Startup Swytch Bike Can Turn Almost Any Bicycle Into an E-Bike

A decade ago, I bought a single-speed bicycle in New York City for about $300. I don’t remember the brand, and the frame’s lone decal has long since faded; when I moved to the suburbs a few years ago, the bike went into the garage for indefinite hibernation. But this October I wheeled it out with plans to execute an extreme makeover: Using a kit made by the London-based startup Swytch Bike, I would convert my rusty old bicycle into a motor-assisted electric ride.

Over the past few years, e-bikes have boomed in the US, driven by a pandemic spike ...