e-Bike of the Year 2011

[Cyclezee]

whilst readings hundreds of posts over on German forum I have not once heard anyone mention this "Bosch wall" except you John. Its pretty easy to cycle past the cut out and hardly noticable...

Hi Eddie,

To be fair, hitting the wall or mauer if you prefer was my first impression when I rode a Haibike at Presteigne. Apart from that I liked the bike, but it would benefit from a larger battery option, obviously that would make an expensive bike even more so.

 

[flecc]

Hi Eddie,

it would benefit from a larger battery option, obviously that would make an expensive bike even more so.

This caused me to reflect on when I used to ride my eZee bikes long distances with three 10 Ah batteries, one NiMh and two Li-ion, total costs of those new at the time, £700.

If I wanted to ride the same way with a BionX now, the batteries would cost me £3150.

 

[eddieo]

Monster Ezee bike reviewed in Extra energy mag I read yesterday...Nu vinchi hub and twin battery's, a real beast!

Another bike getting a lot of attention is a S class beast with massive battery the "Green mover" It's a fine looking bike

Google Translate

 

[indalo]

Another bike getting a lot of attention is a S class beast with massive battery the "Green mover" It's a fine looking bike

Google Translate

They're not too shabby are they Ed? I don't suppose the motors are the same as the ones Storck use?

Indalo

 

[flecc]

They're not too shabby are they Ed? I don't suppose the motors are the same as the ones Storck use?

Indalo

I believe it is the same Swiss one, used in some other S class bikes too.

 

[Trevor@Storck]

I believe it is the same Swiss one, used in some other S class bikes too.

Just to clarify this is manufactured under a Storck license, it's less powerful and heavier than that used on Storck Multitask and Multiroad bikes. The EU speed limiter is also mapped slightly differently too and comes in with a more noticable thump. So, whilst it looks very similar (in terms of motor casing) to that used by Storck Bicycles, it is a different motor

Great thread by the way,

Kind Regards

 

[tillson]

Owners insist the "Bosch wall" isn't there. It appears from comments on this that the impression comes from the fact that the power is sustained to nearer to 15 mph than we've been used to on the Panasonic unit previously, those sloping off the power very early.

However, it could be instructive for anyone used to the earlier Panasonic units to try a 2011 bike, since they too have power maintained to almost 15 mph. The new for 2012 36 volt version may be even more like the Bosch.

Speaking personally, I like the early phase down of the older Panasonic units and the barely perceptible cut-out. The older system encourages the rider to work harder, which I like. It provides plenty of power at start up to get the mass of rider and bike moving and then trickles energy into the system to help maintain the desired speed. Clearly this characteristic isn't to everyone's liking, but the new systems which maintain full power to near 15 mph seem like a retrograde step.

 

[flecc]

Speaking personally, I like the early phase down of the older Panasonic units and the barely perceptible cut-out. The older system encourages the rider to work harder, which I like. It provides plenty of power at start up to get the mass of rider and bike moving and then trickles energy into the system to help maintain the desired speed. Clearly this characteristic isn't to everyone's liking, but the new systems which maintain full power to near 15 mph seem like a retrograde step.

Me too, and I fully agree. The transition from motor power to pedal only power is so smooth on the traditional Panasonic unit that the changeover is imperceptible. It's the only e-bike design that has perfected this, most just crude in comparison.

 

[eddieo]

They're not too shabby are they Ed? I don't suppose the motors are the same as the ones Storck use?

Indalo

Yes I thought that as soon as I looked at it, that finned motor popping up all over the place..... Its a fast S class bike with massive 670 Wh battery. On website thay have other models, but here is the conservative looking wolf in sheeps clothing

 

[indalo]

here is the conservative looking wolf in sheeps clothing

I'm struggling a bit with the extra cross-brace but I think I want one.....like now!

Indalo

ps I'd probably change the saddle!

Indalo

 

[timidtom]

Silly me! I failed to vote because I could not find the JuicyBike option ...
Tom

 

[flecc]

Silly me! I failed to vote because I could not find the JuicyBike option ...
Tom

In the original nominations thread, nobody nominated Juicybike for inclusion in the list Tom, hence it's absence.

 

[timidtom]

In the original nominations thread, nobody nominated Juicybike for inclusion in the list Tom, hence it's absence.

That'll teach me not to go gadding about in Africa ...

 

[flecc]

That'll teach me not to go gadding about in Africa ...

Somehow I think you got the better deal....

 

[10mph]

I have been dithering over what to vote for. I am not sure on what basis I could judge the absolute best bike. I would have to set up a scoring for different characteristics and then add all the scores together. That method is inevitably subjective: it depends on my choice of things to score as well as any weighting assigned. However, I note that we are allowed to use our opinions rather than attempt absolute best.

So I think I will judge the bikes against my requirements for a bike. That means I will be choosing the best bike for me. That will include a value for money judgement - For example I won't want to pay a lot for a carbon frame when a cheaper metal one will do for me and I will accept the weight penalty because I have electric power to help me.

