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Mid-2020, I had the same problem with arcing. Cytronex told me I had been fitting the bottle incorrectly, and this after I had used it successfully over 120 times! After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, I finally agreed to return it for repair, and I am in Florida! Shipping was expensive and they charged me a discounted 67.50 GB pounds for new contacts <<REPLACING GOLD CONTACTS IN CUSTOMER'S BOTTLE - HALF COST AS AGREED To dismantle customer's bottle, remove battery packs and main circuit board, extract connector, de-solder damaged pins then replace with new pins, re-solder and assemble bottle. £67.50 To dismantle customer's bottle, remove battery packs and main circuit board, extract connector, de-solder damaged pins then replace with new pins, re-solder and assemble bottle.>> They also suggested I buy the new bottle cage, at 85 pounds, which has a lever system to positively engage the contacts. This indicated to me that they had been having problems with the screw type connector, but of course they don't admit it. I don't think they even offer the screw type and longer. At least it wasn't offered when a friend recently ordered a C1. I have three Cytronex C1 conversions, one in the UK on a solo bike and two US versions in Florida, one on a tandem and the other, solo. The C1 is an ingenious product, well thought out, very easy to fit and performs very well. Cytronex email support is very quick, but don't dare suggest that anything is wrong with the design as they won't accept this! Cases in point: the contacts problem and, more recently rusting painted spokes. Their first reaction was "stainless steel doesn't rust." They don't live near the Gulf of Mexico or they would know differently. Then I got into another exchange with Mark Searles, the designer/owner, waffling on about what they do and don't use for spokes, but never admitted any fault on their part or even thanking me for bringing the problem to their attention. Some time ago he told me he would no long accept any future orders from me and repeated this just recently. Yes, we have had a lot of email exchanges, but that's life. Again, the product is excellent, the email support is very fast, but they seem to have the attitude that the customer is always wrong, in any dispute, in my personal experience. Their recently introduced battery upgrade is good: 10% greater capacity and Bluetooth connection via smartphone, which allows monitoring of battery capacity and on-the-fly power level adjustments. Their trouble-shooting website is very useful, too: www.cytronex.com/troubleshooter As for Swytch, I have no personal experience, but I see mentions here in the US. Compared with Cytronex, it is less expensive, but looks less professional and installation is not always straightforward. In spite of all our differences, I continue to recommend Cytronex both in person and on line.

You could call Cytronex in Winchester. They are normally very helpful

We have two C1s, one on our lightweight Comotion Macchiato (weighs 11.8kg without pedals) tandem in Florida and the other on a nondescript road bike in the UK. Initially, last year, I put a EU version (max15.5 mph) on the tandem on the advice of Cytronex for higher torque, but soon found that at our combined ages of 159, we could not stay with our cycling group which frequently exceeds 17 mph, so I bought the US version (max 20 mph) and put the EU version on the UK bike. Now we can stay with the gang at, when required, the lowest power setting . We have ridden over 2000 miles since last May and only once, in fact last week, has the speed sensor come out of alignment and that was my fault through parking the tandem against some bushes. I have not yet had a chance to really test the solo bike in the UK, but will do so this summer. I have found the pre- and post-sales support from Cytronex to be exceptional; they respond almost before I have finished writing (slight exaggeration!). Delivery to the USA was three days from date of order on both occasions!! Fitting the kit was a 30-minute job. Yes, there are etandems out there, but to have one like ours, which already cost new $12,000, fitted with, say, Shimano STEPs, would cost upwards of $15,000. The Hawthorne is priced over $20,000! So paying about $1200 for a C1 conversion seems to me to be very cost-effective. As for performance, we easily get 25 miles when using the lowest (50W) power setting almost constantly over flat Florida roads at an average of 15.5 mph, which we did yesterday and had 25% of charge left. For comparison, we also have in the UK a Circe Helios STEPS Separable tandem with a 418Wh Shimano battery (C1 is 180Wh). This bike weighs over 25 kg vs the Comotion's approx 17 kg with C1 and pedals. Although I have not compared them directly, I think that the ranges are very similar, which points to the weight difference and better efficiency of the C1. We are seriously considering buying a third C1 for a Trek tandem we keep in the UK as we are so happy with the ones we have, plus the outstanding Cytronex support.

Mark, just to try to put some balance into this exchange, I would like to mention that I helped fit a C-1 to a friend's Trek hybrid last summer and it took about 30 minutes. I thought the sensor attachment looked a bit flaky, but he has ridden many miles with no problems. We are considering fitting a C-1 to our very lightweight tandem, weight being important, and the fact that the C-1 will only add 3.6 kg to our already 11.1 kg is significant. The Circe Helios STEPS we have weighs 24.5 kg! Your responses to my questions about the C-1 have been very quick and comprehensive. Thank you.