June 1, 201114 yr After my trials and tribulations with the Tailwind I have bitten the bullet and ordered a Tonaro Bighit today. I am sure with all the great reviews it will be just what I am looking for. Great deal from Phil and apparently it will arrive tomorrow. The supplier of the Tailwind is due to have a courier come and collect it so I can get a refund. Second time lucky I hope. The Bighit was available in a variety of colours that were all 'Black' The Model T of ebikes.
June 1, 201114 yr I have got a Bighit and a Kalkhoff Agattu and my wife has an Agattu as well now !!!! lets just say i had some serious luck selling a dormant domain name that i had, to a very large American defence company, hence the two Kalkhoffs !!! The Bighit is fabulous value for money, not quite as good quality as the Agattu, but it is only about half the price and with that in mind is superb value for money. It can easily keep with the Agattu and on steep hills it can out climb it. As it is very powerful, it will climb up the side of a house in high power and 1st gear !!! great bike, and i for one have no regrets buying mine, similar build strength to a Challenger tank
June 1, 201114 yr Keep us posted on your experience with this bike. I am seriously tempted given the good reviews.
June 1, 201114 yr I bought a Torano Enduro model (similar to the Bighit) about two weeks ago. It is a seriously good bike despite what the critics say about Zoom forks etc. The combination of crank drive and a throttle or full power pedelec with no Panasonic nonsense of restricting the assistance to twice your effort, means that the bike offers the older/less fit rider just the sort of help he/she needs. Out of interest, I went to a hill nearby that I clearly recall ascending on my Cyclemaster under throttle alone in 1959. Whilst I cannot be clear about the speeds, the Enduro also ascended on throttle alone, maybe a bit slower, but old bones aren't complaining about that. At my age, I can fatigue quite quickly, with the Enduro, just twist the throttle, stop pedalling and on you go.
June 1, 201114 yr Author Depending on what time it arrives at my office tomorrow I may get it assembled and charged to ride home. Can anyone recommend a cycle computer that will work well with it. Obviously wireless would be great. But I am aware of concerns over interference. I am only looking for a clock, speed, trip and total mileage.
June 1, 201114 yr Depending on what time it arrives at my office tomorrow I may get it assembled and charged to ride home. Can anyone recommend a cycle computer that will work well with it. Obviously wireless would be great. But I am aware of concerns over interference. I am only looking for a clock, speed, trip and total mileage. I have a £30 cateye velo plus which is wireless and i have had not one issue with it.It took about 5 mins to install I like the bike you have chosen too i know there are snob critics but i do think its very good value for money
June 1, 201114 yr Hi PJM, I too bought the beautiful Tonaro Bighit last week , and this baby is one hell of a bike, and dont worry about any talk about the zoom forks ,as it is still a wonderful ride ,and if you want too you can replace them,its a big bike ,and i can just touch the ground ,but i am only 5.5inches ,super performer,but make sure you push the kettle like plug fully in to the battery,not the charging one ,as i did not push it fully home ,and the power dropped off a little all in all wonderful, stylish and powerful,you will like this for sure ,best wishes Brian.
June 1, 201114 yr make sure you push the kettle like plug fully in to the battery,not the charging one ,as i did not push it fully home ,and the power dropped off a little Ive read on here that people dont like kettle plugs amongst other stuff. Can you clarify exactly the type of plug as when i google kettle type plug it i get different images up. Whats so bad about them? I have a multi prong type plug on the wire to my rear wheel like the PS2 port on a PC that keyboards used to be before they went USB, just bigger. And on my battery and controller i have two sturdy prongs that stick up, they look like an enlarged USA plug
June 1, 201114 yr Ive read on here that people dont like kettle plugs amongst other stuff. Can you clarify exactly the type of plug as when i google kettle type plug it i get different images up. Whats so bad about them? I have a multi prong type plug on the wire to my rear wheel like the PS2 port on a PC that keyboards used to be before they went USB, just bigger. And on my battery and controller i have two sturdy prongs that stick up, they look like an enlarged USA plug Hi Jon,i never said they are bad,when new they are very tight fitting,with three prongs,the one that plugs in to your kettle,if you live in England,lol they really are tight,so just make sure you push it right home ,and use three hands to pull it out with ,lol best wishes Brian.
June 1, 201114 yr Author Sorry I thought the Bighit was electric and not steam powered Thanks for the advice though.
