My Neo extrem was in for service so I asked to borrow one of their KTM panasonic direct drive machines as I liked what I knew about them, but have found very little information on the web. The manufacturers' website appears to be in German only. I tried the eRace P with 43cm frame as I am 170cm tall with short legs!
It was love at first pedel! I ended getting part exchange for my Neo and am now the proud owner of the KTM. The first one sold by this dealer. I can now start to add the the web users' knowledge, to help others.
The eRace P has off road 26in wheels. 47v battery with 250w direct drive rear hub motor. Brakeing regeneration which actually works, unlike the neo. It is a fine looking machine in black and orange. The battery fills most of the space below the crossbar. It can be charged on or off the machine with a solid looking sealed charger unit. The bike feels slightly lighter than my Neo and is well balanced.
The control panel is not removable. It is clear, backlit and detailed but set to German. The user manual is in German only. The dealer was unable to give me any useful instructuion either! I have now worked out how to change it to English.
Power settings are High, Standard, Eco, Auto, No Assist and 3 levels of regeneration. With the regeneration levels the motor generates power all the time as you move, giving you a workout, or providing constant downhill braking. It works up to 30Km/h and is really effective braking. Regeneration also works with gentle brake lever pressure.
The auto setting is interesting. It regulates the power level depending on your pedel pressure. Power is clearly shown on the LCD display. Going downhill it will automatically use the regeneration to hold your speed unless you pedel to switich it off. I have been happy to use Auto for most of the time so far.
The power is very smooth, responsive and impressively powerful. The unit is said to be rated at 600W peak. It gets up to 25Km/h very quickly and then gently eases off the power. 30 gears include long legged ones. I was able to keep accelerating to 30Km/h but the motor cuts out at the legal speed, unlike the Neo, and gradually unlike the Stork!
On a hill test where I have previously tried several other machines, the panasonic unit outshone anything I have tried before. It sped up the hill at 24Km/h with me adding very little effort. This was truly impressive. My friend on his LifeCycle Mountain Sport was left well behind.
The motor is not silent like the stork direct drive, but the whine is subdued and very much quieter than the Neo's planetary gear hub. It is also vibration free. The hydraulic brakes are powerful and the regeneration which starts smoothly with gentle brake pressure is easy to control. It does not work when the battery is above 80% charge, presumably to prevent battery overcharge damage. On hilly terain, you can regenerate going down a slope and the power will take up immediately when you stope braking and start pedeling again. There is no detectable drag from the motor on free wheeling. I have found the bike to be very easy to manouvre.
So far, I have little to critisise with this bike. It would be better if the control could be removed to prevent fiddling. This is a good feature of the Neo. My biggest gripe is that the manual is in German only, not helped by the dealer's lack of knowledge. Google says that the online 28 page manual is too large to translate.
I am happy to answer questions if I can and will update the thread when I have worked out some more about the control unit. Does anyone know how to reset the trip odometer?
The moral of this tale, be careful what you borrow when you take your bike in for a service. You may end up going home with a new bike. There will be a 'pre-loved' Neo Extrem for sale if you know where to look!
It was love at first pedel! I ended getting part exchange for my Neo and am now the proud owner of the KTM. The first one sold by this dealer. I can now start to add the the web users' knowledge, to help others.
The eRace P has off road 26in wheels. 47v battery with 250w direct drive rear hub motor. Brakeing regeneration which actually works, unlike the neo. It is a fine looking machine in black and orange. The battery fills most of the space below the crossbar. It can be charged on or off the machine with a solid looking sealed charger unit. The bike feels slightly lighter than my Neo and is well balanced.
The control panel is not removable. It is clear, backlit and detailed but set to German. The user manual is in German only. The dealer was unable to give me any useful instructuion either! I have now worked out how to change it to English.
Power settings are High, Standard, Eco, Auto, No Assist and 3 levels of regeneration. With the regeneration levels the motor generates power all the time as you move, giving you a workout, or providing constant downhill braking. It works up to 30Km/h and is really effective braking. Regeneration also works with gentle brake lever pressure.
The auto setting is interesting. It regulates the power level depending on your pedel pressure. Power is clearly shown on the LCD display. Going downhill it will automatically use the regeneration to hold your speed unless you pedel to switich it off. I have been happy to use Auto for most of the time so far.
The power is very smooth, responsive and impressively powerful. The unit is said to be rated at 600W peak. It gets up to 25Km/h very quickly and then gently eases off the power. 30 gears include long legged ones. I was able to keep accelerating to 30Km/h but the motor cuts out at the legal speed, unlike the Neo, and gradually unlike the Stork!
On a hill test where I have previously tried several other machines, the panasonic unit outshone anything I have tried before. It sped up the hill at 24Km/h with me adding very little effort. This was truly impressive. My friend on his LifeCycle Mountain Sport was left well behind.
The motor is not silent like the stork direct drive, but the whine is subdued and very much quieter than the Neo's planetary gear hub. It is also vibration free. The hydraulic brakes are powerful and the regeneration which starts smoothly with gentle brake pressure is easy to control. It does not work when the battery is above 80% charge, presumably to prevent battery overcharge damage. On hilly terain, you can regenerate going down a slope and the power will take up immediately when you stope braking and start pedeling again. There is no detectable drag from the motor on free wheeling. I have found the bike to be very easy to manouvre.
So far, I have little to critisise with this bike. It would be better if the control could be removed to prevent fiddling. This is a good feature of the Neo. My biggest gripe is that the manual is in German only, not helped by the dealer's lack of knowledge. Google says that the online 28 page manual is too large to translate.
I am happy to answer questions if I can and will update the thread when I have worked out some more about the control unit. Does anyone know how to reset the trip odometer?
The moral of this tale, be careful what you borrow when you take your bike in for a service. You may end up going home with a new bike. There will be a 'pre-loved' Neo Extrem for sale if you know where to look!
