Advice on the giant lafree
- Thread starter vivi
- Start date
Hello Vivi.
You should bear in mind that these are discontinued and Giant are no longer interested, so spares are hardly available at all. At present it's only batteries and chargers. Also check the battery age, if it's over two to three years old you may need a new one and they are £250 each, and check if the charger is working, as they are notoriously unreliable.
Only Giant electric dealers are suitable for service, but if you use the link I give below, fill in your nearest town and postcode and click to put a tick next to Giant Electric below, you'll be shown your nearest suitable dealers.
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You should bear in mind that these are discontinued and Giant are no longer interested, so spares are hardly available at all. At present it's only batteries and chargers. Also check the battery age, if it's over two to three years old you may need a new one and they are £250 each, and check if the charger is working, as they are notoriously unreliable.
Only Giant electric dealers are suitable for service, but if you use the link I give below, fill in your nearest town and postcode and click to put a tick next to Giant Electric below, you'll be shown your nearest suitable dealers.
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Secondhand Giant Lafree
I, too, am thinking of buying a secondhand Lafree. I imagine, though, that what you say, Flecc, about lack of spares must surely knock down the secondhand value. I, for one, am now speculating on an Ezee 'f' or the new Kalkhoff Agattu. (Any reviews on this yet?)
David
I, too, am thinking of buying a secondhand Lafree. I imagine, though, that what you say, Flecc, about lack of spares must surely knock down the secondhand value. I, for one, am now speculating on an Ezee 'f' or the new Kalkhoff Agattu. (Any reviews on this yet?)
David
Yes David, the values on the Lafree Twist range were somewhat inflated for quite a while, but they have been dropping, as they should in view of the parlous state of spares and backup. I've seen successful bids of roughly £221 and £290 on ebay for bikes in quite good condition, and sold mine for much less to a fellow member.
There's no review on the Kalkhoff here yet, but A to B magazine have been testing it this week onwards and the review will be in the January issue. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one without reading a review though, an advance on the Lafree Twist range in every respect, range, performance and latest Panasonic unit with reliability improvements.
The F series are very different, doing with more power what the Kalkhoff does with gearing, so they are definitely faster in any circumstance they cope with, but a bit heavier of course. There's the option of throttle control only on the Forte, the Forza and Kalkhoff being pedelec only, pedal all the time to get power.
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There's no review on the Kalkhoff here yet, but A to B magazine have been testing it this week onwards and the review will be in the January issue. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one without reading a review though, an advance on the Lafree Twist range in every respect, range, performance and latest Panasonic unit with reliability improvements.
The F series are very different, doing with more power what the Kalkhoff does with gearing, so they are definitely faster in any circumstance they cope with, but a bit heavier of course. There's the option of throttle control only on the Forte, the Forza and Kalkhoff being pedelec only, pedal all the time to get power.
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I think mine weighs about 25.6 Kg with all the extras that come with it (front hub dynamo, front suspension, suspension seatpost, SRAM P5....). Note these weights INCLUDE the battery, so the lightest model at 22Kg means a bike that weighs about 18-19Kg when without the battery, which is much lighter that any of the hub motored bikes of the same class I think.
Not sure how much the new Agatta will weigh like for like?
Not sure how much the new Agatta will weigh like for like?
Thanks John, that means the ST would weigh a bit more, probably between about 26.5 to the 27 kilos I guessed at. The ST has a fully enveloping chaincase and a much thicker main frame tube, oval in section.
The new Agattu is only 20.8 kilos with a 2.2 kilo battery, so it's weight without battery at 18.6 kilos is almost the same as the three speed Twist, not bad for a bike with a 7 speed hub gear.
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The new Agattu is only 20.8 kilos with a 2.2 kilo battery, so it's weight without battery at 18.6 kilos is almost the same as the three speed Twist, not bad for a bike with a 7 speed hub gear.
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Secondhand Value of Lafree
It also occurs to me that fact that the motor drives through the gears must surely make the mechanics that bit more complicated and therefore more likely to go wrong?
(Incidentally, according to 50cycles website, both the 'f' bikes have twist grip throttle. Is that not the case?)
David
Thank you for your helpful note Flecc. My only slight reservation about the Kalkhoff is that, unlike the Forte and Forza it can't be de-restricted.
It also occurs to me that fact that the motor drives through the gears must surely make the mechanics that bit more complicated and therefore more likely to go wrong?
(Incidentally, according to 50cycles website, both the 'f' bikes have twist grip throttle. Is that not the case?)
