Help!..Ave MH7 v Kalkhoff Sahel Compact v blueLABEL PONY?

[Motoroaming]

Hello Pedelec Community,

As a long standing 'lurker', I felt that it was about time I officially registered here in order to enjoy the full benefits of this excellent forum.....and also so I could 'pick your brains' to aid my impending bike purchase!

As I have somewhat specific needs in terms of storage space I have focussed my search on the small wheel (20") category of bike and think I have managed to narrow the selection down to the aforementioned thread titled bikes: Ave MH-7; Kalkhoff Sahel Compact; and the blueLABEL PONY.

Not fully conversant with all the technicalities of these e-bikes the only thing I appear to readily recognise is the difference in £'s.

Our needs are relatively simple (other than the storage aspect) and include: moderate social bike riding to include continental cycle paths, town centre visiting, touristy sights, local supermarket trips, possibly a few hill climbs, and no more than say 40 miles per journey before re-charge.

So, I'd be very grateful if anyone could vouch for - either in terms of direct experience, or their professional knowledge - any of the above bikes?

They all appear to be very well made, suit our proposed uses and would easily match are storage space issue...but what really set's them apart?

I see the Kalkhoff appears to have the better battery capacity, but then does the Bosch system in the other two bikes hold an advantage in other respects?

A key factor for us may also be in the sales / after-sales aspect of the purchase and how the relative retailers are in dealing with their customers. I'm somewhat un-nerved by companies that appear to have a monopoly of the market.

Anyway, thanks in advance for taking the time to (a) read and hopefully (b) respond.

Cheers

Motoroamer.

 

[RobF]

I have an MH7 and am very pleased with it.

The bike is nearly as capable and comfortable as a big wheel bike, but in a smaller package.

I am sure the other two bikes on your shortlist will be the same, decent quality bikes which are a treat to ride.

So which one to buy?

Kalkhoff's Impulse system is similar to Bosch, and the bigger battery on the Sahel is an attraction.

The two Bosch bikes will give similar range. about 40 miles, depending on the usual caveats of hills, head winds, and rider fitness.

A member on here has a hire fleet of Sahels, and has found them reliable.

Both the Sahel and the Blue Label bike have adjustable height handlebars, the MH7 does not.

Derailleurs on the MH7, hub gears on the other two.

That's a matter of personal preference, both systems are reliable, the hub is heavier, but cleaner.

Quick release both ends on the MH7, so fixing a puncture is simpler than on the hub bikes which have bolted rear axles.

Of the two hub bikes, I prefer the Blue Label, it has an enclosed chain, and the drop outs are engineered better than on the Kalkhoff.

Disc brakes on the Blue Label are simpler to maintain than the hydraulic rims on the Sahel.

All ebikes are heavy, hub gear ones more so.

Make sure you can hump your proposed purchase where you need to.

All three bikes are good quality, so should be reliable.

OnBike is a proper ebike dealer and has a good reputation on here.

Kalkhoff supplier 50 Cycles doesn't have quite such an unblemished record.

Your link to the MH7 is strictly speaking to the wholesaler who presumably would shunt you in the direction of a dealer.

 

[Motoroaming]

Wow...thanks Rob for such a comprehensive reply.

I've test ridden the Kalkoff and enjoyed the experience, but then there is my concerns over the supplier to consider.

I've also identified possible supply issues with the Ave MH-7 with my local supplier...he has an old model for sale but there seems to be a long lead-time for new stock.

I think it would probably make sense to at least look further at the Pony. So it looks like another trip out for test ride purposes!

Thanks once again

 

[RobF]

The old model MH7 would be an excellent buy assuming it's about £1,500.

Only problem is the smaller 8ah battery.

A new 11ah battery will cost about £500.

You could do worse, the new Bosch motor doesn't perform any differently and some users think the smaller chain ring is inferior - it wears quickly.

As you have confirmed, supply of new MH7s is far from certain.

I would be reluctant to order any ebike in those circumstances, it could take months.

The Sahel is probably in stock, as is the Blue Label by the look of it.

