Replacing my Kalkhoff Groove F8

[Maddz]

Well, it looks like the motor on my Kalkhoff is on the way out for the second time since I got it back in 2011, and given the problems I have had with the bike, I'm looking for a replacement. It's used primarily for my daily commute (1.5 miles each way) with the occasional longer trip for off-site meetings or shopping in town.

I'm female, 50+, 5' 5.5", 15 stone, with dodgy knees and probably starting dodgy hips as well. I live in Cambridge, so hills aren't a problem (unless I nip into town at lunch and need to go back to the office or am using my bike at my Mum's in Dorset).

My requirements are:

• Pannier mounted battery, preferably under the pannier (I find the extra length with a post-mounted battery a pain when I'm trying to load the bike onto the car)
• 3-speed hub gears (the bike lives outside under a cover so derailleurs aren't practical apart from I've never got on with them and the local felines would scent mark them so to speak). 8-speed are frankly 5 gears too many for my requirements (pedalling up Castle Hill, pedalling on the flat in a headwind, pedalling on the flat or downhill).
• Step-through frame (I'm not flexible enough to cope with a step-over frame not to mention I have a tendency to fall off instead of dismounting with a step-over)
• Decent range (the Kalkhoff needed recharging every 5 miles or so)
• Good availability of spares (my dealer got blacklisted by 50 Cycles after the 2nd time they took over 8 weeks to obtain spares)
• Relatively easy to pedal without the battery (I found the Kalkhoff very hard work if the battery wasn't working)
• Small frame - my legs are short relative to my height.

I don't need a throttle; I prefer to pedal to give me some exercise. Having been recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I need to loose weight, but I need no-impact exercise to do so. (The local pool is way too full of kids mucking about otherwise I'd swim more often.)

I did look at the Batribike Diamond at a show last year, but they are derailleurs (at least what the local stockist has in).

Any ideas people?

Cheers,

Maddy

 

[Kudoscycles]

Maddy,the Kudos Liberty, it has Shimano Nexus hub gears ,hub mounted battery,Dutch style comfortable riding position. The London Electric Bike company at Hampton Wick has a Liberty available for test.
LEBC is in a nice location,pick a nice day and it's a lovely 5 km bike ride through Bushy Park next door to Hampton Court Palace. The Liberty has the long life LifePo4 battery.
LEBC have a good range of different step thru bikes available for you to compare.
We have just started selling the third batch of Liberty bikes,70 bikes per batch so there are 150 plus bikes out in use,a good reliability record.
Kudos keeps over £20000 worth of spares,I am sure others will support our record in quickly getting spares out to dealers.
The average range over varied terrain is 30-35 miles,cannot believe your previous bike only managed 5 miles, there must have been something wrong with the charging.
Hope that helps
KudosDave

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Blacklisted - that seems crazy if true?

In terms of three speed hub gears there are not many bikes with that few gears. Momentum have a nice bike with two speed automatic gears. They also keep a good stock of spares. Range is normally between 30 and 60 miles. However battery position is not where you want.

Otherwise I know Kudos have some hub gear bikes and Mobiky have some 3 speed bikes but they are folding. I am sure others will reply.

Most of the other bikes I can think of do not have hub gears well not 3 anyway.

Good luck with the search!

David

 

[Jonah]

I think one of the Woosh folding bikes has a 3 speed hub gear. They have a shop in Cambridge I believe. For smaller riders many frames feel too big, folders often suit better. I had a couple round the other day who decided to get some Bromptons converted because they felt even the Kalkhoff Sahel Compact felt to big. Have you considered a folding bike?

 

[Artstu]

Have you considered a folding bike?

Don't most folding bikes have a weight limit ? I know my Dahon does, and I'm fairly sure it is below 95 kgs.

Edit, just checked and it's 105 kgs.

 

[Maddz]

Dressed and packed for the office carrying lunch, wet-weather gear, D-lock and chain lock, I'd be touching 105 kg. Let's put it this way, in the bathroom, I'm still over 90 kg (it is going down, but slowly).

