Top Grades for Kalkhoff Electric Bikes

[Tim]

News of more awards for the Kalkhoff range of electric bikes reached us this afternoon.

ExtraEnergy - the non-profit organisation which supports the development of personal electric transport and runs annual reviews of electric bicycles - have just awarded the prizes for the best Pedelecs at the Tai Pei Cycling Show.

The Kalkhoff Pro Connect picked up the award for best bike in the 'Easy Pedelec' category, while the Agattu XXL picked up the trophy in the 'Touring Pedelec' category.

The Pro Connect was named as 'the best daily companion' by the judges, who underlined the balanced handling, high-end specification and finely-adjusted motor performance, which they concluded would guarantee mobility in everyday life.

ExtraEnergy also named the Kalkhoff Agattu XXL as the best 'Tour-Pedelec' because of its comfortable handling, the ergonomically optimised seating position and the fact that long distances wouldn’t be a problem. Its robust construction, suitable for even heavier riders, was also recognised as a sign of the promise of this high quality bike.

ExtraEnergy commented that "Kalkhoff has all the right to be proud of this pedelec, because the testers couldn’t find a single aspect to criticize."

Matthias Seidler, CEO of Derby Cycle, the manufactuer of the Kalkhoff bikes, said after the ceremony: “For us, the award is a confirmation of our good work. We are especially happy to be rewarded for our road capability as well as for our qualities in touring. That’s backing for our concept of creating the perfect bike for everyone.”

The Kalkhoff Agattu XXL has also received the highest marks from ADAC, the German automobile association, in their latest edition of ADAC Motorwelt magazine. The renowned institution, with over 16 million members, called it a "powerful comfort bike”.

In the field of ten bikes tested, Agattu XXL reached the top grade (1,3) for easy handling as well as upright seating position an comfortable driving.

The reviewers also praised its "medium weight, comfortable city and tours Pedelec with sturdy frame and excellent running properties, suitable for high load capacity, easy-to-use, relatively spontaneously engaging drive, good facilities, good acting hydraulic brakes, good ride comfort thanks to fork and seat post suspension. Simple battery handling, good manual with valuable tips. On the whole, good value for money."
Well done to the Kalkhoff development and manufacturing teams. It's more proof for what we've been saying for years - these are simply the best all-round electric bikes you can buy, and great value too.

 

[enceladus]

The Pro Connect is obviously a great bike which gets great write-ups on here. Its just a shame it looks so dated, its clearly not designed to appeal to the younger section of the market. Lets just say they look very 'european'!

 

[Tim]

The Pro Connect is obviously a great bike which gets great write-ups on here. Its just a shame it looks so dated, its clearly not designed to appeal to the younger section of the market. Lets just say they look very 'european'!

And yet that's the bike we sell most often to people under 40! That and its stablemates the Pro Connect LX and S

'European' like a BMW, Audi, Mercedes or Maserati, right? I've not heard the word european used as a euphemism for dated before!

I would agree though, I don't think the younger section of the market is what it's aimed at. Discerning yes, youthful, probably not.

What's the ebike equivalent of a Vauxhall Corsa these days?

 

[enceladus]

I own a vw so I'm not against european for sure! I meant in a bikes way, not generally. No offence meant! I think the detail which puts me off the kalkhoff is the swooshy thing on the chain cover!! I'm 34 so I'm certainly beyond the vauxhall corsa league by now I hope! In fact, if I cover up the chain guard area, it looks a real nice bike!

 

[Tim]

I own a vw so I'm not against european for sure! I meant in a bikes way, not generally. No offence meant! I think the detail which puts me off the kalkhoff is the swooshy thing on the chain cover!! I'm 34 so I'm certainly beyond the vauxhall corsa league by now I hope! In fact, if I cover up the chain guard area, it looks a real nice bike!

I was 34 when I started riding these, come to think of it.

Good point tho, it's an area for improvement. They've given the S series bikes a more techy lookin chainguard, which helps set that range apart a little.

 

[dan]

well done Tim

any idea what the other bikes that made the top 10 were

 

[lemmy]

In fact, if I cover up the chain guard area, it looks a real nice bike!

I doubt that I even give a thought to a chain guard when I buy a bike. No reason not to just take it off if you don't mind getting your strides greasy.

I really like the European look bikes. My bikes are just personal transport, so I don't want to give the impression that I am a mountain biking athlete or a lycra sports person.

Mind you, at 66, it's hard to look sporty or cool

 

[flecc]

I doubt that I even give a thought to a chain guard when I buy a bike. No reason not to just take it off if you don't mind getting your strides greasy.

Probably not advisable Lemmy, it protects not just the chainwheel but the motor sprocket and idler arm. Here's the view of that with the bike upside down, hub gear version. The deralleur version idler is more extensive:

 

[matt-derby]

Design age

I think it has a lot more to do with the whole bike design not just accessories, this is a Panasonic bike which has a much more modern look which I believe appeals to the younger demographic.

 

[HarryB]

That is pretty much what I want - shame it does away with the alfine though.Just looked it up - the BH emotion nice,

 

[lemmy]

a Panasonic bike which has a much more modern look which I believe appeals to the younger demographic.

