“This is not something you want to try installing yourself unless you're good with bike mechanics and have a crank puller and all the tools. I'm pretty good but I had to take it to my local bike shop. The cables are SO long that they are not coiled up and zap strapped to the bike. They look ridiculous. Had to file my forks to get the motor to fit. The customer service is by email ONLY and they took three days to respond to each email, and they never read my responses or the thread of emails i sent. I gave up. I would not recommend this product. It took MONTHS to arrive and has been so dissapointing.”
“Bought a kit in July 2021, had to file the forks of my bike to make it fit! No mention of this in any instructions or installation videos. Soon found out the range was nowhere near that suggested distance even on the lowest power setting.
The kit has had very low use but the battery has always been maintained and stored within their reconditions and still hold the power well
Soon I had an issue with a grinding noise from the front wheel and after many messages and videos to Swytch it was eventually advised to disconnect the Hall sensor. When I queried this I was told it was an acceptable cure! Surely they fit this sensor for a reason?
Since then I have developed an issue with the kit cutting out after 3 miles of riding even though the battery is showing 3-4 bars of power which I can’t help think is linked to the original grinding issue. Back to the constant messages to and from plus another accompanying video was requested and eventually it was diagnosed as the controller was faulty. They supplied one for £60 inc P&P which I was dismayed to see was second hand when it arrived. Once again, no response when I pointed this out. Fitted but didn’t cure the issue. Back to the now becoming regular messages back and forth plus more videos to be told I needed to upgrade the battery pack at a cost of £200 + £30 P&P with no offer to refund the £60 I had already wasted on the controller I didn’t need. I asked where I stood if the battery kit didn’t resolve the issue and guess what, I didn’t get a reply!!
Against my better judgment I decided eventually to go for a full, new Go kit as it was the easiest way to resolve the issue myself as their support was 10 parts of useless.
Their ordering process is as quirky as their customer service. You have to select the kit, pay a deposit then you put in the specifics like wheel size and any accessories you may require. Once I got to this stage I found there was only a choice of a silver wheel which to my mind would look grossly out of place against a black rear wheel. Once again, back on the emails only to be advised if I wanted a black wheel I would need to upgrade to the much more expensive Air bundle. No offer to supply me with a black wheel to go some way to make up for all the issues I have experienced!
To be honest at this point I saw red and told them politely what I thought of the service I had received and cancelled my order. No response, not even an apology or acknowledgment of my email, just a standard email confirming the cancellation.
I am left feeling totally let down and way out of pocket having bought inferior goods.
This company is only interested in selling new kit and no real interest in present owners or keeping them happy which in my mind is very short sighted as they have now lost a sale to me and everyone I know who had showed an interest in an E-kit bike for commuting plus any other website I can share a review of my experience.
Totally disgraceful behaviour, I could not recommend them or their products and definitely would never buy from them again.
I have now purchased an E-bike and what a difference, much smoother and responsive plus no noise and a much better range. Sure if cost more than the Swytch kit but if you add together the money I had already wasted with what I needed to spend to get it working again the e bike is actually cheaper.”
“Ordered November 2023. Told it would arrive April May 24. Then beginning of August told it was out for delivery for the end of August. Its now end of August and have heard absolutely nothing. The order tracking portal does not work. Nothing is as it appears. Maybe there is no bicycle kit. Maybe they are just the biggest scammers ever. Looking at earlier reviews, the kit - if it ever does arrive- will be sub optimal quality-a wasted 10 months and nearly £1k all in. Horrendous. Just avoid.
There are better alternatives, surely.”
“Ordered in June, still haven't received the product. So as far as reviewing, I can state that they never said or had any notification that it would be months of waiting for the product after paying for it. My father also ordered one with the same experience.”
“I owned Swytch kit for just over 2 years now. My honest advise is do not buy Swytch. Go elsewhere.
My purchase (The Brompton Conversion Kit) developed problems after 4 months of use. It took 6 months to address those problems and I did not get any warranty extension, despite not being able to use the product for more than half of the warranty time. 4 months after the repair I got the same issue. Swytch told me that my Warranty has expired and refused to repair under Warranty. Long wait again and only after legal actions taken I received battery replacement, which failed after 5 months!!! Now I am waiting for over two months to receive the controller, which was under 6 months extended warranty.
APPALLING!!!
Why 2 stars – well, if the kit works it is great to ride. However, these kits are made in China and there is probably no quality control check at all. So, if you are lucky and it works, then it is great addition to your bike at reasonable cost. Otherwise, waste of money and time.
I think SwytchBike also suffers from suppliers side which is down to either Brexit issues or poor choice of supplier (probably in attempt to cut the costs). You can see that from number of complaints about late deliveries (and I am not saying late by few days, or even weeks… it is months).
It looks SwytchBike do not hold much (if any) spare parts, so if you (like myself) have issue with one component you are stuck for months with unusable kit. I have been to their office/shop – it is a small warehouse, barely 50 sq meters.