I hope to be trying out a Batribike Diamond LS next week. The dealer is the right side of town for me (theoretically I could walk from the office although their old location was better in that respect), it's got a 3-speed hub, step-through frame and the battery is in the right place. I'll have a look at Woosh next weekend (I'll shop Saturday instead of Friday) but I don't think they're going to be suitable as the only one with hub gears is for taller people than me. We also have a Giant shop in town, but the only one that ticked my boxes was over £1600 and they couldn't get hold of one for me to test ride (this was last year so that might have changed now).

Re the Kudos, nice idea but I only go to Central London these days. It's bad enough getting the bike to my current dealer the other side of town, so West London is right out I'm afraid. The only time I even go that way is Sundays when I visit my Mum who is in a nursing home near Gerrards Cross.

I'm aware of what provoked the blacklisting; in part it was because I (and my dealer) objected to waiting 8 weeks+ for spares because they 'forgot' to order them and they weren't going to do another order until they were ready to put one in. The first year I had it, the bike was in the workshop for 3 months for one thing and another because of this problem.

The dealer's comment on the motor - 'It sounds like it's skipping a phase'. So the Kalkhoff is back in the workshop - again. Re the range, apparently the solder on one of the battery cells had cracked - they found this at the service I had earlier this year after the battery started cutting out; the cell had completely come adrift ('Never seen that happen before'). Mind you, the range did improve a bit after that was fixed.

I very much suspect the Groove F8 is not suitable for a heavier rider, especially on the poorly maintained cycle paths round here. The roads are also as bad between the pot holes and speed bumps.

 

[trex]

try the Woosh Santana, perfect for Cambridge roads.

http://www.wooshbikes.co.uk/?sant-ana

nice, easy bike.

 

[Maddz]

No good, I'm afraid. I must have a rack mounted battery - the extra length with a seat mount makes the bike too unwieldy for me. Even the Kalkhoff with a rack-mount can be a bit unwieldy because of the weight - I have been known to almost drop it. The extra length will be too much.

 

[trex]

The Santana is a fairly compact bike, you should try it before writing it off.
.
the Santana CD has the rear rack battery.

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?santana-cd

a bit heavier:

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Maddz,

The bikes below may be of interest to you

Ansmann Lightride
http://cyclezee.com/ansmann-lightride-pedelec.html

eZee Sprint Primo LDS http://cyclezee.com/ezee-sprint-primo.html

 

[trex]

+1 for the Ansmann Light Ride, perfect size for 5ft5 and battery position.

 

[Artstu]

Even the Kalkhoff with a rack-mount can be a bit unwieldy because of the weight - I have been known to almost drop it. The extra length will be too much.

Isn't it because the battery is where it is that you feel the weight? extra length because the battery is low and central isn't going to make it feel heavier, I'd have thought it will actually feel a lot lighter.

Having said that, that Ansmann Lightride looks nice.

 

[Maddz]

It's more the case that the extra length makes it unwieldy for storage and getting it on the car rack (tow-bar Thule rack). The cycle racks at work are also badly positioned - as I start late, I'm usually having to use the second row right by the buildings instead of the first row right by the path.

As for the Ansmann, is there a Cambridge stockist? I really don't want to buy from elsewhere. I went looking for the Woosh dealer in Cambridge just now - and couldn't find them. Are they actually in the World of Computers building? We couldn't see any signage for them at all.

 

[Cyclezee]

It's more the case that the extra length makes it unwieldy for storage and getting it on the car rack (tow-bar Thule rack). The cycle racks at work are also badly positioned - as I start late, I'm usually having to use the second row right by the buildings instead of the first row right by the path.

As for the Ansmann, is there a Cambridge stockist? I really don't want to buy from elsewhere. I went looking for the Woosh dealer in Cambridge just now - and couldn't find them. Are they actually in the World of Computers building? We couldn't see any signage for them at all.

