gazelle or kalkoff?

[lozzer]

Done enough research to narrow it down to either a Khalkof agattu or Gazelle Medeo XT.

My main concern about the gazelle is the hub noise and about the agattu is a rather shallower reason in that it looks like an electric bike and may not be as manoeuvrable.

Both are well made although the Gazelle is highly rated for quality.

I want the bike for flat and hills. Any advice welcome

thanks

 

[trex]

Khalkoff agattu.

 

[flecc]

Gazelle are indeed great quality, but overpriced. Also they are very much Dutch bike designs, and their idea of good hill climbing often doesn't match up to the reality of many of our UK hills. If you are in a steep hill area it could be a poor choice. One to be proud of owning if the price is no concern and the area is not too demanding.

The Agattu with it's crank drive will cope with any hill you could ever meet, and the German build quality is more than adequate.

If you have the chance to try both, so much the better.

 

[Gringo]

I can't comment on the gazelle but I own a 7 speed Agattu and when I need/want to replace it with a newer model, I'd buy another Kalkhoff

 

[lozzer]

Thanks guys, testing an Agattu on Friday

 

[RobF]

The build quality of Gazelle bikes is outstanding, but as Flecc says some lack poke.

I tested a Gazelle a year or so ago and the lack of power was noticeable.

The bike was too dear for what it was and Gazelle wanted hundreds more for a larger battery.

I believe the XT - which the OP is considering - has a slightly more powerful motor.

 

[lozzer]

It has significantly more power but alongside that comes more noise.
I want to hear an Agattu before making a decision.

 

[flecc]

I'll be interested to hear your opinion on the Agattu noise Lozzer. The previous Panasonic powered Agattu was very quiet, but all current Agattus sold here use the Kalkhoff Impulse unit which I haven't heard.

 

[Jonah]

The impulse motor is very quiet although not completely silent like the Xion hub. Hope your enjoy your test ride today.

 

[lozzer]

Visited 50 cycles on Friday and rode sahel urban, pro connect commuter and agattu i8 hs.

Fist of all apologies for any errors and superficiality of testing

Pro connect seemed the speediest and most responsive. It had a rear hub motor and battery on frame inner. Derailleur gears worked well although apparently the speed comes at battery range cost compared to other Kalkhoffs.

The i8 was smooth and handled the only hill we could find well although I felt the need for an extra high gear on flat. Tim (?) explained that a different rear sprocket could be fitted to fix this.

The Nu-Vinci automatic gears on the Sahel were terrific and changes were seamless. The range was perfect even on manual.

All were more or less silent.

The staff were helpful without being pushy and made time for us when they were clearly busy. After sales service was not going to be an issue.

We both left feeling the sahel was the best choice for us.

At Cycle Heaven (York) we tested the medeo plus xt. Apparently the standard Gazelle drive was more suited to level terrain and the xt hub driven range of bikes is more powerful.
The medeo has 24 deraillier gears which clunked a couple of times but otherwise moved smoothly.
The battery has less range than the khalkoffs although intelligent gear use should minimise the difference.

I could sense no difference in the 'help' that the medeo gave compared to the kalkhoffs.

I think we will go for the Gazelles rather than the Sahels

pros:
The gazelle looks more like an ordinary bike. This issue would become less important probably. We liked the look although tastes differ
The fixtures on both bikes looked good quality but the gazelle scored higher there.
The gazelle handled slightly better.
Dealership 18 miles from home.

cons
The gazelle is distinctly noisier
shorter range
Lots of folk rate the khalkoffs!

Costs were comparative.

Both dealers were terrific

Lawrie

 

[flecc]

Very good summary Lawrie, thanks for your impressions. I agree the Gazelle quality is as good as it can be on a bicycle, always a characteristic of that brand, and the Dutch do seem to be more concerned to have their e-bikes looking like ordinary bikes.

You've done the right thing I'm sure, how a bike feels to each person is what matters above all, regardless of what others might choose, and that local support is always reassuring.

 

[Rick James]

Hi.
Can anyone help me - I'm looking at Kalkhoff and Gazelle - both powered by impulse - is this the same motor et al, please? Any advice, please?

 

[oldtom]

Hi.
Can anyone help me - I'm looking at Kalkhoff and Gazelle - both powered by impulse - is this the same motor et al, please? Any advice, please?