It gets some of that look by doing away with mudguards!

I bought an eBike because it was practical. I don't think that having a bike that throws muck all over you is practical and I guess that's what I mean by the absurdity of 'cool' on a piece of practical and essentially functional engineering like an eBike.

I take Flecc's point about the Panasonic mechanism but if you don't mind arriving at work or an appointment covered in road muck, I doubt you'd worry about a bit of grunge on the drive

 

[matt-derby]

Does have a small mudguard at the rear!

That's a fair comment about mudguards, if you really feel they stop all the muck from heading in your direction. There are a few electric bikes from a few different companies who seem to do well without mudguards however, Cytronex to name just one.

And I suppose my point is that even if you added mudguards to that bike it would still look more modern than some of the other Panasonic/Yamaha bikes and therefore attract the younger demographic.

here are some 'modern' mudguards which could be fitted

Practical but still not the detriment of the bikes original design intent.

 

[enceladus]

Mudguards are a definite necessity on a commuter bike no doubt. I was saved today by mine. I was seriously considering the cytronex option and would have fitted the optional mud guards. Thos bikes look so elegant and retain the beauty of the bicycle so well, but obviously that is down to the hub motor which barely affects the aesthetics.

I'm a bit of a sucker for design so it really is important to me when I'm buying anything that I love the aesthetics as much as the practical/performance side too, which I'm sure is true of most people (especially when buying cars etc, I'm sure not many buy a car they find ugly just because of fuel consumption or comfort). Although, saying that, I'm not at all in the style over substance brigade and would never buy something like an iphone when I can get an equivalent product for half the price.

As it happens an ebike, sadfly, was not the best option for me a the moment because of some pretty severe offroad terrain on my commute and the fact that most bikes are over the 20 kg mark and I wouldn't want to have to push the bike up a 40deg gravel track when I can't get traction.

I'm waiting for the lightweight offroad ebike to come along. Fortunately this time of year I can do the commute unpowered so not a prob.

 

[HarryB]

Although, saying that, I'm not at all in the style over substance brigade and would never buy something like an iphone when I can get an equivalent product for half the price.

Obviously you don't have an iPhone then. Best phone I have ever owned - my previous Nokia N95 did almost everything that the iPhone does but I hated every minute using it. If there had been a half price phone that does everything the iphone does the way an iphone does it, I would have bought it in a flash. I just wish there was an electric bike equivalent!

 

[enceladus]

I would like an iphone believe me if I got one for christmas I would be delighted! My nokia free upgrade does all I want it to, ie make and recieve calls! If I wanted to listen to tunes etc I'm sure I may think differently but the only time I want to listen to music is at home when it would not be required. I can't get my head around cycling with earphones in, I need the sound of traffic etcso I know whats going on. My nokias got satnav, and a radio and good internet access which is handy enough for me. At £15 a month I can't complain.

I think the nub of it is I'm not that into phones, I don't want to spend much of my income on a phone, my vices are mtb'ing, playing the piano and looking after the kids, spending money on a fancy phone is not something I'm interested in. But when it comes to a beautiful looking offroad capable ebike, I'd be more than willing to shell out!

The iphone is an amazing design and people also love using it, this is the combination I look for in a bike.

 

[lemmy]

I regard bikes - and cars - as essentially white goods. They are just functional things and I don't greatly care what they look like so long as they do what I need without problem or unnecessary expense.

Coming from an older generation, I used bikes as a necessary and effective form of transport and they have remained that for me. Ditto cars, I have used cars for business purposes since I was 17 and can honestly say that my best cars were my company cars in the 70s and 80s. Free, you see!

When you see the design that lasts, the Fender Stratocaster, BMW boxers, 747s, what they have in common is that function comes before form.

A lot of modern design is really not design at all but a way for someone to get attention, the 'look at me' factor. In my view, it often harms function - lack of mudguards on a street used bike, poor visibility of extremities of a car, sub 100 mile ranges on motor cycles.

My working life was involved with visual artists and stylists and it was always notable how the best people used the simplest devices in their own lives. As Lance Armstrong said, "it's not about the bike".

But luckily there is enough choice for most of us to get roughly what we want. And cyclists are the luckiest since they can build a bike themselves without too much effort.

 

[pvb123]

Pedelec - Tabelle

 

[enceladus]

Lemmy,

I agree with you regarding the look at me factor. I look a complete tosser on my way to work each day in dayglo yellow - trust me I'm not bothered what people think! The only step I wouldn't take is to dress in tights - that is an absolute no-no even if I must get disrespected by the lycra boys as a results. There are a few mtb commuters in aberdeen who dress as normally as possible. I never got the need to dress for the tour de france just to get to work and back!

 

[flecc]

I'm also with Lemmy on vehicle functionality and always cycle in normal street clothing, no special cycling gear. Cycling to me is just an alternative to walking.
.

 

[Conal]

Bright yellow and still not always seen

I wear bright yellow (dayglo) coat, hat and gloves, and leave my lights on during daylight riding and still meet drivers who haven't seen me! Maybe I should wear black in the daylight and bright yellow at night but carrying two sets of cycling gear is a bit over the top.

Conal