Kalkhoff Pro Connect Owner Reviews

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Reviewer: David Barraclough

Retailer: 50 Cycles

Purchase Price: 1495

Time Owned: 2 days

Terrain: Very Hilly

Strengths:
Build quality is very good.Good spec of Shimano gear etc. The bike is comfortable .The power delivery is perfect for cyclists who like to pedal. Steep hill climbs do require effort but I would say I could climb some serious slopes with this. My first 16 mile trip resulted in only one of the power lights going out.

Weaknesses:
The only thing I have found wrong was the wiring to the back light had bare wires showing.I injected some black mastic to prevent water ingress and shorting in the wet

Summary:
I am very impressed with this bike it looks fantastic (which makes you want to ride it). i would recommend you try one if you are considering a lengthy commute with hills. I am giving this a ten because it met everyone of the criteria for getting me to cycle to work every day.

Overall Rating: 10

[c_elder]

Reviewer: c_elder

Purchased From: 50Cycles

Purchase Price: GBP 1,395

Time Owned: 3 days

Local Terrain: Moderate Hills


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Strengths:

Build quality. Battery removal extremely easy. Comfortable riding position. Smooth gears. Low roll resistance. Brakes are awesome!


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Weaknesses:

Bell is useless, err that's it!


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Summary:

First ride report: 12 mile ride around Richmond Park, Surrey (steepest hill is 1 in 8).

The bike feels very stable but rolls very smoothly. I have ridden around Richmond Park on a MTB before and even without the motor, it takes noticeably less effort to get the bike going. The bike however is under-geared (for me at least on this route) as I went up the steepest hill in 5th gear! I will be changing to 1 rear 16 tooth sprocket.

The bikes hill climbing ability turns a tiresome commute into a pleasurable journey.

More to come later...


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Overall Rating (out of 10) : 10

[Larkspur]

Reviewer: Chris Winter

Purchased From: 50 Cycles

Purchase Price: £1395

Time Owned: 1 week 3 days

Local Terrain: Moderate Hills

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Strengths: Quality - this truly is the BMW of electric bikes: every component is well engineered and functions properly and the design is very well integrated. Compared to other electric bikes, it pleasing to the eye. Lightweight, stable and easy to control in all conditions, from heavy traffic to speeding down steep hills at very high speeds. Phenomenal braking. Panasonic system is great for people, like me, who want to enjoy real cycling, but with the drudgery taken out. The range is good - I am achieving about 30 miles on one battery charge, using a mix of power modes: this includes using high power mode for at least two and a half miles of serious hill climbing (10% or worse) when the battery is really being hammered, plus some other long up hill gradients.
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Weaknesses: Lack of a manual - allthough the Panasonic system is covered by a comprehensive pamphlet, it would be useful if other aspects of the bike, it's adjustment and maintenance were described. Undergeared - the bike does feel slow on the flat and I end up freewheeling a lot, simply because my legs would otherwise be going like a spin dryer in top gear.
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Summary:This is an excellent bike - practical and fun. The only real weakness (undergearing) is a function of legislation not the design and can in any case be easily and cheaply overcome by changing the rear sprocket to one with less teeth.
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Overall Rating (out of 10) : 9.5



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__________________
cheers
Russ

[c_elder]

Reviewer: c_elder

Purchased From: 50Cycles

Purchase Price: GBP 1,395

Time Owned: 3 months

Local Terrain: Moderate Hills


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Strengths:

This builds and extends upon the 12 mile report (by me) above.

The route that I take (about 35 miles) is full of pot holes. You can definitely feel every bump but, so far, the bike (and wheels) have coped without any obvious damage.

I change between high-medium-low power depending on difficulty. In reality, this means:
5% high power
35% medium power
60% low power

At the end of each journey, I have always ended up with 2/5 lights on the battery. I suspect that I would be good for about 45-50 miles.

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Weaknesses:

This builds and extends upon the 12 mile report (by me) above.

One thing has gone wrong with bike (more irritating than an outright fault) so far. The 3 light battery indicator on the handlebars skip frequently to a single light. After a while, it will go back to the correct reading.


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Summary:

250 miles report: used to commute within London.

Modifications & Additions:
16 teeth rear sprocket
Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700x38 tyres
Ortlieb Back Roller Plus panniers
Air Zound 3
Axa Basta Defender + Chain frame lock
Abus Granit XPlus 54 d-lock
Cateye HL-EL530 front light
Cateye TL-LD1100 rear light

I have now used the bike to ride between South West London, North London and East London. On each ride, I normally take an additional 12kg of personal stuff. Serious riders (those on low weight racers with no additional weight) frequently overtake me both on flats and uphill. However, including stopping at lights, my average speed in London is about 14 mph. I remember reading that the average car speed is about 12 mph.

There is no doubt that the electric assistance from the bike is superb from a standing start. However, even with a 16 teeth rear sprocket, I feel that I get to the cutoff speed all too quickly (I now only use gears 3 to 7).

After the change of tyres, it is noticeable that the bike is less twitchy but with a slight increase in rolling resistance. Overall, I prefer the the Marathon+.

More to come at 2000 miles.


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Overall Rating (out of 10) : 9.5 (mainly because I am now harder to please)