Finally, Finally Committing :)

[Mattyduk]

After a yearish of looking and trying out the occasional bike, looks like I'm nearly there.

Lloyd rang me today to say my Pro-Connect will be instock tomorrow, so I've sent him the company cheque today (my MD decided to help with our own cycle to work scheme)

So hopefully, maybe before xmas, I'll get it, and it will give me a bit of time before I get back to work to try it out.

To recap my attempts to get a new e-bike

X6 - was put off by the missile launcher, mainly I think because I was expecting the water bottle in the brouchure. Still, I'm sure it's a good bike

Cytronex - out of stock as they are waiting for their new models.

Carerra Sparc - nice bike - very comfortable, but now obsolete. The version I got from Halfords was broken as it had a lack of leds on the control panel, and boy, was it noisy, so back it went.

Infineum - lost, presumed MIA

cheers

Mat

 

[Barnowl]

Hi Matty - I think I must have started looking about the same time as you.

You had some bad luck there. What with a duff Sparc and Cytronex hybernating for the winter.

Great news about the cycle scheme. That should bring the cost down to something more like you what you were originally looking for and a quality bike as well.

 

[Rad]

Good news for you Matty. I'm sure you'll be very happy with your pro-connect. I wanted one too until I saw the price.

 

[tillson]

Well done Mattyduck. You won't regret it as the Pro C is an excellent bike that loves busting hills and it is fast too.

I still keep sneaking into the hangar at work to just stand back and admire my Pro Connect and I have owned it since July. How weird is that sort of behaviour? It makes me think that there is something seriously wrong with me!

I still enjoy riding it to and from work as well, even in the foulest of weather!

 

[Barnowl]

I still keep sneaking into the hangar at work to just stand back and admire my Pro Connect and I have owned it since July. How weird is that sort of behaviour? It makes me think that there is something seriously wrong with me!

Your behaviour is not unique tillson. I'm guilty of the same (cept differrent bike of course)

 

[dazzie]

Congrats Mat, look forward to your report!

 

[wotwozere]

Hi Matt

Well done this will be the best thing in your life, it is a life changing product.

Make sure you get panniers so it is a good work horse.

Yeehaa

Bob

 

[Mattyduk]

cheers for the replies. I'll keep you updated and put some piccies up when it arrives - hopefully a nice xmas present

 

[Mattyduk]

Hurrah !!

It's arrived. Just in time as well as it's out last 1/2 day tomorrow before the xmas break. The fuse on the charger had blown (Lloyd at 50 cycles got me to try that first), but now it's busy charging, and we've setup the handlebars/pedals etc.

First impressions are that it's a very good looking bike - looks very well engineered - but there again my last experience was with a 37kg Synergie Extreme

Looking forward to trying it this afternoon or tonight

 

[dazzie]

Hey don't diss Synergie's you!

Congrats and hope you have a fantastic first ride later.

 

[WALKERMAN]

Hurrah !!

It's arrived. Just in time as well as it's out last 1/2 day tomorrow before the xmas break. The fuse on the charger had blown (Lloyd at 50 cycles got me to try that first), but now it's busy charging, and we've setup the handlebars/pedals etc.

First impressions are that it's a very good looking bike - looks very well engineered - but there again my last experience was with a 37kg Synergie Extreme

Looking forward to trying it this afternoon or tonight

I've had problems with the charger as well. Replaced the fuse each time but last weekend just dismantled the plug and fiddled around with the fuse holder and 2 pin plug and it worked, so must just be a poor connection.

 

[Mattyduk]

I've had problems with the charger as well. Replaced the fuse each time but last weekend just dismantled the plug and fiddled around with the fuse holder and 2 pin plug and it worked, so must just be a poor connection.

cheers for that. I'll bear it in mind.

As for dissing synergie well, it was a very early version and it did me well for nearly over a year

 

[Mattyduk]

so far so good. Rode it home last night (with a full luggage bag) and back to work this morning. So much more comfortable than my "manual" Carerra road bike.

Comparing it to the Sparc, as expected (considering the price) is like night or day. First of all the pro connect is very quiet, even with the motor running at full tilt up a hill. Also this actually does power you up the hill, embarrassingly quick ! Battery seems to be holding up well, with only about 10 miles covered so far. I'm only using the high mode on the couple of hills I hit, most of the time I'm in the low mode.

Still haven't quite got the hang of the gears as I seem to be in 6 to 8 most of the time and haven't used any of the lower gears on any of the power settings.

