Hi....in need of KTM advice....

[Chris42]

Hi, the usual issue of dodgy knees, and age has afforded me the opportunity to look for a pedelec, I normally commute on a specialized tricross over very mixed terrain, for a 18m each way trip. From extreme steep off road (but perfectly passable on a tricross style) to long steady on road inclines. I've looked at conversions, but the cluttered drops and levers on the tricross negate this option, I also have an old Trek 8000 hardtail, but it's getting on a bit now, so probably not worth the investment. So a properly designed pedelec appeals more than 'no knowledge' mucking about with kits ....at least until I've gained some knowledge.
Budget is in the £2 to £2.5K region, I like the KTMs and had narrowed it down to an e cross p utilising their Panasonic hub, which looked like a great bit of kit....but this seems to have been discontinued for 2015...which leaves obvious questions, and KTM appear to be focusing more on crank drive for 2015 with very few of the hub models for next year....so the KTM Sport 10 gps looks to be a strong contender...but has the Bosch crank....so....Panasonic hub or Bosch crank seems to be the question! For a 14 stone, 6 footer, with some cycle fitness but an increasingly dodgy knee, on varied but hilly terrain, 30 percent off road commute (so definitely don't want a big knobbly mountain bike) any thoughts?

Thanks
Chris

 

[Artstu]

Hasn't the E-cross P morphed into the E-street P for 2015 ?

 

[Wicky]

Have a search as I have a KTM eRace P 29 with a panasonic hub motor - Very torquey and excels at uphill climbs. It came with chunky tires easily swapped for more versatile and durable puncture resistant Schwalbe Big Apple Pluses. Get a test ride on a variety of bikes to see what suits you.

 

[berkobennie]

Probably sold them all, because they are so good!
You could try phoning a few stockists, FLIdistibution could help out.
London Electric Bike Company look as if they might have one in stock.
Best of luck, the Panasonic hub is a fantastic motor, the whole KTM package is a great bike.

 

[RobF]

You have a round trip of 36miles with 'extreme steep' bits, so you need to think about battery capacity.

Any Bosch bike or hub motor KTM will be pushing it a bit as they all come with roughly 400wh/11ah batteries.

 

[Artstu]

As Rob points out the only way you'll do the full 36 miles is on no more than half power, that almost defeats the point of an e-bike.
So factor in the cost of an additional charger to leave at work so you can charge the battery ready for the journey home.

 

[Wicky]

Good point RobF - the KTM's charger is about the size of a hand and quite light so feasible to carry & charge up at destination.

As a comparison with mixed eco/standard and high settings used on my 20 odd mile mixed bag journey it shows as 75-80% battery left.

 

[berkobennie]

I'm 13st 6lbs, was managing 36 miles on South Downs Way with about 17% to spare, mostly done on eco setting, using auto on steeper climbs and regen on descents. So yes, a second charger would, as Artstu suggested, be necessary, they ain't cheap, I seem to remember seeing £134 quoted somewhere, but I could be wrong. Specific plug required, so there's no cheaper option there!

Edit: Just weighed my charger, comes in just under a Kg, and 17x8x5 cms,...quite a handful!

 

[Chris42]

Thanks all...I had seen the morphed cross into 'street' which in my mind is questionable, as a true cross is just that...tough enough for 'not street'...which is what started my queries....why change it to 'street'? It is pretty steep in places, I make the climb maybe 60% of the time on my tricross, but generally fail as need to be inch perfect, and have to compromise on tyre pressure between off road and on road...running at about 85psi....as speed on road offsets the loss of traction off road...a pedelec may give me a touch more control at very low speed enabling me to be a touch more accurate on wheel placement, up my success rate and improve commute time and reduce effort expended. I don't expect to be quicker on the 'normal' bits but overall hope to be quicker on the 'ups' .....also I am intending to charge at both ends ...so interesting that the KTM is a small lightish charger. I can still find a e cross p but question why KTM have reduced the number of hub bikes for 2015, and stopped/changed the bike when the reviews were so good? Seems that the tech is moving so fast I guess I don't want to chuck money around if better tech has appeared since the reviews....and the new crank is a better supported tech....maybe I am thinking too much...thanks for all the info!

