Kalkoff

[Wynne0648]

We are looking at buying a couple of electric bikes. Spending some time today trying to get a short list together. I like the look of a Kalkhoff Toba crossbar, reduced from £1995 to £1595. I have read somewhere though that there have been motor issues with Kalkhoff, does that apply to this model. The price is really my max budget, so don't want to get this wrong. The other half likes the Juicy Classic, which seems to have good reviews. I did originally think of the Juicy Sport, till I saw the Kalkhoff, which has a more standard bike look which appeals to me. Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Wynne0648]

Ahhh....just seen thread below this re Kalkhoff Toba probs...that rules it out for me. So it's back to the drawing board.

 

[IR772]

Juicy are a regular contributor on this forum, so you will get good back up.

Your original choice would not be in a "top ten ebikes to choose from", for a great many on this forum.

 

[Wynne0648]

Going to look at a Juicy Sport this week,as other half wants to try the Classic. I'm not so sure about the sport, if they have one I'll possibly try it, another i will try is a Whisper 905 torque.

 

[Peter Thornton]

Have a look at the Kalkhoff Pro Connect with the Bosch motor.

 

[Wynne0648]

Sorry but I've been looking more into Kalkhoff ,far to many owners complaining about the motors. For me it's not worth risking £1800, plus i would be constantly listening to the motor and not enjoying the bike.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Don't worry we all listen to our motors! I bet that even d8veh does...

 

[Peter Thornton]

Sorry but I've been looking more into Kalkhoff ,far to many owners complaining about the motors. For me it's not worth risking £1800, plus i would be constantly listening to the motor and not enjoying the bike.

I'm no apologist for Kalkhoff, except that I've ordered one, but the issues are soley with the "Impulse" motor, the rest of the bike is standard decent spec components. The Bosch powered bike has broadly the same components as many crank drive bikes in this power range and exactly the same power train as the others.
But if you really can't relax with a Kalkhoff then have a look at Cube.

 

[Wynne0648]

ok..so phoned local bike shop.after checking there lists of bikes...Don't keep Juicy models in stock, may have one Wisper in stock. fairly helpful chap but lost me when he started going on about Bosch and Panasonic motors. Would we want Crank or Hub motors, now i know the difference in that but have no idea which is more suitable.Explained our budget, but he kept telling me about models almost twice the price. Has put us off going there. May have travel out a bit further to find what we want.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi Wayne,

Thanks for considering a Wisper. May I ask which shop you went to, they should have more than win bike!?

All the best, David

 

[Peter Thornton]

ok..so phoned local bike shop.after checking there lists of bikes...Don't keep Juicy models in stock, may have one Wisper in stock. fairly helpful chap but lost me when he started going on about Bosch and Panasonic motors. Would we want Crank or Hub motors, now i know the difference in that but have no idea which is more suitable.Explained our budget, but he kept telling me about models almost twice the price. Has put us off going there. May have travel out a bit further to find what we want.

My strong advice would be to try some bikes. There is a big difference between Crank and Hub motors and many people prefer one or the other.
When you test them, find a decent hill and see how they pull you up, also use them through some knadgery bits, tight turns at low speed etc. You really can't get enough testing and you may find a shop that will lend/hire one for a day. Once you decide which type you prefer you can get into the different makes of motor.

 

[Danidl]

ok..so phoned local bike shop.after checking there lists of bikes...Don't keep Juicy models in stock, may have one Wisper in stock. fairly helpful chap but lost me when he started going on about Bosch and Panasonic motors. Would we want Crank or Hub motors, now i know the difference in that but have no idea which is more suitable.Explained our budget, but he kept telling me about models almost twice the price. Has put us off going there. May have travel out a bit further to find what we want.

... The Raleigh captus would be within your price bracket, has the Bosch system. As far as I am aware it is the lowest cost such ebike. There are some compromises in the selection of the other components... But isn't every product a compromise.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Do remember when choosing a Bosch drive bike that there is a HUGE difference between the cheaper, entry level Bosch Active, the Bosch Performance and the Bosch CX. Most hub motor bikes will outperform the Active models but only a few will compete with the CX.

All the best, David

 

[Electric Transport Shop]

Hi Wynne, pls see our Raleigh Captus offer here and our Cube Cross (with Bosch CX motor) here. Both within your budget and may be what you're looking for. If you're interested please email me on Community @ElectricBikeSales.co.uk

 

[Trevormonty]

Do remember when choosing a Bosch drive bike that there is a HUGE difference between the cheaper, entry level Bosch Active, the Bosch Performance and the Bosch CX. Most hub motor bikes will outperform the Active models but only a few will compete with the CX.

All the best, David

Just because CX is more powerful doesn't make it better, for MTBing yes, for road maybe not. I find gentler power delivery of Shimano STEPs(active equivalent) Eco mode better than CX on road. Lot comes down to rider and what you want out of drive.

Once you narrow in on drive or bike, do along test ride over couple hours.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I agree Trevor, the Bosch Active is perfect for riding in flatfish cities. Why spend the extra on a Performance line or CX if not climbing steep hills or going off road? I was pointing out that most hub drives will perform just as well as the Bosch Active Line, are less expensive and in a great many cases quieter and easier to ride.

At a dealer day last weekend, we were there with Raleigh and Gazelle, where all three bikes were ridden and tested side by side. The only bikes to be sold were Wisper Torques. I'm not suggesting for a minute that we are better than the other brands, they are excellent and many people would choose differently I am sure, but it just goes to show you should always test ride and compare before buying.

All the best, David

 

[anotherkiwi]

You sly dog David... </joke>

There are heaps of bikes out there in the £1500 price range, ride as many as you can and choose the one you like riding the most!

 

[Wynne0648]

You sly dog David... </joke>

There are heaps of bikes out there in the £1500 price range, ride as many as you can and choose the one you like riding the most!

Riding as many as we can in our budget is what we are trying to do,which really rules out crank drive bikes,around here we have one specialist e bike shop, and a couple bike shops which have very limited e bike stock. I'm not keen on the specialist shop here, they have a good selection but nearly all way above what i would spend on a bike. So unless we want to travel a lot further afield our only option is buy local, or online, can't say we would risk online. Hoping to get out to Axcess Bikes in Honiton later this week to look at a couple of Wisper T. bikes. It's interesting looking at the range of bikes discussed on here, never knew there was such a wide choice, it's all very good untill you try to find stockist near you.

 

[Peter Thornton]

Not testing a Crank Drive is like choosing a new car and only looking at diesel, or petrol. You really do need to try one, if only to appreciate the difference, especially on hills.

 

[Wynne0648]

Not testing a Crank Drive is like choosing a new car and only looking at diesel, or petrol. You really do need to try one, if only to appreciate the difference, especially on hills.

None in our price range. Ok there are online bikes like Woosh, don't want to buy online. Cheapest i have seen here is Raleigh, can't remember model but it was £1800, did look at Kalkhoff with huge reduction, but put off with Bosh motor issues and decided our max budget was to be about £1500 each,which we feel is enough for a bike for leasure use. The majority of our rides will be flattish rides, at 67 years of age i want comfortable easy to use bike, which is reliable,.