. But everything was fine when I immediately tested it, but I was somewhat concerned for a minute there.

There are some other mods I've done on my B75 such as the black Joseph Kuosac bar (600mm) retaining standard height. Really feels more comfy with the ergonomic grips and wider stance. I also tried to go further with my own "black edition" by robbing the crank off a spares bike. It still keeps 44 tooth drive as standard with 48 on the outside acting as a guard. However, the 96 link B75 chain won't fit that outer ring with the 15 tooth sprocket I added a while back.

I've only completed a huge 8 miles so far (well more really as the display only shows assisted mileage completed) but I have to say I love the quietness of this C70 motor. You can hear it on quiet stretched of road of course, but I like that reassuring hum. And it's so much quicker off the mark than my MTB is... obviously the small diameter wheels helping there. I'm very pleased with the power. I'm not a fast rider by any means. I'm losing my bottle a bit when I hit 25 mph downhill :p So for me reaching 12-14 mph on the flat is quite enough. And I managed that easily in the short ride I've done and kept the motor on level 3 of the power range (1-5).

I might need to up the gearing a bit now though. As mentioned earlier, I fitted a 15 tooth sprocket some time ago to help reduce the gearing a bit. Given the 44 tooth chainring (which is standard on the B75) I find the gearing a little low. I was in top gear for most of the ride. I suppose I could just put back the 13 tooth sprocket and put it back to bog standard. I do prefer to cruise in 3rd gear as like I said, I'm not fast anyway.

Of course the bike has added weight now and I found I had to keep the battery locked at all times. On my MTB the battery just sits there (unlocked) with no issues at a 45 degree angle. Obviously jumping vertically up on my B75 is easier to dislodge the battery, added to the more bumps you'll feel on a Brompton. But overall the loaded bike with battery is still a lot less than my Cube MTB. I don't need the full fold unless I'm loading into a car for my summer camping trips to classic car shows. The 1/3 fold you see here is what I usually do when parking indoors in my hallway. What does a B75 weigh? Is it 12.5 kgs? So add a C70 and 17AH HL battery and that's the full weight now.

I will update this as I add more miles and trek a bit further afield. Service from Woosh was very good and they were helpful with the questions I had beforehand. I'm not envisaging any problems with this kit though. This battery is over two years old and so far has clocked up just short of 3000 assisted miles already on my MTB.

EDIT: The full fold is no problem at all by the way. I would remove the battery first if I was fully folding, but it can be done in situ. I just had to be careful how I routed and cable tied the cables as I didn't get it right first time! Or second... but with careful checking of the fold after each repositioning I got the perfect set up.
Hi, thanks for the review. What size and where did you get those U bolt to clamp the battery to the stem? I'm doing a similar setup to my brompton.
 

Warwick2

Pedelecer
Mar 19, 2021
74
20
I somehow lost my charger. I hunted high and low for it, but realised I'd have to buy another.

I spoke to Woosh yesterday, paid for a replacement and it arrived today.

Impeccable service!
 

DBrown67

Pedelecer
Feb 26, 2017
77
27
57
Leeds
Hi, thanks for the review. What size and where did you get those U bolt to clamp the battery to the stem? I'm doing a similar setup to my brompton.
Sorry for the very late reply. I got them from Screwfix. Use two or three of these to bolt the cradle to. You need short bolts though as they take both 6mm and 8mm fixings. The 6mm threads are set inside the 8mm thread further in. I used 8mm fixings. Need to recess the holes in the cradle and use shallow headed bolts to keep the cradle surface flat or else you cant slide the battery on.

It doesn't look very elegant when it's done. All the weight is at the front of course. But it does retain the fold with no issues and it has the advantage of keeping the bag mount free. I found that you MUST lock the battery at all times with this set up as it will bounce off the cradle. I can get away with not locking the battery on my MTB.

 
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StuartsProjects

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 9, 2021
1,658
927
It doesn't look very elegant when it's done. All the weight is at the front of course. But it does retain the fold with no issues and it has the advantage of keeping the bag mount free. I found that you MUST lock the battery at all times with this set up as it will bounce off the cradle. I can get away with not locking the battery on my MTB.
Very interesting conversion.

