Y'know, there was a time when my Brompton spent most of its life sitting by the door looking miserable and gathering dust. Then I Swytch'd it on...
It now forms a crucial part of my daily journey to work. It's only ten miles a day, there and back again, with a fifteen mile public transport link in the middle each way, but it's quicker, more reliable and more fun than either the local bus service or a car share.
The Swytch kit was easy to fit. It arrived at three in the afternoon and I had it running just after four (and that included ten minutes looking for a nut to replace one I'd lost then, as often happens, subsequently found once I'd located a replacement!)
It runs well. I've only done a couple of hundred miles or so on it so far but I'm quite impressed. It irons out the hills and those are something we have in plentiful supply in Scotland. The close gearing on my Brompton means I still have to do some leg work to extract every last bit of assistance out of the controller but I can happily coast uphill at 12mph rather than being out of the saddle and mashing the pedals. It seems to cope well with wet weather, another thing I can guarantee subjecting it to...still to find out how the power pack likes the cold!
Gripes? Just a couple. I bought the inline brake cutout switches but didn't fit them. I don't think they're necessary, although I might see if I can use them to add brake light functionality to my rear light.
The strap on the battery pack is too short to use over the shoulder. The light on the controller/battery pack is not particularly effective and it might have been better to have some functionality on the pack such as a Go-pro/Garmin/etc mount given that it takes up so much valuable handlebar space.
I'm really glad I made the Swytch and I'm already thinking about Swytching another bike so I can make my full commute on two wheels...
6 years ago
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