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- See also: Swytch eBike Install (and Review)
I have two bikes fitted with Gen 3 Swytch kits with Max batteries – a Giant Defy road bike, circa 2013, and a Giant Talon MTB, circa 2022. Both great bikes – both better bikes for having the Swytch hub motor kits fitted! (Since fitting the Swytch kits to these bikes I have ridden the Defy road bike over 10,000 kms, and the Talon MTB nearly 2,000 km.)
Even though I have these two excellent bikes in the garage, I have always coveted a one-size-fits-all gravel bike – the go-anywhere, all purpose, all-terrain, every-day-of-the-week ride. (Can you ever have too many bikes?) I recently had the chance to purchase a used Merida eSilex 400 gravel bike, with only 540kms on the clock, The eSilex has a 237Wh battery built-in to a lightweight aluminium frame (14.1 kg), powered by a street-legal 40Nm 250W hub motor.
An e-gravel bike sounded to be exactly what I was looking for – a road and trail ‘hybrid’ bike, without the weight or bulkiness of a regular e-bike. In fact the eSilex bike is exactly the same weight as my carbon frame Defy bike with the Swytch hub motor and battery fitted. On paper it certainly ticked all the boxes.
The eSilex looked to be the perfect all-terrain ‘stealth’ e-bike for commuting, road riding, local trail expeditions and the occasional extended tour.
Or so I thought.
After three months of riding the Merida bike pretty much exclusively I took my old Defy out for a ride and it was immediately obvious how much better it was than the Merida, in so many ways. The Defy was such a pleasure to ride. So, rather than gradually phasing out my two Giant bikes and moving to the gravel bike, I have sold the Merida. My ‘Swytched’ bikes are so much better to ride.
Despite fitting my favourite all-terrain tyres on the Merida (40mm Schwalbe Hurricane), the old Defy road bike with 28mm Schwalbe Duranos rolls so much better on the road than the eSilex. Way less pedalling effort when on zero battery boost. When getting off the road on to a gravel trail – even on a grassed shortcut between bike paths – the Talon MTB with its’ 57mm tyres (Schwalbe Hurricane) and front suspension forks provides a much more enjoyable experience than the eSilex with its’ solid carbon forks.
Of course there were always going to be compromises when considering the geometry and fit-out of the bikes, but the real deal-breaker for me was on the e-side of things…..
Take Control
My first disappointment with the Merida was the motor/battery controller. The Mahle system fitted to the Merida is controlled through the iWOC button on the top bar of the frame. All e-information is conveyed to the rider via a coloured LED ring around the button. The default White/Orange/Red rings indicate battery charge levels – 75%/50%/25%. Pressing the button twice will provide an e-boost to Level 1, indicated with a temporary green ring. Pressing again will boost you up to Level 2, indicated by a temporary orange ring. Another double press of the iWOC button will lift you up to Level 3, indicated by a red ring around the button.
In operation, the Mahle motor system is great. The transition between zero boost and Level 1, and between subsequent boost levels, is so smooth you barely notice the change – except that your pedalling gets easier. And the Mahle MySmartBike app on your phone allows you to adjust the boost levels to suit your specific needs.
However, that said, the Mahle control system leaves a lot to be desired……
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- You have to let go of the handle bar and focus on pressing the iWOC control button the correct number of times to adjust the battery boost. Repeatedly. While travelling along a rough path, or in busy traffic, at 25 kmh.
- The boost control is cyclic, in one direction. You can only change ‘up’ a level, not ‘down’. Moving from Level 2 boost back to Level 1, as you do when a gradient decreases, involves moving up to Level 3, then around the loop to Level 0 (You), then back up to Level 1. There is no built in option for moving directly from Level 2 down to Level 1. And each one of these level changes involves a button press. So, to move from Level 2 to Level 1 requires four presses of the control button on the top frame bar – and checking the ring colour – while you are riding.
- After a sustained climb, or a push into a headwind, you can’t just look down to check what boost Level you actually have engaged – you have to press the button again to activate the coloured LED Level ring. Very distracting.
Far more flexibility is available using the Mahle MySmartBike phone app connected to the system. I installed the app and fitted my phone to the top of the handlebar stem with a QuadLock connector. This provides a great dashboard with lots of useful information, including speed, distance travelled, and most importantly, an indicator of what boost Level you have engaged. Along with a touch interface to easily move up and down levels. But to use it you have to let go of the handlebar, reach across to the centre of the handlebar,, and take your eyes of the road to change the boost level. Definitely better than the iWOC button, but still not great.
Because the Mahle MySmartBike app is using the phone’s GPS, the phone battery is depleted more quickly than it otherwise would be. For a lengthy ride I hooked up a 20,000 mAh battery bank in a tube bag to get the phone battery to last through the day. Not ideal.
I much prefer the Swytch OLED control unit, fitted adjacent to the handle, that involves a much more subtle movement of only my thumb to change the boost level, with almost zero distraction. In fact when required it can all be done by feel.
Power On
Now, let’s talk batteries. The Swytch Max battery is 180Wh capacity and easily gives me a range of about 60 km on the regular rides I do. And because I have two bikes fitted with Swytch kits I can move batteries between bikes and double up the range by carrying a spare battery if necessary. Rarely required, but certainly a handy backup option to have available.
The battery fitted in the eSilex frame is 237Wh capacity, which gives me a range of about 100 km. To setup for a longer tour I would need to buy a 208Wh range extender battery that fits onto the frame with a bottle cage arrangement, which sounds great – until you find that the cost is up around AUD$1000! For one battery!
Moving On
So, with all that in mind, the eSilex has found a new home, with a very happy daily commuter utilising the bike path network in the National Capital, and I am happily back on my Swytch bikes. The grass is always greener.
