KTM Cross Macina (Bosch) arrives...

[eddieo]

knock on the door and DHL with a MASSIVE box and KTM bike has arrived in one week..I was expecting it to take 10 days at least.

All I had to do was struggle to get it out of box and unwrap the thing, add pedals and straighten handlebars. Battery on charge and I will report back tomorrow once I have had a proper spin, tried it but gears need setting up...first impressions are that I prefer the DaaHub set up, the specialised bike is better quality for a start, also KTM feels heavier even though probably less then 2 kg more...guess its the way the weight is distributed

anyway lets see how it goes tomorrow, if I can sus out the gears (youtube here I come!)

You can remove the computer? Just twist it off.... adding more security. also as you change from eco/tour/sport/speed the estimated range in Km adjusts accordingly...I like that

 

[flecc]

Congratulations on the new bike Eddie, I'm sure you'll quickly get it sorted.

Weather forecast is wet tomorrow for us so plenty of fiddling time, but Sunday is forecast sunny.

 

[eddieo]

Thanks Tony! You twist the gear selector and nothing happens...them a minute or two later they change in a haphazard fashion...any tips? (shimano nexus 8 redline)

 

[flecc]

Sounds like it's sticking, inner cable binding possibly. or it just needs a few operations to free it up. Here's JamesC's very full post on adjusting the Nexus 8 and cable

 

[tillson]

A good looking bike Eddie. Being a fan of crank drive bikes, I will be especially interested to hear how you get on with this one. With your experience of hub motors, you should be well placed to give an opinion on both systems. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[indalo]

That's another smart-looking bike Eddie. I look forward to your first review and particularly to a comparative test over the same terrain between the Daahub machine and the Bosch set-up. That should be interesting!

Regards,
Indalo

 

[Kenny]

Lovely looking bike Eddie. I like the clean sleek lines that the nexus gears give and by all accounts they are very reliable and require little maintenance. I'm sure they'll just need a little tweak.

Looking forward to your findings.

 

[eddieo]

I have twisted the gear change up and down repeatedly and all seems to be operating OK, Hub selector moving in tandem etc...

If eTim is looking in I wonder if you have an instruction booklet for the Bosch side of your Haibike in English.....The main bit is 4 small pages in the KTM booklet and was wondering if you could scan or photocopy this for me please.

it's a bit different then I'm used to. no key to start, key just locks battery, you then have to press battery LED indicator on and this kicks the power in. The LCD display which just twists on/off easily is the key...... I think......

edit:

have had a quick spin and gears not right, if I press the body of gear change it seems to change...

you seem to have to pedal quite fast for power to pick up, which feels unnatural to me, I thought it was the opposite with crank drive.... now I have never had a crank drive before so this will need some experimenting with and gremlins sorted...first impressions are I much prefer the DaaHub.

Busy house hunting so no time this weekend for anything meaningful, but will be calling on my bike "expert" neighbour for assistance re gears!

 

[dmcgoldrick]

not saying a lot for pre delivery inspection......i would find this very frustrating......another example of 'buy local' if you are not actually a bike mechanic.......... having to go to the local bike shop to try and get a fix could meet with a less than friendly welcome.....maybe they could have sourced it for you and set it up ?????


hope you get it sorted quickly ed.........

 

[eddieo]

I don’t think it had an inspection, going by how well it was wrapped up.

Gears sorted thanks to this video:

YouTube - ‪ElliptiGO Support Video #15 - Adjusting the Shimano Alfine 8-speed Hub‬‏

With slight adjustments for nexus hub (instructions with bike)

It is a lovely bike to ride, near silent in operation, nice and smooth almost bionic uptake as you apply pressure, probably a better exercise bike as you get more out of it the more you put in...I will have to get used to that after 2.5 years of hub motor bikes.....If you did not hit a wall at 27Kph and it assisted on a bit more, I would be over the moon with it, but there is the rub........ My wife incidentally loves it! It really suits her style of riding so that is the main thing really.

German pedelec enthusiast have been tinkering with sensor and by moving from wheel to crank achieving speeds of 44Kph (allegedly) Its surprising the amount of recrimination and insults this causes from other members, but they are German after all!