June 1, 201114 yr Hi Jon,i never said they are bad,when new they are very tight fitting,with three prongs,the one that plugs in to your kettle,if you live in England,lol they really are tight,so just make sure you push it right home ,and use three hands to pull it out with ,lol best wishes Brian. Sorry Brian i didnt mean to insinuate you did, i have read on here in some threads saying that kettle plugs are bad. You know what some people are like. Also my kettle his hard wired at home not 3 pin, now, if you said pc plug well thats different lol. Sorry I thought the Bighit was electric and not steam powered Thanks for the advice though. Ha ha steam powered well with them front forks you better be careful lol
June 1, 201114 yr I have just ordered the Enduro and it should be on the way to Denmark now. Phil has a slight problem tracking it but I am sure it will arrive in the next few days. I am really looking forward to it. Steve
June 1, 201114 yr Sorry Brian i didnt mean to insinuate you did, i have read on here in some threads saying that kettle plugs are bad. You know what some people are like. Also my kettle his hard wired at home not 3 pin, now, if you said pc plug well thats different lol. Hi jon no problem my friend lol just laughting at the steam remark lol Ha ha steam powered well with them front forks you better be careful lol Hi no problem jon
June 1, 201114 yr Sorry Brian i didnt mean to insinuate you did, i have read on here in some threads saying that kettle plugs are bad. You know what some people are like. Also my kettle his hard wired at home not 3 pin, now, if you said pc plug well thats different lol. Ha ha steam powered well with them front forks you better be careful lol Hi jon,no problem my friend,just laughting at the steam power .best wishes Brian.
June 1, 201114 yr I have just ordered the Enduro and it should be on the way to Denmark now. Phil has a slight problem tracking it but I am sure it will arrive in the next few days. I am really looking forward to it. Steve Hi Steve you will like this baby,but be careful,she will take you for a ride lol,best wishes Brian/
June 1, 201114 yr i have read on here in some threads saying that kettle plugs are bad. You know what some people are like. The criticism that I've seen some make is that someone uninformed could plug the battery into mains with unpleasant results, so it's sensible criticism, not just pickiness. Some companies, Wisper for example, use a variant with the earth pin turned through 90 degrees to make that impossible.
June 1, 201114 yr The criticism that I've seen some make is that someone uninformed could plug the battery into mains with unpleasant results, so it's sensible criticism, not just pickiness. Some companies, Wisper for example, use a variant with the earth pin turned through 90 degrees to make that impossible. As i said Flecc i was unaware of what this plug looked exactly like which is why i was asking for clarification. In addition to that statement, well if people try to bypass the adapter and plug straight into a battery from a mains well they are not competent enough to have electricity in their house never mind they shouldnt be let loose on a road with a bike where they may mistake a bus for a clear road
June 1, 201114 yr Believe it or not, some e-bikes have been made with the charger built in with the battery and they were plugged direct into the mains, so not as daft as it seems! This original SLA equipped Giant Lafree was one example.
June 1, 201114 yr Believe it or not, some e-bikes have been made with the charger built in with the battery and they were plugged direct into the mains, so not as daft as it seems! This original SLA equipped Giant Lafree was one example. Still sounds daft lol but on the part of the manufacturer people can be idiots the best of times please dont give them reasons to be oh dear me.
June 1, 201114 yr Kettle plugs are good, makes it so much easier to use range extender batteries. Gender mismatches are easily overcome with patchleads made up with IEC-320 connectors and a hank of 20 amp twin red 'n' black. Make sure the correct polarity is maintained through the patch lead, get it wrong and the controller will be destroyed.
June 2, 201114 yr IEC plugs on batterys Hi IEC plugs on electric bikes are ILLEGAL Except the input on the mains side off the charger under the low voltage directive under 50 Volts DC We stopped using these 3 years ago after reading this article 100, 000 bikes to be recalled in Europe see links below from 2009 Attention: IEC Plug Bike Europe - News: Flood in e-Bikes Recalls Expected The other reason is they are Cheap and nasty and not made for the job we use these Single Modular Connectors - Torberry Connectors Online Shop The frame off the bike can become live 230 volts mains if plugged directly in to the mains in error Then you or you loved ones could DIE or just burn you house down If you have this problem This is a job for trading standards they have the power to enforce a recall This is so important i will start another thread Frank
June 2, 201114 yr The solution would be to use a little bit of super glue to permanently glue the mains lead plug into the charger socket. Then it would be just the same as a charger with a permanently attached mains lead. " simples "
June 2, 201114 yr Hi If you read my posting it says the mains input to the charger is OK it is 230 volts mains that is what the IEC connector is made for NOT for Battery Connections Out off the charger or connecting the battery to the bike controller Frank
June 2, 201114 yr You would have to be way beyond stupid to do this. More EU Political correctness nonsense, no wonder they are in such a financial mess. My Tonaro has the kettle plug, i like it, and guess what? it is staying on the bike. Also what is this nonsense regarding ZOOM forks? i also have a brand new Kalkhoff Agattu C8 which is the more expensive version at 1795 pounds, fitted with super doopah RST forks and guess what? i cannot tell the difference !!!
June 2, 201114 yr Hi If you read my posting it says the mains input to the charger is OK it is 230 volts mains that is what the IEC connector is made for NOT for Battery Connections Out off the charger or connecting the battery to the bike controller Frank Ok, glue both the leads that are supplied with the charger to the charger. Write a note on the charger 'ONLY TO BE USED FOR CHARGING BIKE BATTERY' Wrap the charger in fire-proof, non explosive military grade kevlar shielding. A few post it notes on the fridge to remind you about the dangers of plugging your kettle lead directly into the battery. Direct hotline phone connection to the local fire brigade, just in case. If all goes well, then armageddon wont happen scaremongary will drive potential electric bike users away Double "simples"
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