Can anyone recommend a good bike for hill climbing and distance

[D C]

50 miles and 4 hours is one heck of a commute, in and around Halifax are some serious hills and you are still going to have to peddle pretty hard to get up some of them.
I realise it's going against the spirit of the forum but would you not be better with a moped or light motorcycle?
Maybe not so bad if you don'y have a physically demanding job at the end of it.
Good for you and full respect if you decide to do it.

 

[Cyclezee]

I can almost smell the desperation.

It certainly seems like it, perhaps it is time for trade members to ease off, get out the Lynx and let Jon make his own mind up

 

[Tim]

John, you should get over to that thread where KTM bloke is having a right go at the ezee Torq.

PS first time I've posted on here in a very long time. Now I remember why...

 

[Jon Timmis]

Have to love Tim's tunnel vision. The Kalkhoff was recently outperformed in the mountains by a KTM with a panasonic hub drive. The review was posted above by KTM Bike Indistries. Having ridden all the bikes in question this system is hard to beat. Why not test a Bosch powered bike, Panaosnic hub drive, new Neo drive (A2B) and Impulse and decide for yourself.

A2B have some great new bikes coming out soon e.g. the one below. I was very impressed when I test rode one, my collegue even pulled an accidental wheely.
http://www.wearea2b.com/uk/collection/orsted

The best advice is to try as many as you can. I am happy to admit all are good bikes even if we do not sell them all. It is about finding the right bike for you.

Good Luck
David

Cheers David.

Going to go to the Electirc Transport Shop in York and test a few out.

I will also look to have a try on the KTM bikes too.

 

[Cyclezee]

John, you should get over to that thread where KTM bloke is having a right go at the ezee Torq.

John, you should get over to that thread where KTM bloke is having a right go at the ezee Torq.

PS first time I've posted on here in a very long time. Now I remember why...

Hi Tim,

I was not aware of KTM bloke having a go at the Torq or what he said, but then it is not possible and probably not wise to read everything?

Completely understand your reasons for keeping schtum

 

[Jon Timmis]

50 miles and 4 hours is one heck of a commute, in and around Halifax are some serious hills and you are still going to have to peddle pretty hard to get up some of them.
I realise it's going against the spirit of the forum but would you not be better with a moped or light motorcycle?
Maybe not so bad if you don'y have a physically demanding job at the end of it.
Good for you and full respect if you decide to do it.

That's partly why I am still considering the A2B Metro as that is basically a moped but one you can take on the bicycle lanes and towpaths.

Was thinking in terms of biking it that I would introduce myself over time to the full bike commute. Going to heading from Halifax to Leeds so will cycle to Bradford and get the train in from there at first, then try and get to Pudsey, then Bramley and finally do the full stretch on the bike.

 

[Tim]

Have to love Tim's tunnel vision. The Kalkhoff was recently outperformed in the mountains by a KTM with a panasonic hub drive. The review was posted above by KTM Bike Indistries. Having ridden all the bikes in question this system is hard to beat. Why not test a Bosch powered bike, Panaosnic hub drive, new Neo drive (A2B) and Impulse and decide for yourself.

You know what, a Focus bike with Xion motor (same as in the Pro Connect Xion) beat the KTM in a mountain test run by the German E-Bike magazine last year, achieving a greater distance and reaching a higher elevation than the KTM.

If you buy an electric bike without trying a Kalkhoff or Focus, it's unlikely you've bought the best bike.

 

[EddiePJ]

I will also look to have a try on the KTM bikes too.

I'd do more than just try it.

Insist that you do your full ride on it in both direction. After all without knowing anything about your age or fitness level, KTM have claimed that you can carry out your journey with ease using 400%power mode.

 

[Tim]

The bike in that test was the Jarifa Premium with Xion motor and 15.5Ah battery pack. A more comfortable option for use on the road is the Pro Connect X27 - I expect that would thrash the KTM as well, and comes with lights, mudguards etc as standard.

 

[Jon Timmis]

I am sure both the KTM and the Kalkhoff/Focus would do equally well for what I want it for based on the specs and reviews I have seen

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

The bike in that test was the Jarifa Premium with Xion motor and 15.5Ah battery pack. A more comfortable option for use on the road is the Pro Connect X27 - I expect that would thrash the KTM as well, and comes with lights, mudguards etc as standard.

Tim your opinion is always biased in favour of your own bikes whereas I can at least admit other bikes are good . The other test was more recent so more relevant. I expect you are wrong but until there is a more recent unbiased opinion it is open to debate. I could equally say the KTM would thrash the Focus but I prefer to be more honest.