Customer service would definitely be 1 star, or even zero star. SwytchBike actually lies to us – on the website they state ReviewsIO as 4.8 stars. It is actually 2.9 stars, and going down. TrustPilot is 3.2 and going down. From reviews you will see that SwytchBike lie about delivery and repairs time. They lied to me so many times.
Judging by my experience, my advice would be to stay clear from Swytch and look elsewhere for electric bike solution.
I am now exploring my legal rights and try to get some justice (an repair) that way.
I do not know how Reviews.io works, but I would be happy to be contacted and exchange experiences and give more advises.”
“Terrible customer service, take forever to respond to emails. Got fed up in the end and have now requested a refund. They are not even acknowleding my email. Be careful, as I think this company is a scam.”
“Cannot recommend Swytch – the manufacturing and shipping is longer than you will be told- the delivery very uncommunicative and time wasting which would be fine if it actually worked well. The plus side is that it is easy to install. Negative side is that it is very underpowered (the standard one) does not get a 96kg me up a hill on a brompton. The motor started cutting out after 3 days and despite repeated requests to Swytch for tech help nothing received- so it is both unreliable and useless– I will change this review if they ever get back to me and resolve the issue.”
“We love our Swytchbike kits so much we have three. Installation on all three was easy, just follow the directions. As a 74 yr old with back/nerve issues, Switchbike is the only way I can achieve an e-bike light enough to safely lift onto a bike rack. We transport our Swytchbikes by car to the many available bike paths/trails in San Diego County and beyond. Swytchbike is a good balance between power and weight and has allowed us to expand our repertoire of “rides” to include more challenging areas. An added benefit is that you don’t need a $600 - $700 bike rack to transport them.”
“Amazing piece of kit, wish I'd bought one years ago. A friend of mine with some cycling knowledge had to fit it for me and it didn't take too long. Really great that there is a great choice of wheel sizes and very good instructions and customer support. It now makes cycling so much enjoyable for me as I get older!! Small hills are now so easy for me as well. Love the way I can take the power pack and I would keep the basket on the front of my bike as well. Even though you have to wait a few weeks for it to arrive I would say it's well worth the wait”
“After much research I ordered two Swytch kits (pro) for our two Bromptons. I ordered in March 2020 and the kits duly arrived in December 2020. Nine months, but to be fair COVID was right in the middle, which nocks three months off, and probably another month for getting back into operation again. All in all I was very happy with the time frame.
Being Brompton specific, the kits fitted very easily, even coming with Brompton specific PAS sensors, giving ample choice of which sensor fitted best. The fitting guides and videos were a great help. The hardest part for me was fitting the handlebar mount, as on Bromptons the cockpit is rather cramped, but it did finally fit. If you own a Brompton with sport (straight) handlebars, there will be no problem whatsoever.
I had an initial problem with some defective parts, but after a couple of emails and a zoom meeting with an engineer, the replacement parts were duly dispatched and arrived quickly. I found customer support to be good, all communication is by email. Not being able to phone is unusual, but thinking about it, it makes sense as everyone has copies of what was said and it allows Swytch’s representatives to operate efficiently. Warranty registration is straight forward and online.
The kits work really well, and are much more powerful than I imagined they would be. Simple to operate and do not seem to affect the handling of the bikes. There is on option for a Brompton mount that utilises the Brompton luggage mount, thus removing any weight from the handlebars. However for us this was not an option as we have Brompton bags that cannot be used if the mount is used for the battery.
Overall we are very happy with the kits, they blend well into the bike and most importantly, the bikes can be used as normal if the battery goes flat.
The biggest difference for myself is that my wife has changed from being a “I want to cycle somewhere flat” or “not that way, there’s a hill” to a “ooh look, there’s another hill, lets try that one!”, cyclist. Priceless!”
“Bike speed and crank cadence
After some delay, I received the kit on Nov. 1st, and with some innovation installed it on my Bike Friday folding recumbent bike. In trying it out, I was surprised to find that the speed of the bike was constant at about 15MPH regardless of how fast or slow I pedaled. The supposed 'cadence' of the crank had no meaning. I often ride on a bike path that is shared with children and people walking with dogs. It is then helpful to ride very slow. With the Power Pack mounted behind the seat on the recumbent bike, it is not possible to turn the system on and off while riding. I now have an in-line brake sensor, and will see if that helps.”
“It took swytch over a year to deliver the kit. The eco-battery isn't stellar, I get range anxiety on a 15 mile hilly ride as the extra weight and drag of an unpowered motor are harder to get over the hills. I was also shocked by the need for annual warranty checks. I would have been better off spending the money a year ago on a lighter bike. I have followed two delivery cycles and now believe the company over-promises. I really wanted to see swytch be a solid e-bike option but after my experience I have lost faith. The business model is flawed: since I commited to buy better alternatives have come on the market. See the reviews on trustpilot.”