Although I'm out of touch with Gazelle, Koga, Batavus, Sparta and the other Dutch brands, the comments supplied by members a long time ago in this thread were certainly relevant at the time.

The major Dutch EAPC suppliers never really supplied the type of power required by most UK users and that, along with their lack of nationwide representation was their downfall. Back-up and support was patchy and generally poor compared to Kalkhoff, where those issues were addressed a long time ago.

As for quality, most of the high-end Dutch bikes really ooze well-crafted build, decent spec components and are generally more pleasing on the eye than the Kalkhoff range. Koga bikes in particular are just stunning with fantastic attention to detail but, as has been stated, these machines are not cheap, which didn't help the cause of Dutch bike suppliers in the UK.

The much-vaunted advice about test-riding a variety of machines is really imperative as, when confronted by hills, you will probably be less interested by the bike's appearance or attention to detail than you will be by how well, or otherwise, it performs over that kind of terrain.

Unless, Gazelle, Sparta and the like have upped the power output of their bikes, I'm bound to say you will probably find Kalkhoff bikes better when the going gets tough.

Tom

 

[Rick James]

Although I'm out of touch with Gazelle, Koga, Batavus, Sparta and the other Dutch brands, the comments supplied by members a long time ago in this thread were certainly relevant at the time.

The major Dutch EAPC suppliers never really supplied the type of power required by most UK users and that, along with their lack of nationwide representation was their downfall. Back-up and support was patchy and generally poor compared to Kalkhoff, where those issues were addressed a long time ago.

As for quality, most of the high-end Dutch bikes really ooze well-crafted build, decent spec components and are generally more pleasing on the eye than the Kalkhoff range. Koga bikes in particular are just stunning with fantastic attention to detail but, as has been stated, these machines are not cheap, which didn't help the cause of Dutch bike suppliers in the UK.

The much-vaunted advice about test-riding a variety of machines is really imperative as, when confronted by hills, you will probably be less interested by the bike's appearance or attention to detail than you will be by how well, or otherwise, it performs over that kind of terrain.

Unless, Gazelle, Sparta and the like have upped the power output of their bikes, I'm bound to say you will probably find Kalkhoff bikes better when the going gets tough.

Tom

Thanks very much, Tom - much appreciated.

 

[Tomtomato]

Visited 50 cycles on Friday and rode sahel urban, pro connect commuter and agattu i8 hs.

Fist of all apologies for any errors and superficiality of testing

Pro connect seemed the speediest and most responsive. It had a rear hub motor and battery on frame inner. Derailleur gears worked well although apparently the speed comes at battery range cost compared to other Kalkhoffs.

I have a Kalkhoff pro connect: it's not driven by a rear hub motor, but by a crank driven one (Impulse 2). Maybe you are confused with what you tested. The motor is pretty much silent, and range is not affected by the derailleur. Maybe you tested a 350w bike, which would have a greater speed, at the expense of battery range.

 

[JohnCade]

I have a Kalkhoff pro connect: it's not driven by a rear hub motor, but by a crank driven one (Impulse 2). Maybe you are confused with what you tested. The motor is pretty much silent, and range is not affected by the derailleur. Maybe you tested a 350w bike, which would have a greater speed, at the expense of battery range.

His post was from two years ago so he probably rode the Pro Connect X27 Xion they were selling then.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

He rode the Pro Connect X**, which has a rear DD hub-motor.

 

[chr4]

Although I'm out of touch with Gazelle, Koga, Batavus, Sparta and the other Dutch brands, the comments supplied by members a long time ago in this thread were certainly relevant at the time.

Unless, Gazelle, Sparta and the like have upped the power output of their bikes, I'm bound to say you will probably find Kalkhoff bikes better when the going gets tough.

Tom

Gazelle now offers a wide range of mid drive motors incl. Bosch Active & Performance as well as Impulse. Sparta annunced Yamaha motor for some 2016 models.

 

[flecc]

Gazelle now offers a wide range of mid drive motors incl. Bosch Active & Performance as well as Impulse. Sparta annunced Yamaha motor for some 2016 models.

Dutch Gazelle and German Derby Cycles gmbh who make Kalkhoff are both wholly owned by the Pon Holdings, Europes second largest cycle manufacturing group. Hence Gazelle having availability of the Kalkhoff Impulse unit.
.

 

[Rick James]

So is there a view as to which might be best, please? All feedback appreciated!