With costs starting at around €530 (~£472) with €25 (~£22) shipping, this looks to be a lot cheaper than the Swytch Kit we’ve covered before.
Those prices do depend on how you configure the kit and they vary depending on the type of wheel, motor and battery you have plus lot of other bits.
The Velotton brand can already be seen on cycling backpacks and bags, but they’ve now branched out into e-bike conversions. You buy the pack and, with the help of a motor, a wireless cadence sensor and a battery bag, you can convert your favourite bike into an e-bike. It takes just 5-10 minutes to do the work and you get all the tools you need in the pack.
The cadence sensor detects pedaling and “tells” the motor to assist. You also get a mobile app which allows the max speed, power and battery health to be checked. You can also view your ride statistics.
Everything apart from the motor has been created by the guys at Velotton in their workshop in Krakow, Poland. They make everything themselves without relying on other suppliers.
During the configuration you can choose between a 36 V 200 W or 250 W silent front motor and a 252 Wh or 360 Wh Li-ion removable battery. As part of the package you also get a motor controller with sensored and sensorless feedback, the wireless cadence sensor, a handlebar remote control, iOS or Android app and a charger.
It takes around 2.5-3.5 hours for a full charge and it’ll allow assist speed up to 25 km/h / 15.5 mph (UK and EU) or up to 32 km/h / 19.88 mph (Canada & USA). It’s very light and support over-the-air software updates.
The 252Wh battery should get you between 20-50 km (12.4-31 miles) of range depending on how much you use the assistance, how steep the incline and how fast it’s going. The 360 Wh battery gets you between 40-75km (24.85-46.6 miles).
We asked the guys how they’re different to the Swytch offering, and they told us that the Vekkit has less cabling and faff – only one wire from the wheel to the bag. They also use gyroscope sensors to detect pedal rotation and there’s 2 locks – one on the battery and one on the handlebar mount.
Head to Vekkit.com for more info and to configure your kit.