 

[martin@onbike]

The Bluelabel Pony is driven by the Performance motor, so will offer almost unrivalled hill climbing on the 20" wheels, and is a high quality bike as you'd expect from Riese and Muller, also using the Alfine Hub...unfortunately we don't currently have a Pony in stock i'm afraid.

They take about 6-10 weeks for delivery, as they are built to order, but are well worth the wait if feasible.

The Ave MH-7 is a cracking little bike as well (though i've only ridden the Classic powered models)....new versions of the MH-7 and MH-7le with the Active motor should be available within the next couple of weeks.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Riese and Muller are a small company not owned by a massive cycle group like most others. As a result when I have had an issue I have found the company excellent to deal with. Sending out spare parts directly rather than passing you off to the distributer for that product. This means you get the bike fixed quicker. If I was not in the electric bike trade it would be my choice, knowing what I do now.

Good luck with the search!

 

[Motoroaming]

The Bluelabel Pony is driven by the Performance motor, so will offer almost unrivalled hill climbing on the 20" wheels, and is a high quality bike as you'd expect from Riese and Muller, also using the Alfine Hub...unfortunately we don't currently have a Pony in stock i'm afraid.

They take about 6-10 weeks for delivery, as they are built to order, but are well worth the wait if feasible.

The Ave MH-7 is a cracking little bike as well (though i've only ridden the Classic powered models)....new versions of the MH-7 and MH-7le with the Active motor should be available within the next couple of weeks.

Thanks Martin for your insights.

Do you think that you might get a blueLabel Pony into stock in the future for test riding / viewing purposes....or due to the limited build factor it is really of take the plunge and order one?

Also do you know if the handlebars twist round like on the Kalkoff, as this is an important factor for are space issue.

Thanks again

 

[Motoroaming]

Riese and Muller are a small company not owned by a massive cycle group like most others. As a result when I have had an issue I have found the company excellent to deal with. Sending out spare parts directly rather than passing you off to the distributer for that product. This means you get the bike fixed quicker. If I was not in the electric bike trade it would be my choice, knowing what I do now.

Good luck with the search!

Thanks for your insights...it's always nice to get good reports of companies and their products from people in the know.

 

[Tim]

Thanks for your insights...it's always nice to get good reports of companies and their products from people in the know.

Hello, there are very many happy customers of ours on here! We've been selling Kalkhoff in the UK since 2007 and there are many, many thousands on the roads now. They're the market leader in Germany and almost certainly the best-selling premium e-bikes in the UK too. We've 4 showrooms and a number of dealers now, there may be somewhere you can test ride one nearby. We have the white in stock now and black very shortly, though there is an ex-display on in Bristol for £1895.
http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/clearance/sahel_compact_8g_black.html

We've had some great recent reviews of the Sahel and there is now a video review too

http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/urban/sahel_compact_impulse_8_white.html#custreview

We can do a deal on this bike too if you contact our James at our warehouse on 01509 218719. If you buy from us you'll be dealing directly with the distributor, not a dealer!

 

[Motoroaming]

Hello, there are very many happy customers of ours on here! We've been selling Kalkhoff in the UK since 2007 and there are many, many thousands on the roads now. They're the market leader in Germany and almost certainly the best-selling premium e-bikes in the UK too. We've 4 showrooms and a number of dealers now, there may be somewhere you can test ride one nearby. We have the white in stock now and black very shortly, though there is an ex-display on in Bristol for £1895.
http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/clearance/sahel_compact_8g_black.html

We've had some great recent reviews of the Sahel and there is now a video review too

http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bikes/urban/sahel_compact_impulse_8_white.html#custreview

We can do a deal on this bike too if you contact our James at our warehouse on 01509 218719. If you buy from us you'll be dealing directly with the distributor, not a dealer!

Thanks very much for the reply Tim....very tempting indeed!
I must admit that I was very much sold on the Kalkhoff; however, the recent bank-holiday online 'price-adjustments' annoyed me and I think you can read between the lines on that one!

 

[Croxden]

Reading the bumf of your choices the Kalkoff seems the winner. But when I was testing bikes I never took the them, I was expecting something to grab me and say buy, but they just seemed ordinary.