Hi Maddz,

There isn't an Ansmann dealer in Cambridge, we are your nearest based in Milton Keynes and the only ones in the UK to stock the Lightride model, but we are closed until 30th June.

Please note that we also have some Ansmann ex-demonstration models available as listed in this thread
at 25% off the RRP http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/ansmann-special-offers.17650/

In the meantime, If you require further information on Ansmann bikes you can contact Darren Atherton at Ansmann UK, email DAtherton@ansmann.co.uk Tel.07879 812824

 

[Maddz]

Milton Keynes is even iffier than London for me; I occasionally pay visits to our software supplier, and twice a year I'm over in Wolverton on a Saturday but I am very reluctant to deal with any one not local for servicing.

 

[Cyclezee]

Milton Keynes is even iffier than London for me; I occasionally pay visits to our software supplier, and twice a year I'm over in Wolverton on a Saturday but I am very reluctant to deal with any one not local for servicing.

Hi Maddy,

Had we not been closed, I might have been I would have been able to bring a bike to you for a test ride, Cambridge isn't that far from MK.
With Ansmann you have the reassurance of the longest warranty in the industry and if you had a problem we could collect the bike.

Ansmann has most parts in stock at their UK HQ in Harlow and anything they don't have can be shipped from the factory in less than 5 working days.
As for servicing the normal cycle parts any good local bike shop can do that.

 

[Maddz]

Unfortunately, servicing is a problem. My local man won't touch electric bikes - I know, I tried to get him to to service the Kalkhoff once it was out of warranty. He wouldn't even replace the tyres. It was a pity, because before I got the Kalkhoff he had a service off me 3-4 times a year plus punctures.

 

[Cyclezee]

Unfortunately, servicing is a problem. My local man won't touch electric bikes - I know, I tried to get him to to service the Kalkhoff once it was out of warranty. He wouldn't even replace the tyres. It was a pity, because before I got the Kalkhoff he had a service off me 3-4 times a year plus punctures.

Think you need to find another LBS Maddy, it should not be beyond the capabilities of a good local bike shop to service the non electric parts.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Maddy,unfortunately the market in the UK is not big enough for you to have a good local dealer with precisely what you want on your doorstep.
In an ideal world we would have a fully stocked Kudos/KTM dealer in every major town but that is just not going to happen,LEBC has now over 40 bikes in stock,Hampton Wick tube is not exactly the other side of the world and to spend a day there would be worthwhile in testing a lot of bikes to establish exactly what you want. 3 speed or 8 speed on a nexus hub really makes little difference in easy change and reliability,you just select maybe gear 2 ,5 and 8 instead of 1,2 and 3.
If you settle on the limited bikes a local dealer can offer you are likely to compromise on what that dealer stocks-normally based on his profit margin rather than what is ideal for your usage.
The Kudos Liberty is a very robust bike your weight will be no problem,my only concern is whether the frame is too big for you,you need to ride it to check that.
KudosDave

 

[Maddz]

And there's the rub. Spending a day testing bikes elsewhere in the country isn't an option for me now and won't be until after Christmas (possibly not even until my next leave year), and weekends are usually booked months in advance. Hence the requirement for a local dealer; I work flexi hours so taking extended lunch breaks or leaving early Friday afternoon is eminently doable for me (meetings permitting). I tried out the Bronx Sunrunner a couple of years ago but didn't buy it because of the lack of a local dealer handling the electric models.

The Diamond LS has a weight limit of 130 kg, ticks all my boxes, and the dealer is the right side of town for me. They're requesting one for me to try out from the manufacturer (they don't hold the LS in stock), and if it suits me, I shall likely buy it. I tried a Diamond last summer at Great Yarmouth and liked it (IIRC it wasn't the LS though). It's a pity my employer isn't a member of the Cycle Purchase Scheme as the list price falls into the scheme, but they won't consider it as it's not cost neutral for them.

I'll take a look at Woosh next weekend (assuming they're where the website says they are), but I think the only model that ticks my boxes is going to be too big for me.