It’s inevitable really, that buying 2 new bikes in the same week that you are bound to compare them. I know its early days, but the Wisper DaaHub is pure joy to ride, it makes you feel 10-20 years younger and is special..... Whereas the Bosch is a “very nice” and practical all rounder, but not particularly exciting......

Edit: Have just been out on bike again and it is probably better then I think...its growing on me. will use it all this week and lets see......

 

[alexk-il]

Nice bikes!
Since the freewheel spin test is meaningless with the crank motor, I wonder how easy is to actually ride them unassisted compared to each other (and possibly to a similar type non-electrical bike).

Thanks
Alex

 

[Morag]

Excetpional looking bikes particularly like the most recent addition and will be following your progress and opinions for future reference. Have fun.

 

[schoe]

I have to say that the KTM bike does look very cool.

I have the Specialised Crosstrail Sport and was planning on fitting a daahub but I am having some doubts due to the appearance of the battery on the bike.

Eddieo. How much noise does the Daahub make when compared to the KTM and I note in your last post you said that the KTM was growing on you.

I'm really interested to hear more comments and comparisons between the hub and pedalec systems ,keep them coming.

Many thanks. Schoe

PS. David. Any update on the following.

Are you still going to produce Daarack and also will Daahub be available with the 15ah battery next year?

 

[eddieo]

Yes its early days with the Bosch, but will use it this week and report back. I just have to get used to the crank drive system that is all......

Any hub motor bike is bound to be noisier then a crank drive, but DaaHub certainly quieter then 905/705. So far the Daahub is well ahead it is just such fun.....

 

[funkylyn]

Congratulations Eddieo on the new bike I am really looking forward to hearing your further comments this week as you explore the joys of the crank motor system and compare it with your beloved Daahub......something I myself am swinging back and forwards between.....the systems that is...not your particular bikes
Have fun and I hope the weather stays fine for you

Lynda

 

[eTim]

Hi Ed, I've only just caught up with this thread, I haven't got the time to do a scan of the manual just yet, I'm off to Glastonbury tomorrow and with work have no time left, I will attempt to get it done next week for you, was there anything in the manual that you needed to know about that I might know off the top of my head?

The KTM looks great, having ridden hub and crank drive now for some miles, I have some sort of opinion on the relative merits. Crank drive on an off-road bike is especially useful as you can go as slow as you like in tricky sections, just like a conventional bike, so I can come to an almost complete feet-up standstill and then creep forward with assist or speed off etc, with a hub motor, it is basically an on/off switch - turn pedals motor on, stop pedals motor off so slow speed is tricky. Also hub drive kicks in after a half revolution of the crank whereas the crank drive is instantaneous power-on.

Hub drives are good for constant speed applications, crank drive is good for everything. Also crank drive powers up steep hills more easily and this is also where it wins when off-road tricky slow speed sections, I could creep up a hill very slowly or very fast depending on my mood and terrain whereas hub drive would be on or off only.

 

[eddieo]

Hi eTim, no rush.....Jut would like to get an overview of the LCD control panel and different settings etc....

what you say above makes sense, and bike is growing on me.......just have not got the time at moment to use it! Looks like its going to be a wet Glastonbury, but your probably used to that! Wave when you see the BBC cameras!

Have you insured your bikes?

 

[eTim]

Looks like typical British June weather to me, a mixture of everything!

Bikes are not insured, I take as much care as I can where they get left, so don't really feel the need....yet!

 

[eddieo]

Ah Ha! Just discovered whats wrong I think... the sensor on spoke does not line up with magnet as shown in instructions (about 1" away) I think this MAY account for what feels like intermittent assistance? You get a strong spurt of assistance from time to time...Will adjust, and try it again once it stops raining

 

[indalo]

Ah Ha! Just discovered whats wrong I think... the sensor on spoke does not line up with magnet as shown in instructions (about 1" away) I think this MAY account for what feels like intermittent assistance? You get a strong spurt of assistance from time to time...Will adjust, and try it again once it stops raining

Hurry up Ed!....I'm probably not the only one waiting with bated breath to hear whether your suspicions are correct or otherwise. The two parts of my computer have never been perfectly aligned but it seems to work ok. Maybe it's different with your sensor though.

Regards,
Indalo