David
Restriction as such doesn't apply to the Panasonic power unit, it has much more sophisticated control of power, delivering more power as the rate of pealling slows, interpreted by the software as the rider needing help.
Instead of derestriction, you just change the rear sprocket on the gear hub. Since these bikes drive through the chain, any changes to the gearing affect the motor as well. A smaller rear sprocket and the bike is powered to a higher speed, it's as simple as that. The limit is set by what the motor can give, since these are much lower powered than an F series, about two thirds of the power.
If you don't have to tackle the very steepest hills, say 1 in 5 (20%), you'll be able to gear for higher speeds. The less steep the hills you have to tackle, the higher the speed you can gear for. All in all, possibly better than a crude electrical derestriction.
The mechanicals are indeed a lot more complicated, but beautifully built, so are very reliable. Failure outside of warranty can mean a large expense though, but such failures are quite rare, and I expect the latest unit is better than the old one. To see the complexity, have a look on my website page here.
Both F series do have throttles, but the Forza is also pedelec, so the throttle is under it's control, no pedalling, no throttle power. Therefore only the Forte of the F series has full throttle control at all times, whether you pedal or not.
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Thank you Flecc
Many thanks, Flecc, for your very comprehensive answer to my questions about the Kalkhoff, comparing it with the 'f' series Ezees.
I suspect that this is the bike for me.
David
PS What does 'Flecc' really mean?
Many thanks, Flecc, for your very comprehensive answer to my questions about the Kalkhoff, comparing it with the 'f' series Ezees.
I suspect that this is the bike for me.
David
PS What does 'Flecc' really mean?
It's not an acronym but a part of my Italian surname, and I've used it online for years.
I've even had the honour of some trying to use it and pretend to be me, the last one being a North of England metalhead!
Why's that amusing? I'm a 71 year old pensioner, not my scene.
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C
Cyclezee
Guest
I'm quite sure Flecc is Modern Light Alloy Man rather than a Heavy Heavy Metal Man.
Sorry, I'm going off thread, I will shut up now
John
Sorry, I'm going off thread, I will shut up now
John
Kalkhoff Agattu
David
PS Incidentally, at the risk of sounding pedantic, the bike is an Agattu - not an Agutta as some pedelecs members have been writing. Sorry!
Well I've taken the plunge (after 6 months deliberating about Ezees and others!). I ordered an Agattu yesterday at the 11th hour for the 10% discount. It should arrive on Wednesday. My 'review' is imminent.
David
PS Incidentally, at the risk of sounding pedantic, the bike is an Agattu - not an Agutta as some pedelecs members have been writing. Sorry!
You'll be delighted with it I'm sure David.
I've been riding one for three days now, including in rain when I didn't have to.
Of course it's not at all like a hub motor bike, but a true bicycle on steroids.
Your P.S. wasn't pedantic, I'd noticed the same, but I think it inevitable with that name. Equally Kalkhoff is often posted with either the second k or the h missing.
There, you've got me at it now.
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I've been riding one for three days now, including in rain when I didn't have to.
Of course it's not at all like a hub motor bike, but a true bicycle on steroids.
Your P.S. wasn't pedantic, I'd noticed the same, but I think it inevitable with that name. Equally Kalkhoff is often posted with either the second k or the h missing.
There, you've got me at it now.
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Brake blocks
I ride a Lafree with TekTro rim (cantilever) brakes, what do you recommend I get as replacement brake blocks?
Derrick - Llanberis
I ride a Lafree with TekTro rim (cantilever) brakes, what do you recommend I get as replacement brake blocks?
Derrick - Llanberis
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Of several types I've tried, the most successful low cost ones on the lafree were these two:
Avid 20R pads
Fishers supply through cycle dealers. You can order on site by nominating a dealer to send them to, or by asking your dealer to order them.
The other pads were the carded stock MTB pads stocked by Halfords, very slightly higher price, and British made by Clarks in Birmingham.
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Avid 20R pads
Fishers supply through cycle dealers. You can order on site by nominating a dealer to send them to, or by asking your dealer to order them.
The other pads were the carded stock MTB pads stocked by Halfords, very slightly higher price, and British made by Clarks in Birmingham.
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Hi flecc, could you post the link for giant agents in the Uk, you say there is a link below but for some reason i can't seem to find it. Regards Anita.
Hello Anita. I've repeated the link below for you to click. On that page, enter your postcode or other location detail and tick the "Electric" box below. Then click Search and your nearest will appear:
Giant cycle dealers
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Giant cycle dealers
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