A really nice looking bike, with a decent manual, light battery, a neat looking battery charger and the extra luggage capability is going to be very useful.

Downsides ? not too much so far. The front light is quite basic, but I've put on another light anyway, and the control panel for switching modes is quite difficult to use if you are wearing thick gloves (in fact one of the few things I really like about the Sparc, was the physical switch for switching modes).

Well, have a good xmas all, and here's to another great e-biking new year

cheers

Mat

 

[essexman]

Still haven't quite got the hang of the gears as I seem to be in 6 to 8 most of the time and haven't used any of the lower gears on any of the power settings.

Mat

A lot of people have found them undergeared and have changed the back cog accordingly. I haul a lot weight on mine and do use the lower gears sometimes. I still think i'll add a tooth or 2 to the back cog though.

Cheers

 

[flecc]

A lot of people have found them undergeared and have changed the back cog accordingly. I haul a lot weight on mine and do use the lower gears sometimes. I still think i'll add a tooth or 2 to the back cog though.

Cheers

The reason for the low gearing is to ensure the motor cutout operates at the legal limit in top gear. From a design standpoint a higher gearing is preferable, but it should be noted that gearing up does dent the range in direct proportion to how high the gearing is.
.

 

[Mattyduk]

right, now the cold weather has left for a while (down south anyway), I'd thought I'd report back.

Before xmas, I only got to ride about 10 miles on the pro-connect but since then I've added another 40 or so.

Very impressed with how it kept it's charge as I only had to do it's second charge this Monday. Really like both the onboard and battery based charge indicator as well.

I reckon I must have got over 40 miles on the first charge. I tend to use medium/low power assist, but a bit of high on a couple of hills. I don't use the onboard lights (which illuminate as much in front of you as a rat lighting one of it's fa*ts), so that's not sapping the power either.

I know some people might moan, but I've added a set of Bicynals, basically because I needed another set of lights and more importantly didn't like going one handed on hand signals down some hills. Infact apart from the one time that the bicynals have gone out of sync when I've turned them on, I've been very impressed with them, and motorists seems to be noticing !

Anyway, back to the pro-connect. The ride is very comfortable, compared to my carrera road bike, and the motor is very very quiet (so much quieter than the Sparc and Extreme). On Hi-setting with a gear 4/5 it really helps getting up the main hill I have to contend with on my commute.

I'm finding the gears nice and easy to change, although there can be a bit of delay when changing down. The brakes are a bit squeaky at the moment, but they may settle down.

I've also added a pannier so it's good to not worry about adding weight to the bike for shopping, as the bike doesn't feel any different loaded up.

Also added a wired cateye cycle computer which was easy to fit, and seems to be keeping regularly updated.

Overall, very impressed. It's what I wanted from an e-bike - abit of help on hills/head winds, comfortable and a decent range that didn't mean I'd have to recharge it every other night. Thanks to my company who helped me buy it as well.

 

[Mussels]

I know some people might moan, but I've added a set of Bicynals, basically because I needed another set of lights and more importantly didn't like going one handed on hand signals down some hills. Infact apart from the one time that the bicynals have gone out of sync when I've turned them on, I've been very impressed with them, and motorists seems to be noticing !

I really miss the indicators that I have on motorbikes, hand signals make the bike wobbly and don't get noticed.
I like the idea of those signals but I'm not faffing around taking even more bits off my bike when I park, nor do I fancy picking up the pieces off the road when it falls off so for the moment I shall stay Mr. invisible.
What I really want is a bright strobe attached to my right cuff, they may not see me signalling before they cross the mini roundabout but they won't forget it in a hurry.

 

[dazzie]

Sounds like a cracking bike Matty, you must be grinning like a Cheshire cat.

I wish I could compare it to my Mistral - on the steepest hills on my commute the poor thing does struggle with my bulk and all the luggage and so by the top of the hills I am completely worn out.

Have you got a link to the bicynals at all please?

Cheers,

Daz

PS A rat lighting one of it's own farts... hehe

 

[tillson]

Have you got a link to the bicynals at all please?

Bicygnals

 

[Bigbee]

These look good

I saw these at Cycle 2008,Im going to buy some when I finally chose an ebike or convert my own Dawes.I like the idea as I wobble like hell when I look over my shoulder


Winkku. Cycle safely with indicator, mirror and running lights.

Not worth starting another thread,but last night in a drunken haze I came across a small,very light bike being sold in Spain for 500 Euros I think.From memory the motor was a front wheeled 120W and the battery was 14V some thing AH.It looked good,but its going to be rubbish isnt it?Im 14 stone.