wissy, not that many regular commentators on here have actually owned Impulse bikes for significant periods and others who have tried it did so before they updated the software to eliminate some of the early issues which are endlessly dragged up whilst no longer being issues on any bikes sold now. Impulse was my first eBike and I haven't tried many others so it is difficult to compare.I am tempted still by the klakkenhoff c8 impulse despite having to always pedal. I can always get off and push. they have a good reputation for various aspects and the sale price seems a good deal but perhaps a new 2013 model will be coming in?
Any views on the c8 impulse or the emotion neo bikes?
The main thing you need to bear in mind is that Impulse bikes have a slight delay when you pedal before assist kicks in full-power. It is 'tapered' and so gives a natural riding feel across all gears. I personally like that especially on long journeys when you are not starting from stop every other street. If riding in heavy traffic all the time some people prefer more immediate "power-assist". The Impulse is much better on hills than the previous panasonic system on Agattus. Some people favour one motor system particularly because it is slightly quieter than others and that matters a lot to them. Others (like me) are half deaf anyway from a mis-spent youth and are not bothered in the slightest by a bit of a whirr when the motor is flat out.
These things are subtle differences in the way power is delivered but if you ride a bike every day then it's nice to get one which fits your priorities best.
Almost all crank drive bikes do not have throttles. They are popular on the Continent where throttles only effectively allow walk-assist because that is what the law there permits. My Agattu actually has one but I never use it ... it's a button under the bell which when you press it walks the bike along. Useful maybe if I was ambling along chatting to someone whilst walking the bike. I never have time for that ... and I doubt it would shift the bike up a 1:10 by itself anyway ! Anyhow, lack of a throttle means power is only delivered when you pedal. Some motors deliver power depending on your pedal cadence and gear, others are much more intuitive (like Impulse).
There is a big difference between a bike being a "good hill climber" in relative terms for eBikes and one which will pull you up any steep hill effortlessly at a really good speed. For the latter you really need a scooter / moped or an illegal hub-drive eBike with a powerful motor and battery
.If your terrain is very hilly (mountainous) and you are averse to biking effort, I would say again, I would not choose an Agattu and would adjust expectations on any legal eBike. I am building a second bike for use in the far South West which is also very hilly and this one will have a much more suitable setup for that. That was after going round in endless circles before realizing you'd likely need to shell out an absolute mint to get a (non-road legal) 'S-class' bike or a kit to go any significant way towards what I wanted. There is a big difference between a few hills and extremely mountainous terrain with long heart-stopping climbs.
All the bikes I know of on the market at anything like a reasonable price come up pretty wanting on that front (unless you look at bikes like the Alien Aurora or some of the ones Xipi provide, but there are others and they do cost). In short you need to adjust your expectations to what legal eBikes can realistically give you as you've stated that's what you want / have to buy.
I strongly suspect that BH E-motion Neos are a bit better on the hills than Agattus but the range is likely lower and they don't have hub gears (which I personally like a lot). However, range likely won't be an issue for you.
It is a big investment buying an eBike and worthwhile making the effort to try them as everyone has said. Especially if you are buying on a cycle-to-work scheme which may trap you in an arrangement for a considerable time. I travelled a good 4 hours round trip to try before I bought mine. However, I believe if you really cannot travel to try then 50Cycles might sell you a bike on approval in exceptional circumstances - as they did with a serious purchaser in the Hebrides reported on here - if you front the cash. You'd need to talk to them.
I think you can reasonably safely assume 8sp Kalkhoff 2013 Agattu models will come out between £1,500 and £2k. When I bought mine last year the C8 was approaching £2k and the C11 was £2,700. I can't see them pricing new models much lower than these ranges. The BH Neos were nearly £2k... maybe you can get one at a more reasonable price now.
I'd also double-check that cycle-to-work can been used on sale bikes. I have seen some retailers restrict this to full price bikes only.... and so if you want a half-decent hill climber for less than £1.4k, your options are very limited and this might help you focus your search accordingly. Hope that makes some sense.
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