ARCC Bikes is very pleased to have appeared in the Winter 2021 edition of London Cyclist magazine in their review of the ARCC Electric Conversion for Brompton bikes.

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You can see what London Cyclist had to say about this Brompton electric conversion kit below:

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How does Cambridge-based ARCC's electric conversion compare to rivals?

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Spicing up your favourite bike with an electric conversion kit is becoming increasingly popular; it can usually be done at home without much 'technical' know-how and usually costs a fraction of a new dedicated ebike. Having tested several third-party kits (Swytch, Bafang, Copenhagen Wheel, etc), plus Brompton's own pedal-assist offering, we wanted to see how ARCC's version compared.

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The brains of the outfit, what ARCC calls the 'Intelligent Drive Pod' is fitted in front of the head-tube, to which a Bosch 4Ah battery is clicked on. During normal commuting weeks we found we needed to charge the battery every other day. Our test rig came with a spare battery, which was light enough to carry in our bag as a back-up for longer trips, but if buying ourselves we'd likely opt for the bigger 6Ah battery.

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A magnetic, Bluetooth controller on the handlebar allows you to select an automatic or manual mode for the pedal assist, and while the former is very clever and detects the gradient to determine how much boost you might need, we preferred to be in control ourselves. Moving through the assist levels was extremely smooth and we rarely needed more than the lowest three settings around town. On the steep inclines near home, however, a quick blast of full power was very welcome, delivered without any rhythm-breaking jerkiness.

The conversion doesn't interfere with the fold either and the minimal extra weight is barely noticeable when carrying. With a 5-year warranty to boot, this might be our best-rated conversion to date.

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Factfile

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Larger 6Ah battery also available, bringing conversion unit cost up to £1954.80.

Adapter kit available for Brompton bags (£100).

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Verdict

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Handy USB light/phone charger on main unit.

Lightweight conversion means your bike can be ridden with or without battery.

Excellent for shorter trips, especially hilly ones.