When i was last posting here i had my somewhat controversial Alien Aurora, i'm still riding ebikes, but the Aurora was long since replaced with a Wisper 905. However my return to the forums is because i quite fancy a crank drive bike.
Recent rides around the peak district have really highlighted the weakness of the hub motor at low speed on steep gradients. It copes, but i have to put an awful lot of effort in when the gradients get to around 20%.
With that in mind i've been looking at Kalkhoffs, and to a lesser degree the KTM and Haibike offerings. Today i've been to 50cycles in Loughborough (quite a drive from Manchester, however in the Auris hybrid it's quite economical), and i've had a good test on the Agattu C8, C11 and the Endeavour BS10.
To me, each of the three bikes seems to have an distinct advantage in some way over the other two, but i'm really struggling to decide which.
C8 - Longest range, really a staggering mile eating capability, and the paintjob was the nicest to my eyes. Also the C8 was silent, whereas the C11 with the same motor was not, i was told the C8 is a 2013 model whereas the C11 is 2012, so there may have been tweaks. I didnt much like not having an LCD screen on this bike, for the price the LED control panel looks a little cheap.
C11 - Best gearing, best control panel, best bargain. The C11 is probably the sensible choice, as it's currently discounted by so much. However i have to sell the Wisper to fund the new bike, so i'm not certain these 2012 bikes will remain in stock until then. Least pretty in this company, but still a nice looking bike. Range is still very good too, this is the bike with the fewest disadvantages.
BS10 - Fastest obviously, also the Bosch system allows a standard bike wheelbase which feels a much more responsive ride. The console is excellent, and it's much lighter than the other bikes. The 10 speed XT gears are very nice, but dont allow shifting at a standstill. There are considerable trade offs for all the speed though, not road legal, significantly lower range and the highest price by £800. However, this is the bike i'd get if i just let my heart overrule my head.
Does anybody have any advice? Without bashing the legality of the BS10 please, i'm fully aware of the situation and the risks of that.
Recent rides around the peak district have really highlighted the weakness of the hub motor at low speed on steep gradients. It copes, but i have to put an awful lot of effort in when the gradients get to around 20%.
With that in mind i've been looking at Kalkhoffs, and to a lesser degree the KTM and Haibike offerings. Today i've been to 50cycles in Loughborough (quite a drive from Manchester, however in the Auris hybrid it's quite economical), and i've had a good test on the Agattu C8, C11 and the Endeavour BS10.
To me, each of the three bikes seems to have an distinct advantage in some way over the other two, but i'm really struggling to decide which.
C8 - Longest range, really a staggering mile eating capability, and the paintjob was the nicest to my eyes. Also the C8 was silent, whereas the C11 with the same motor was not, i was told the C8 is a 2013 model whereas the C11 is 2012, so there may have been tweaks. I didnt much like not having an LCD screen on this bike, for the price the LED control panel looks a little cheap.
C11 - Best gearing, best control panel, best bargain. The C11 is probably the sensible choice, as it's currently discounted by so much. However i have to sell the Wisper to fund the new bike, so i'm not certain these 2012 bikes will remain in stock until then. Least pretty in this company, but still a nice looking bike. Range is still very good too, this is the bike with the fewest disadvantages.
BS10 - Fastest obviously, also the Bosch system allows a standard bike wheelbase which feels a much more responsive ride. The console is excellent, and it's much lighter than the other bikes. The 10 speed XT gears are very nice, but dont allow shifting at a standstill. There are considerable trade offs for all the speed though, not road legal, significantly lower range and the highest price by £800. However, this is the bike i'd get if i just let my heart overrule my head.
Does anybody have any advice? Without bashing the legality of the BS10 please, i'm fully aware of the situation and the risks of that.