The difficulty I have is that I have little idea what many of these strangely named bikes are actually like, so I have checked out the top 6 bikes in the poll to see if I could vote for any of them.

Haibike EQ XDURO
£2759 - Ouch it would need to do a lot to justify that .
No step thru version - Nowadays I have to lean a bike a lot to swing my leg over the seat - a low step thru is so much easier.
Limited battery capacity so need to purchase and carry an extra if typical "range of 25 - 55 miles" is not enough.
This is really more of a mountain bike than a road bike. I don't ride mountain trails.

Tonaro Esprit
£1290
Full charge distance: 40-60 Km - range too limited
Otherwise not bad - It is step thru, and has front suspension and crank drive. Also I like the upright rider position which reduces weight on one's wrists - mine ache after an hour on the bike. Not sure about the white paint and I would throw away the shopping basket.

Storck Raddar Multitask
£2449+ - too expensive for what it offers
Women's "comfort" model has quite high cross bar requiring high leg lift in order to step-thru.

Kudos Tourer
£845.00 I like that but...
No front suspension: I like a smoother ride when on footpaths, cycle paths, or the potholed roads.
Not a step thru - I could I suppose go for the Duchesse ladies bike which looks similar but is unfortunately painted white.
Range: only "27-30 miles"
Seems to be front hub drive so no good for my measuring.


Cyclamatic Powerplus
c£500 - people speak of getting a second bike for DIY spares, and it sounds unreliable from stories I have found.
No performance specs to be found.


Kalkhoff Pro-Connect Disk 8
£1995
Now this is beginning to tick all the boxes - crank drive, available as low step thru, 460Wh battery, hub gears.
I am tempted to vote for it, however if I am not mistaken it has fixed front suspension, and the price is high.


I can't be bothered to look at the bikes that have got fewer than 5 votes.

I am now convinced that the best bike for me in 2011 is the one I bought:
Kalkhoff Agattu C3
£1425
This price last February was with 18Ah battery in place of 8Ah one giving me a measured range of over 80 miles with level 1 assist.
Low step thru, crank drive. Super smooth front suspension, and very upright riding position - I don't suffer from wrist ache any more. Also when overtaking another cyclist I can take one hand off the handlebars and adopt a very relaxed, no-effort posture in order to demoralise ... no I mean emphasise the effortless ride given by the electric bike.
3 gears are fine for my hills up to just over 10%, actually I think 3 gears are preferable to 8 - less gear changing required. On max assist, I beat most cars to 15 mph from the traffic lights, and starts on the steepest hills are no problem. It is nicely nippy in stop-go traffic.

Finally the torque sensor/ proportional controller combination on the Panasonic drive is perfectly set up to give a natural fine control of one's progress, responding instantly to varying pedal pressure. When riding there is absolutely no role for a hand throttle even if one were to be fitted. Switching assist level is instantaneous when you tap the button.

 

[flecc]

3 gears are fine for my hills up to just over 10%, actually I think 3 gears are preferable to 8 - less gear changing required. On max assist, I beat most cars to 15 mph from the traffic lights, and starts on the steepest hills are no problem. It is nicely nippy in stop-go traffic.

I fully agree, most e-bikes have too many gears for the majority of consumer circumstances.

Even with the old Panasonic unit which didn't have a High power mode, 3 gears were enough for average weight riders when hills rarely exceeded 10%, meaning more than half of Britain. Having the High power mode on the newer unit makes three gears covering about 200% range adequate for the majority of riders.

 

[Kudoscycles]

10mph....well done to personally summarise.
Can I point out that the Kudos Tourer was nominated for the poll by Pedelecs members but the reason we have such a wide range of bikes is to try to offer a bike for every usage.
Quote'no front suspension' and 'not a step thru'...perhaps the Kudos 'Liberty' bike would be a more suitable choice.
The range of 30 miles is that which can be reliably achieved with average PAS setting and average rider pedalling...some members have achieved 60 miles from the LifePo4 battery but that would involve mainly low PAS setting and a lot of pedalling. I think the ranges claimed by some e-bike sellers need to be treated with caution,we need a usage formula so as to compare range?-note,the LifePo4 battery achieves full power over the full range and continues to give the same range over many years of usage.....compare this with LiMno4 batteries which many members say that 40 miles is possible but after 20 miles the bike is 'like riding through treacle' also with 14% capacity loss per annum after 2 years the range will be very restricted.
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[Jimod]

I nominated the Kudos Tourer as that's the bike I have and it's perfect for me. Mine has a rear hub drive. As to the battery range, I can only speak of my own bike but I have 2 batteries and I can guarantee a minmum of 30 miles from each battery. I get more of course but if I know I'm going a 30 mile trip I will only take one battery. On the road I'm never in anything but power level 5 and generally the motor is doing most of the work. When I'm feeling like working harder I can manage more than 30 miles with no problem, I just base 30 miles as a safe distance.
Maybe a table of 'real life' ranges would help people who are thinking about buying an E-bike.

 

[Teejay]

Re 10mph's excellent summary, the PC Disc does have front suspension

 

[tillson]

And the winner is.....................