I respect alot of members on here trade and others particularly if they are honest enough to admit bike they do not sell are good. It is about the right bike for the person and this means it can often vary.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Cheers David.

Going to go to the Electirc Transport Shop in York and test a few out.

I will also look to have a try on the KTM bikes too.

No problem. I want you to get correct bike even if you are not buying a bike from us! When buying your first bike it is always better to try some out, after that you may not need to as you will have a better idea of what you want/need, although it is still advisable.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

I'd do more than just try it.

Insist that you do your full ride on it in both direction. After all without knowing anything about your age or fitness level, KTM have claimed that you can carry out your journey with ease using 400%power mode.

Hi.... how else would he test it? We're not going to make an offer and then tell him he can only ride it one way lol....we ride the eBikes all the time in the hills around here (we're very close to Halifax) so we know what the bikes can take.

The eCross P has a range of 120km, and one is due back from eCyclist magazine next week, so I'm sure there will be a UK based independent review for everyone to read soon.

Obviously we do other models with mud guards or crank driven if thats what someone might need. But we're not going to get involved in an "our bike is better than your bike" type debate on here - it benefits no one, and makes us all a bit childish and desperate, which is not something we are.

We were just trying help a customer who is local to us arrange a test ride.

Its then up to customers / magazines to make up their minds what suits them best.

Clearly everyone has different needs or priorities and budgets, so we'd never be arrogant enough to suggest we know best. We're here to offer advice and support our dealers.

 

[Tim]

The other test was more recent so more relevant. .

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

Was thinking in terms of biking it that I would introduce myself over time to the full bike commute. Going to heading from Halifax to Leeds so will cycle to Bradford and get the train in from there at first, then try and get to Pudsey, then Bramley and finally do the full stretch on the bike.

I used to live in Pudsey, if you can get to there, there is a canal path all the way right to the centre of Leeds, very handy for the commute into the city.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I am sure both the KTM and the Kalkhoff/Focus would do equally well for what I want it for based on the specs and reviews I have seen

They're both torque-multiplication systems with no throttle, so no chance of giving your legs a rest on a long journey like that, which becomes even more significant when you have the wind against you. You need to think all this through. If your aim is to have a proper work-out on your ride to and from work, or if you're used to pedalling hard for 2 hours at a time, disregard these comments.

 

[Jon Timmis]

I used to live in Pudsey, if you can get to there, there is a canal path all the way right to the centre of Leeds, very handy for the commute into the city.

Yes...I was looking to pickup the Leeds Liverpool canal at Saltaire in Bradford which should make it somewhat easier for that portion of the ride.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The eCross P has a range of 120km,

Is that with the 47v 8.8aH battery (440wH)?

If so, it equates to 5.87 wH/mile, which is equivalent to an average of about 70w for the whole 120km, or about 1.4 amps. To climb steep hills you need about 600w with hard pedalling, or 1200w with light pedalling.

It's the same old thing that I thought we'd bottomed out on this forum: You can either pedal yourself and go a long way, or use the motor to help you and go not so far. The more power you get from the motor, the less distance you can go. No smoke and mirrors or amounts of love can change that.

All range claims by any supplier are absolutely meaningless, and shouldn't be used for any comparison purposes.

 

[Jon Timmis]

Is that with the 47v 8.8aH battery (440wH)?

If so, it equates to 5.87 wH/mile, which is equivalent to an average of about 70w for the whole 120km, or about 1.4 amps. To climb steep hills you need about 600w with hard pedalling, or 1200w with light pedalling.

It's the same old thing that I thought we'd bottomed out on this forum: You can either pedal yourself and go a long way, or use the motor to help you and go not so far. The more power you get from the motor, the less distance you can go. No smoke and mirrors or amounts of love can change that.

All range claims by any supplier are absolutely meaningless, and shouldn't be used for any comparison purposes.

To be honest it terms of range claims I just use them a vague idea about which ones may be best to try out and see for myself how quickly the battery runs dry under my weight, style of riding, terrain etc.

Not dissing the dealers or manufacturers as there are so many variables involved that even if someone was doing fully scientific tests they might prove to go much shorter or longer in reality. I found the same with cars and their Miles Per Gallon claims.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's worse with ebikes because the range is affected by how hard you pedal. Some systems force you to pedal hard, so that the proportion of power that you provide is higher. Not surprisingly, they tend to go further than ones where you can take a rest and let the bike do the work.