SWFT Plans Urban Mobility Takeover With Speedy and Affordable Zip Fat-Tire e-Bike

To please the masses, manufacturers are being pushed to new levels in terms of capability for its price. One fresh team that seems to be playing all the right cards is SWFT, a little mobility crew that popped up out of nowhere and has been stirring up trouble for existing urban mobility giants. We recently covered another one of their products, the Volt, an e-bike with capabilities rarely seen on one that’s selling for $999.

As for the vehicle in question today, we’re going to be looking at an electric fat-tire bike that SWFT offers, the Zip. While I normally don’t write about these sorts of bikes, the Zip has a few tricks up its sleeve that make it seem worthwhile; one of those tricks is its price.

As it stands, the Zip comes in with a price tag of $1,399 (€1,201 at current exchange rates), and while you can certainly find another fat-tire e-bike for less cash, this one offers future owners something that few other e-bikes seem to bring forth: speed. Out of the box, the Zip can reach a top speed of 19.8 mph (31,86 kph) using its throttle function.

How is this achieved? Well, like most other e-bikes, this speed limit is set using a software program. In truth, if you’ve got a friend who’s good with computers, find a way to get into the system and see if that limit can be raised a tad more. While this sounds like a good idea, you must make sure that the 500-watt rear hub motor can take what you have in mind.

Powering this motor around town and onto some off-road tracks is a 46.8 V 10 Ah lithium-ion battery pack that sits mounted onto the down tube of the Zip. With it, SWFT states that you can achieve a range of up to 37 miles (59.5 kilometers). Sure, it may not seem like much, but I beg you to ask yourself: when was the last time you rode a bike for more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) in one day?

What I found rather neat is the fact the battery pack is a removable one. This means that once the battery is drained, if you have another pack, you can easily double your range by switching it out with a fully charged battery; just bring along a backpack to carry the spare. Heck, why not get creative and fabricate some sort of carrier for the frame.

Like most fat-tire bikes on the market, the presence of extra-wide 4-inch tires is sure to offer a plush ride around town, and considering the frame features a solid rear, this should be a more-than-welcome feature. However, the front of the Zip includes a suspension fork, but no mention anywhere of how much travel is available.

With six speeds, half-twist throttle, and an LCD display screen to help you keep track of your setting and power levels, you’re good to go with a fun bike, to say the least. With a weight of 66.1 lbs (30 kg) and a maximum weight capacity of 265 lbs (120 kg), you could even find a way to hook up some sort of cargo trailer and turn the Zip into a workhorse.

After finding out about the Zip, I did a bit of digging around the neighborhood to find the best price for this puppy. In my search, I ended up stumbling upon a sale that’s going on at Best Buy, where they’re offering the SWFT Zip for $1,199 (€1,030 at current exchange rates), $200 (€171 at current exchange rates) less than the initial MSRP. Something to consider if you're looking to join the growing urban mobility movement.