I presume, that as you mentioned the battery bouncing off, its removable (with a key) for charging ?

I have a Swytch conversion, but am keen on a conversion where the battery can stay on the bike while I wheel it around shops.

And I already have a couple of the Hailong style battery for my Mountain Bike conversion, and a spare bracket.
 

Warwick2

Pedelecer
Mar 19, 2021
74
20
I somehow lost my charger. I hunted high and low for it, but realised I'd have to buy another.

I spoke to Woosh yesterday, paid for a replacement and it arrived today.

Impeccable service!
And, of course, I've now found the original charger! Ah well, no harm in having a spare...
 

DBrown67

Pedelecer
Feb 26, 2017
77
27
57
Leeds
Very interesting conversion.

I presume, that as you mentioned the battery bouncing off, its removable (with a key) for charging ?

I have a Swytch conversion, but am keen on a conversion where the battery can stay on the bike while I wheel it around shops.

And I already have a couple of the Hailong style battery for my Mountain Bike conversion, and a spare bracket.
Oh yeah it's easily removable. For the Brompton though I charge it while it's on the bike simply because it takes up far less room. The MTB has to be pushed further into the deadend hallway so it makes it awkward for me to charge on the bike.
 

PowerMeUp

Just Joined
Sep 1, 2023
2
3
Having had three awful experiences with Swytch Bikes’ kits and unfailingly terrible/non-existent support, I fitted the Q70 kit with a 15Ah bag battery yesterday. It was a relatively simple job and the bike rides very well indeed. Andy at Woosh replied to the only email I had to send, almost immediately to clarify the position of the sensor behind the bottom bracket cup. I thought the magnet ring was possibly a bit far away from the sensor as the square taper would not allow it any closer, but it works very well. It provides smooth assistance even up steep hills and the battery pack capacity should mean a really good range.

I’d like to have had a Brompton-specific installation guide, but the lack of one did not affect the install.

The Swytch kit (I’ve had a Gen 1 TOUR and two Gen 2 PRO kits, all of which failed) is far and away the neatest conversion, as it has the one interface with the battery pack clipping on and off really easily. It’s a shame, therefore, that they choose: not to support their kits with availability of spare controllers which they could so easily do; not to support their customers who’ve bought kits in good faith; to relentlessly flog the latest iteration of their kit at huge cost to customers whose older kits have failed, rather than stand by their stated guarantee.

We use our Brommies a lot when away in the motorhome. The Woosh battery does compromise the folded width somewhat and is more of a faff to take on and off for charging. However, the kit seems really solid and the company appears to offer ready, willing and instant support. That’s worth so much.
 
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Brompton fan

Just Joined
Sep 1, 2023
1
1
Having had three awful experiences with Swytch Bikes’ kits and unfailingly terrible/non-existent support, I fitted the Q70 kit with a 15Ah bag battery yesterday. It was a relatively simple job and the bike rides very well indeed. Andy at Woosh replied to the only email I had to send, almost immediately to clarify the position of the sensor behind the bottom bracket cup. I thought the magnet ring was possibly a bit far away from the sensor as the square taper would not allow it any closer, but it works very well. It provides smooth assistance even up steep hills and the battery pack capacity should mean a really good range.

I’d like to have had a Brompton-specific installation guide, but the lack of one did not affect the install.

The Swytch kit (I’ve had a Gen 1 TOUR and two Gen 2 PRO kits, all of which failed) is far and away the neatest conversion, as it has the one interface with the battery pack clipping on and off really easily. It’s a shame, therefore, that they choose: not to support their kits with availability of spare controllers which they could so easily do; not to support their customers who’ve bought kits in good faith; to relentlessly flog the latest iteration of their kit at huge cost to customers whose older kits have failed, rather than stand by their stated guarantee.

We use our Brommies a lot when away in the motorhome. The Woosh battery does compromise the folded width somewhat and is more of a faff to take on and off for charging. However, the kit seems really solid and the company appears to offer ready, willing and instant support. That’s worth so much.
PowerMeUp.......thats good to hear regarding the Woosh 15Ah kit. Glad I didn't go with the Swytch kit for sure
 
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