 

[Chris42]

You have a round trip of 36miles with 'extreme steep' bits, so you need to think about battery capacity.

Any Bosch bike or hub motor KTM will be pushing it a bit as they all come with roughly 400wh/11ah batteries.

Thanks...and you're absolutely right...but I go from sea level to sea level, so for every up there is a down....this should considerably help the range, but I am intended to charge both ends in any case!

 

[RobF]

I wouldn't read too much into what the bike is called - any KTM will handle your commute.

The Panasonic hub motor is fairly new, but it is only a hub motor so service cannot be that complicated.

Owners like them and the guy who runs the UK distributor is a regular poster on here.

In other words, a KTM is about as good a buying prospect as you will get with an ebike.

 

[Artstu]

It sounds like an MTB would perhaps be more suitable, with the motor help making up for the extra drag of the MTB tyres. How much climbing in feet does the journey consist of?

 

[derf]

Thanks all...I had seen the morphed cross into 'street' which in my mind is questionable, as a true cross is just that...tough enough for 'not street'...which is what started my queries....why change it to 'street'? It is pretty steep in places, I make the climb maybe 60% of the time on my tricross, but generally fail as need to be inch perfect, and have to compromise on tyre pressure between off road and on road...running at about 85psi....as speed on road offsets the loss of traction off road...a pedelec may give me a touch more control at very low speed enabling me to be a touch more accurate on wheel placement, up my success rate and improve commute time and reduce effort expended. I don't expect to be quicker on the 'normal' bits but overall hope to be quicker on the 'ups' .....also I am intending to charge at both ends ...so interesting that the KTM is a small lightish charger. I can still find a e cross p but question why KTM have reduced the number of hub bikes for 2015, and stopped/changed the bike when the reviews were so good? Seems that the tech is moving so fast I guess I don't want to chuck money around if better tech has appeared since the reviews....and the new crank is a better supported tech....maybe I am thinking too much...thanks for all the info!

kalkhoff endeavour with impulse 2 comes 612 wH battery and is just within your budget (ive been thinking about this for a similar commute myself)

 

[jdallan]

Thanks all...I had seen the morphed cross into 'street' which in my mind is questionable, as a true cross is just that...tough enough for 'not street'...which is what started my queries....why change it to 'street'? It is pretty steep in places, I make the climb maybe 60% of the time on my tricross, but generally fail as need to be inch perfect, and have to compromise on tyre pressure between off road and on road...running at about 85psi....as speed on road offsets the loss of traction off road...a pedelec may give me a touch more control at very low speed enabling me to be a touch more accurate on wheel placement, up my success rate and improve commute time and reduce effort expended. I don't expect to be quicker on the 'normal' bits but overall hope to be quicker on the 'ups' .....also I am intending to charge at both ends ...so interesting that the KTM is a small lightish charger. I can still find a e cross p but question why KTM have reduced the number of hub bikes for 2015, and stopped/changed the bike when the reviews were so good? Seems that the tech is moving so fast I guess I don't want to chuck money around if better tech has appeared since the reviews....and the new crank is a better supported tech....maybe I am thinking too much...thanks for all the info!

I bought the KTM e Style p at the beginning of July. As far as I am aware it is the e Cross p with the addition of lights, mudguards, etc. I think the e Style p is to be rebranded as the "Street" for the 2015 models but still with the Panasonic motor. I use the bike for recreational purposes only and am confident that its range is at least 40 miles. After a recent ride of about 30 miles covering several long, steep hills, the battery capacity showed 28%. It's a great bike and I have no regrets whatsoever about buying it (which is more than I can say about the Rose BionX which it replaced!).

