So my Vekkit was delivered on Wednesday, and I must say I am very impressed.
Not having used an ebike before, I have nothing to compare it too, but I took it for a test ride to work and back, which is about 8 miles each way, on mostly flat cycle paths, but there are a few of those over the dual carrageway type bridges to go over, that have slopes and 180 degree turns half way up, which would normally make you work, or at least change gear to get up.
I'm hoping to try my other work route of about 10 miles each way, which involves a few more climbs, as it heads up onto Dartmoor over the weekend, so will be interested to compare.
Anyway, first impressions.
Kit arrived safely, albeit delayed by about 4 weeks from the original eta. Communication was excellent throughout.
Fitting was straightforward. Tools were provided to cover all eventualities, including spacers, a multi tool and file, which is a nice touch.
Since my order was placed a seat post mount was developed in late August, and I was advised both handlebar and seat post mount would be included. These are now selectable during the order process, so I assume you would only get one now. Anyway, only the handlebar mount was included, which I fitted and found fine to use, however I was really after the seat post mount, as it frees up the handlebars for lights, phone holder etc, and also balances up the weight.
Anyway, an email to Pavel from Vekkit, at 11pm on Wed evening was replied to straight away, and a seat post mount sent via express courier which arrived today FOC. Most impressive customer service, and having fitted it this afternoon, it really works well.
My test ride today was using the handlebar mount, and it was absolutely fine, so either version would work well, however I think I would recommend the seat post mount for the reasons given above - especially to balance the weight, as the front wheel can get a little heavy when resting the bike against a wall for example, causing it to twist, whereas it feels more stable at the back.
The cycling experience was very good. Very smooth, and the assistance kicked in straight away, but in a controlled manner. The speed controller on the handlebar seemed effective, and putting it up to 3 for any climbs meant the bike sailed up with ease, but for the rest of the ride, 1 was enough to keep the bike travelling at near the 25kph UK limit. I actually set it to 32kph in the app which is easy to do if desired, and appropriate, but the gearing on my bog standard Giant 21 speed mountain bike didn't allow me to actually reach that speed on the flat, as my legs didn't go round fast enough! Anyway, the entire ride was completed in top gear, including climbs from a standing start. I'm guessing steeper hills would be easily dealt with by changing down a gear or two if needed.
Both front or rear bag mounts seem very secure, and include locks for both the bag, and the battery, meaning you can just remove the battery for charging, or unclip the entire bag, and the power cable if preferred. The single cable is neatly secured by some bespoke cable clips
which seem easy to use and reuse, giving a very tidy finish, that is quick to unclip if wanted.
The sensor and remote both work wirelessly, and were faultless in operation today. They are recharged by a micro usb connection, but still show 99% and 100% power in the app, after an hour of riding today, so will last for ages between charges. (I think I read that the kit still works without the sensor in the event it runs flat mid cycle, and it could be recharged from the USB charging port on the battery in such an event)
They are both held by an rubber band, so easy to remove if needed. I guess my only worry would be if the rubber perished over time, but I guess a cable tie could be used if more security was desired. Its not actual rubber, so may well not be an issue anyway?
My only issue was that the app, which looks to be quite good in terms of functionality, lost connection to the bike on both journeys. The phone was in my pocket, rather than on the handlebars, so unsure why or when, but when I got back, I noticed there was an update on the play store, released yesterday, which included bug fixes for lost connections so we'll see if that helps. Apart from speed selection, and stats, the app is just a nice add on, and the bike worked perfectly without it.
App development and firmware updates seem to be quite frequent judging by their blog, so I'm confident that this won't be an issue ongoing.
Anyway, a bit of a ramble, but like others, I was interested to see some real world reviews, so thought this might be useful for some.
I'll report back after some more challenging routes, but as a non cyclist, who last used his bike about 6 years ago, I was very impressed with how well it worked, and how I was able to average about 16 mph over the hours cycle, without much effort on mountain bike tyres - the plan is to ride it to work, and I can certainly do that without getting hot and exhausted judging by today's trial. I could feel in my legs that I had cycled, and also on my bum!, but for a first ride in years, it was a doddle.
The dilemma now is do I let my daughter use it on her bike whilst she is at Uni in Bath, (the fact it doesn't look like an electric bike is a big draw in terms of security here) and order a second kit, or perhaps an actual ebike via the cycle to work scheme, as I think I might be sold on e-biking to work!
The kit is so easy to swap that It will fit on my Wife's bike for example, so won't be wasted, even once my daughter has finished at Uni.
