Crank drive info please

[lowranger]

I have a recent Kalkhoff pro connect impulse 10. Initial impressions are very good. The range will be excellent and I think 60miles will be easily acheivable by a fit cyclist. On the bikes first use it took 36 miles to run the battery down for its 'learning charge' running on full power with very little input from me. I did a 32 miles ride last weekend with 2250 ft of climbing up some long hills which were tackled at a minimum of 12mph on the steepest and the battery indicater showed 50% used.

So the range looks very good. I intend to do a full review in a few weeks when I've done a few more weeks commute but initial impressions are very good. A comfortable bike with a sporty feel.

 

[stevew]

That bike looks really good except the price !! Maybe their 9 speed one at £1600 will be as good.
Not a big deal but to be honest i think the 8 speed is just about right for an Ebike. Ebikes don't seem to need the close gears like a normal bike and if you look at the price of the chain and cassette (both consumable items) there is a significant difference !
Somehow the marketing gurus at most bike companies think
"more speeds = better bike that we can charge more for"

Still looking

 

[lowranger]

That bike looks really good except the price !! Maybe their 9 speed one at £1600 will be as good.
Not a big deal but to be honest i think the 8 speed is just about right for an Ebike. Ebikes don't seem to need the close gears like a normal bike and if you look at the price of the chain and cassette (both consumable items) there is a significant difference !
Somehow the marketing gurus at most bike companies think
"more speeds = better bike that we can charge more for"

Still looking

Agree there the 9 will perform just as well I only went for the 10 because of availability of the right size and a tempting deal on the day.....
My ideal is a hub geared bike as I think for a commuter bke they are perfect. Unfortunaly Kalkhoff don't do a hub geared bike (lin my price range) with disc brakes and hub gears and i favour the reliability and stopping power of the brakes over the gears........

As previous posts here go and try some out. I used to ride a Lafree and I know you'll be impressed by how both crank and hubs have progressed.

 

[stevew]

Yup, off to do test rides next week. One thing you can't test is range

 

[lowranger]

I feel from how you describe yourself and your usage all the bikes you have mentioned will give you the range you need.
On the 32 mile ride I mentioned I did last week I was letting the motor do quite a lot of work (whilst keeping a steady cadence) as I wanted to give it a good test and used a mixture of 'power' (most assistance) and 'sport' (medium) settings.
The impulse drive has a quirky setting that drops the power as you change gear to make for smoother changes. That was something I'd always done myself by easing off the pedal pressure slightly and it has took a bit of getting used to. After a few hundred miles I've now got used to it and it works well.
It may come down down to which dealer is nearest to you and offers the best service.

 

[Croxden]

I have a hub with 14 gears, rarely use the first three but has been known. I know what I prefer.

 

[JohnCade]

I feel from how you describe yourself and your usage all the bikes you have mentioned will give you the range you need.
On the 32 mile ride I mentioned I did last week I was letting the motor do quite a lot of work (whilst keeping a steady cadence) as I wanted to give it a good test and used a mixture of 'power' (most assistance) and 'sport' (medium) settings.
The impulse drive has a quirky setting that drops the power as you change gear to make for smoother changes. That was something I'd always done myself by easing off the pedal pressure slightly and it has took a bit of getting used to. After a few hundred miles I've now got used to it and it works well.
It may come down down to which dealer is nearest to you and offers the best service.

How are you finding the power interruption feature? I've got a Agattu i8 HS with the Nexus gears and I don't have any problems changing gears smoothly. But it reminds me of changing gear on a truck. It's so slow and deliberate. I'm thinking of buying the Pro Connect 9 if the change works smoothly with the new software. Because I do really prefer the way a good mech just snicks the gears in quickly without losing momentum and letting you keep a steady cadence.

I have had a crank drive with a derailleur before without the power interrupt, and again it's easy to use smoothly by momentarily cutting the power. But it's a slower change than an unpowered bike if you don't want nasty noises, and you have to get it in the right gear in good time on any hill steeper than a slope.

 

[lowranger]

How are you finding the power interruption feature? I've got a Agattu i8 HS with the Nexus gears and I don't have any problems changing gears smoothly. But it reminds me of changing gear on a truck. It's so slow and deliberate. I'm thinking of buying the Pro Connect 9 if the change works smoothly with the new software. Because I do really prefer the way a good mech just snicks the gears in quickly without losing momentum and letting you keep a steady cadence.

I have had a crank drive with a derailleur before without the power interrupt, and again it's easy to use smoothly by momentarily cutting the power. But it's a slower change than an unpowered bike if you don't want nasty noises, and you have to get it in the right gear in good time on any hill steeper than a slope.

I've got used to it John quite quickly. It accelerates so quickly that I often double change. You have the option on more expensive models to alter the change timings or even switch it off yourself on the lcd display but these models are for "off road use only" due to be unrestricted.
it does change very smoothly. Not sure what chain life will be like, short I guess. Kalkhoff quote chain life of 2000k.

 

[stevew]

Think i'm moving away from the CD option and on to modifying my existing tourer. It's a Thorn steel 26" wheel frame with an Alfine 8. It's a bike i have been riding for years and know it well. Main thing that is moving me this way is that i really don't have any room for another bike in the man cave
So now i'm thinking Woosh 8Fun BPM 350 watt front hub motor /15 Ah battery kit. Looks like really good value for £499.

Comments please, anyone got one?

 

[stevew]

As an additional thought, what would happen if i ran my Lafree on 36V ? Suppose i'd just cook everything but i thought i'd ask
It's one of these,

 

[flecc]

You'd probably cook it Steve, the earlier Panasonic unit that was in the Lafree did have some electronic frailty, suffering a variety of faults on a small number of them. Designed for 24 volt NiMh with just over 29 volts fully charged, an over 50% increase to touching 42 volts fully charged Lithium would be pushing one's luck, especially as there are no spares and a new unit is circa £500.
.

 

[Cyclezee]

As an additional thought, what would happen if i ran my Lafree on 36V ? Suppose i'd just cook everything but i thought i'd ask
It's one of these,

Good to see an old friend again, that was my very first electric bike, not just the make and model, but that actual one sat on my patio when I owned it back in 2007.
It was soon joined by this one and the beginning of my obsession