With the help of David from electrifyingbicycles, and Col from KTM industries, the KTM Macina Cross 10, was found to be the best replacement for my wife’s (unfortunately) oversized Macina Cross Nexus 8..
the new bike comes in ladies ‘low step’ frame, which could be a unisex really, as I can’t imagine that it alters the stiffness very greatly....maybe it could just be called the ‘old persons frame’ and call a spade a spade
without the Nexus 8 hub, and its complexities, it loses about 1.5 kgs in rear end weight (something we could all do with pre Xmas), and the 10 speed XT Deore is very smooth....it also replaces the hydraulic rim brakes with slightly upmarket Deore hydraulic discs, which again, add a slightly classy-er feel than the rim brakes did
on the other hand, the new smaller chain ring design, creates a completely different feel to the power of the bike that some folks might not like.....being very used to my ‘old’ model Macina Race, when flicking between Eco/Tour/Race settings on the new bike, it felt like there was something wrong, and that there was no power there......it would be interesting to hear other users responses here, as ultimately I dont thing that there is very much difference, but that the smaller front ring spreads the torque more smoothly, rather than the steep rise of power that the big front ring created.....obviously kinder to the chain and drive train too, and requiring seemingly more cadence than torque, to kick the Bosch unit into life....or is this an illusion??
any more academic conclusions to these thoughts, would be appreciated
...out of some sort of masochistic interest, I rode both bikes in sequence (NOT together) up Muswell Hill in Nth London, which ramps up twice before the roundabout at the top....firstly the Macina 10, which I would say needed the top Turbo input to maintain 12 mph on the worst bits....on the other hand the old Race, didn’t seem to need the Turbo setting, but maybe the significant word here is “seem”. Has anybody else experienced this?
it would interesting to learn how to change a chain, on this new model, as the front ring is encased???
the new battery fitting is a big improvement, as it clicks into place without needing to put the key in first.....on the other hand, one could ride the bike with the battery operating and UNLOCKED, and not too difficult then to park the bike and forget that the battery is not locked on ( a £500 big mistake).....I had a feeling that Bosch’s original design is a bit safer as the battery is always locked IF you can remove the key
without all the bibs and bobs of mudguards and rack, toe clips, bar ends that I have fitted, the bike weighed in at 18kgs with my wife’s super-accurate scales, (fortunately, she is away!) with no battery, and when lifted, felt well balanced, which the Nexus hub bike never did, as the rear end almost needed both hands (said the bishop to the actress).
as it happens, the bike is littered with M5 and M7 tapped threads so all the extras fit with a bit of fettling, and there is no need to spend the extra on the trekking type model, if you dont mind a bit of playing around
the biggest problem was fitting the handle bar bag attachment to the Intuvia HMI, but after a good nights sleep AND a strong coffee....sort of success
nice to see that Shimano have gone back to giving a person some idea of what number gear they are in, rather than this seeming 'lust' for a 'clean' appearance....showing my age here
so far, so very good, and to my mind, the best value KTM, especially with the 400 battery, and so the better forks, and other kit that are included
the new bike comes in ladies ‘low step’ frame, which could be a unisex really, as I can’t imagine that it alters the stiffness very greatly....maybe it could just be called the ‘old persons frame’ and call a spade a spade
without the Nexus 8 hub, and its complexities, it loses about 1.5 kgs in rear end weight (something we could all do with pre Xmas), and the 10 speed XT Deore is very smooth....it also replaces the hydraulic rim brakes with slightly upmarket Deore hydraulic discs, which again, add a slightly classy-er feel than the rim brakes did
on the other hand, the new smaller chain ring design, creates a completely different feel to the power of the bike that some folks might not like.....being very used to my ‘old’ model Macina Race, when flicking between Eco/Tour/Race settings on the new bike, it felt like there was something wrong, and that there was no power there......it would be interesting to hear other users responses here, as ultimately I dont thing that there is very much difference, but that the smaller front ring spreads the torque more smoothly, rather than the steep rise of power that the big front ring created.....obviously kinder to the chain and drive train too, and requiring seemingly more cadence than torque, to kick the Bosch unit into life....or is this an illusion??
any more academic conclusions to these thoughts, would be appreciated
...out of some sort of masochistic interest, I rode both bikes in sequence (NOT together) up Muswell Hill in Nth London, which ramps up twice before the roundabout at the top....firstly the Macina 10, which I would say needed the top Turbo input to maintain 12 mph on the worst bits....on the other hand the old Race, didn’t seem to need the Turbo setting, but maybe the significant word here is “seem”. Has anybody else experienced this?
it would interesting to learn how to change a chain, on this new model, as the front ring is encased???
the new battery fitting is a big improvement, as it clicks into place without needing to put the key in first.....on the other hand, one could ride the bike with the battery operating and UNLOCKED, and not too difficult then to park the bike and forget that the battery is not locked on ( a £500 big mistake).....I had a feeling that Bosch’s original design is a bit safer as the battery is always locked IF you can remove the key
without all the bibs and bobs of mudguards and rack, toe clips, bar ends that I have fitted, the bike weighed in at 18kgs with my wife’s super-accurate scales, (fortunately, she is away!) with no battery, and when lifted, felt well balanced, which the Nexus hub bike never did, as the rear end almost needed both hands (said the bishop to the actress).
as it happens, the bike is littered with M5 and M7 tapped threads so all the extras fit with a bit of fettling, and there is no need to spend the extra on the trekking type model, if you dont mind a bit of playing around
the biggest problem was fitting the handle bar bag attachment to the Intuvia HMI, but after a good nights sleep AND a strong coffee....sort of success
nice to see that Shimano have gone back to giving a person some idea of what number gear they are in, rather than this seeming 'lust' for a 'clean' appearance....showing my age here
so far, so very good, and to my mind, the best value KTM, especially with the 400 battery, and so the better forks, and other kit that are included
