[GoLUG] [offtopic] Bicycles

[Steve Litt]

On Mon, 8 Sep 2025 09:52:33 +0100
Kevin Chadwick <kc-golug at chadwicks.me.uk> wrote:

> On 06/09/2025 22:58, Steve Litt wrote:
> > I've been considering this for about 3 years. Only the threat of
> > theft has delayed my doing it.  
> 
> Maybe it doesn't look so great but this lets you retrofit for much
> cheaper and you can remove the battery to stop it getting nicked.
> 
> https://www.swytchbike.com/

I'll definitely keep my eye on this. Do one thing and do it well: Just
swap the front wheel. Lennart Poettering would have a fit over the
simplicity of the architecture. The display is a must so you can pick
your assist level. They also have a twist throttle (thumb throttle) for
instant assist changes: A must in hilly territories where you can't
take a hand off the bars when approaching a hill.

I see the easily removeable battery as a minus rather than a plus,
because in real life I'm just not going to remove it, leaving it as
easy pickings for thieves. Too bad they don't include a facility to put
a cable through, so you can lock it to your frame with a cable.
Certainly not thief proof, but at least it will take thieves 10 minutes
to get through it, and the main time I wouldn't bring it with me is
sub-ten-minute stops.

With this front wheel, you need to lock the front wheel with a strong
lock/cable *every time*, because you're not losing a $60 wheel, you're
losing a $400-$700 wheel.


SteveT

Steve Litt 
Spring 2023 featured book: Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful
Technologist http://www.troubleshooters.com/techniques