newatlas •
“The perfect bike” developed to showcase ebike conversion tech
After years of releasing conversion kits that transform a regular bike into an ebike, Swytch has now revealed the "ultimate affordable ebike (that's also just a really great bike)." The Go eBike will sport the company's latest hub motor and long-range battery combo.
"One of the key reasons our customers love their Swytch Bikes is that they keep the feel and ride of their original bicycle – the Swytch system is so light and unobtrusive that you still have a bike, unlike most budget ebikes out there that end up heavy (over 45 lb) and not pleasant to ride," said CTO and co-founder, Dmitro Khroma.
"We challenged ourselves to develop a quality, lightweight bicycle, that is a great bike to ride without electric power, but with the added assistance of a Swytch system, so you get a bike, and an ebike, for a really great price."
At this point, there's not much to go on but the promo shots show a mid-step aluminum frame featuring a mounting system on the downtube for its long-range Go battery pack. This doesn't look like it's going to be the recently announced Max+ but rather the 370-Wh Go++ for up to 60 miles (96.5 km) of pedal-assist range per 5-hour charge.
The setup could also accommodate the entry level Go version for 20 miles of PAS or the 40-mile Go+ variant. Whichever flavor eventually powers the Go eBike, the battery pack is removable and lockable.
Where current conversion kits ship with a motor-packing front wheel, Swytch recently announced the addition of a rear-hub version. The brand's first complete ebike will roll with this new flavor, which shapes up as a 250-W rear hub motor for pedal-assist up to 20 mph (though this will be restricted to 25 km/h in some regions).
No specifics have been revealed at this point, but the term "lightweight" is mentioned a few times in the promo material. And if you want to remove the battery and go old school, your unpowered ride should ride even lighter. Whether you're commuting with help from the motor or not, the bike comes with a 7-speed Shimano gearset, wide road tires and hydraulic braking.
Swytch is aiming to build the Go eBike to EN15194 and UL 2271 safety standards, but the potential mid-2025 release window is dependent on folks showing enough interest in the company's upcoming Crowdcube fundraising effort.
Assuming enough buzz (and money) is generated, Swytch will target a recommended retail price of $1,200 in the US, and £999 in the UK – "making it one of the most competitively priced ebikes on the market." More details to come.