Jim

 

[Kudoscycles]

We have pre ordered a number of 2015 e-street P models to be stocked here at Kudos or the London Electric Bike Company,the Panasonic hub motor is considered by most as the best legal hill climbing motor currently available,LEBC can advise delivery dates tomorrow.
KudosDave

 

[EddiePJ]

Chris, I can only go by my albeit short time with an e-cross P, but that time was enough for me to reach the conclusion that KTM make a very good quality bike, and the Panasonic drive is both a superb climber and offers superb range. A KTM is at the top of my wish list now.
This will give a quick idea of the range that I achieved on an e-cross P http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/2014-ktm-e-cross-p-review.17969/#post-222253

edit.. You will see from the above that I wasn't convinced about the control panel buttons. I've now come to realise that the ones on the BH are also fiddly, and that the Bosch panel kind of spoils you with it's user friendliness. I'm sure that given time, the question of the panel being fiddly, wouldn't even crop up. I certainly don't really notice it on the BH. (that has too many other issues to think about )

 

[Chris42]

Chris, I can only go by my albeit short time with an e-cross P, but that time was enough for me to reach the conclusion that KTM make a very good quality bike, and the Panasonic drive is both a superb climber and offers superb range. A KTM is at the top of my wish list now.
This will give a quick idea of the range that I achieved on an e-cross P http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/2014-ktm-e-cross-p-review.17969/#post-222253

edit.. You will see from the above that I wasn't convinced about the control panel buttons. I've now come to realise that the ones on the BH are also fiddly, and that the Bosch panel kind of spoils you with it's user friendliness. I'm sure that given time, the question of the panel being fiddly, wouldn't even crop up. I certainly don't really notice it on the BH. (that has too many other issues to think about )

Thanks very interesting....I lived in Lewes for the best part of 10 years...and regularly trundled around the downs..and miss it greatly. Still I now have Dartmoor to play on, but use my old hardtail trek to fall off of. The new Panasonic hub is what attracted me to the e cross p in the first place, and have yet to hear many bad comments about it....I actually live across the border in Cornwall, so any trial rides have to be very carefully selected/researched as there aren't many ebike retailers down these parts!

 

[Chris42]

It sounds like an MTB would perhaps be more suitable, with the motor help making up for the extra drag of the MTB tyres. How much climbing in feet does the journey consist of?

Err no idea....but enough! The first 35 minutes of the ride is all up hill, with the first section being off road, and steep enough to have me keeping weight on the back tyre for traction but leaning heavily on the bars to keep the front wheel on the ground..... I shy away from knobblies if I can at all help it...I love my old trek MTB, but riding one on road or reasonable single track just feels desperately inefficient...the tricross was a revelation...I use maybe 70% of the tricross' potential, but would only use 20% of a decent MTBs potential. I am no longer into tough off roading, (I seem to have turned into a chicken as I get older, and just don't bounce anymore) I just love the efficiency of a good all,round machine, so I may look at the street p a little more closely. In my book if I or the motor can avoid extra drag that's got to be good.

 

[Chris42]

kalkhoff endeavour with impulse 2 comes 612 wH battery and is just within your budget (ive been thinking about this for a similar commute myself)

Like the thought....but if I go with more power (the endeavour is a 28mph rated bike?) I may as well go the whole hog and dust off the old triumph...so there is a balance to be struck. I've also had enough bike accidents over years to try and keep legal....the rozzers would not even think about checking the bike out....but the lawyers would if I dive into the side of (yet another) taxi!

 

[EddiePJ]

Ref knobblies, you would be suprised at what you can get away with on the KTM's OE schwalbe marathon plus tyres. They are actually pretty good considering that they aren't off road biased.
On the Haibike Cross, I run a Marathon plus on the rear and a Shwalbe cyclo tyre on the front. The cyclo cross tyre is lighter and just gives that extra added confidence.

Parking aside, Lewes is still a great place.
And the post office at Alfriston makes for a fantastic stop off point on a ride for a bit of grub. It's a shame that Rodmell doesn't have anything to offer in respect of that.