I have ridden RobF's MH-7 on part of my usual round trip and was taken with it. I missed the suspension I enjoy on the Delite and looked for a similar bike from R&M although it would be dearer but OnBike had the Birdy on sale and I had that instead.

The quality you get with R&M is worth the extra, I get a greater feeling of worth with their bikes than any other I have tried. As always, you do need to try them, if only one bike was right, there would be no others to try.


Good luck & I hope you choose wisely.

 

[Motoroaming]

Reading the bumf of your choices the Kalkoff seems the winner. But when I was testing bikes I never took the them, I was expecting something to grab me and say buy, but they just seemed ordinary.

I have ridden RobF's MH-7 on part of my usual round trip and was taken with it. I missed the suspension I enjoy on the Delite and looked for a similar bike from R&M although it would be dearer but OnBike had the Birdy on sale and I had that instead.

The quality you get with R&M is worth the extra, I get a greater feeling of worth with their bikes than any other I have tried. As always, you do need to try them, if only one bike was right, there would be no others to try.


Good luck & I hope you choose wisely.

Thanks very much for the input Croxden. We hired Kalkhoff bikes whilst on holiday in Germany and were very impressed with them.

To date we have not yet had the opportunity to try out a close competitor, which I think we must now do to be sure.

Two of these bikes will set us back a tidy sum so we'd like to try and get it right first time round!

 

[Tim]

Two of these bikes will set us back a tidy sum so we'd like to try and get it right first time round!

If the decision falls in our favour, you can expect a good price on a pair!
All the best,
Tim

 

[Motoroaming]

If the decision falls in our favour, you can expect a good price on a pair!
All the best,
Tim

Thanks Tim that's vey tempting....especially as you seem to have stock available to buy!

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Does not matter if you are dealing with a dealer or distrubuter it is about the service you recieve.

For example we have loaned customers of ours a loan bike if there has been a problem. We also keep back up spares in stock for Bosch bikes for our customers, like alot of dealers do.

Problems are rare but worth asking what the process is if a problem occurs. Current delivery for Pony is week 24 i.e. w/c 8 June.

Ave MH-7 is good but probably best to wait for the new model which is due in a few weeks.

Good luck with the search

Dave

 

[Motoroaming]

Does not matter if you are dealing with a dealer or distrubuter it is about the service you recieve.

For example we have loaned customers of ours a loan bike if there has been a problem. We also keep back up spares in stock for Bosch bikes for our customers, like alot of dealers do.

Problems are rare but worth asking what the process is if a problem occurs. Current delivery for Pony is week 24 i.e. w/c 8 June.

Ave MH-7 is good but probably best to wait for the new model which is due in a few weeks.

Good luck with the search

Dave

Thanks for the info Dave.

Looking at the AVE website there seems to be several variants in the MH series; do any of the other model numbers make their way to the UK shores, or is it just the MH-7?

Thanks again.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

The MH-7, MH-7 LE and MH-9 HD are all due to arrive in the UK in the next few weeks. Other models are available to order. Hope this helps.

DW.

 

[Motoroaming]

That's great many thanks DW.

As a complete novice in these things can you advise me if there is anything particularly different in the model range that sets them apart?

For example I note there is a MH11 but most dealers appear to ship the MH7.

Thanks once again.

 

[RobF]

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.ave-bikes.de/&prev=search

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

The LE has a lower stepped frame compared to the standard MH-7. The MH-9HD has the NuVinci gearing system (it is actually a CVT which means continuously variable transmission i.e. no stepped gear changes). It also has a front carrier rack.

There is more information here http://www.ebco-ebikes.co.uk/products-page/ave/

The MH-11 has the NuVinci Harmony system where you can set the bike to mantain a specific cadence level which it will maintain within the 360% gear ratio. It has a manual setting as well, more information below.

http://www.fallbrooktech.com/cycling/harmony

The MH-9 is essentially the same as the MH-9HD but without the front carrier.

If you click on the link below and then each bike the specification is clear even if you do not speak German (i.e. the specification is in English)

http://www.ave-bikes.de/mh-mobility-serie/

Hope this helps
Dave