Pro-Connect 8,000 Mile Review
This builds and extends upon the 250 mile report (by me) above.
Reviewer: c_elder
Purchased From: 50Cycles
Purchase Price: GBP 1,395
Time Owned: 2 years
Local Terrain: Moderate Hills
I only use the bike to commute the 35 miles round trip between South West and East London. The 8,000 miles estimate come from having done this journey about 250 times.
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Strengths:
Reliability & Build Quality
For me, this is the final word.
Road Performance
I would not even consider using a normal bicycle for my commute.
After Sales Support
I am aware of the complaints against 50 Cycles but I have always found them to be very helpful. Also, if you live near Richmond, I would thoroughly recommend the guy at Richmond Park Cycle Hire for any maintenance work that you need to be carried out.
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Weaknesses:
This is the list of things that has gone wrong with the bike...
500 miles
Three spokes broke in the back wheel. Simple replacements of the spokes proved unsuccessful. 50 Cycles sent a replacement 36 spoke wheel which has proven very reliable.
4,000 miles
Chain stretched and started to rub on the chain tensioner. Replaced all 3 cogs, cost about £30 (from memory so may be off). I also now run 3 chains; at any one time: one is in a bath of white spirit, one is drying and one in use.
6,000 miles
My rear Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre was punctured by a piece of glass, absolutely reliable till then. Replaced both tyres, cost about £40. I will now pre-emptively replace the tyres annually.
Battery life
During the first 1,000 miles, I was able to do the entire 35 mile round trip on high power (power cuts out automatically at the limit speeds). Between 1,000 - 7,000 miles, a single charge would last the entire journey but mainly on low power and I needed to switch it off completely during down hill runs. From 7,000 miles I needed to charge each way going mainly on low power. During very windy days, I still need to turn it off completely during down hill runs. It looks very likely that I will need to replace the battery after about 500 charges.
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Summary:
8,000 miles says it all really!
Whilst I have had problems with the wheels of the bike, critically, it is much more reliable than public transport. Typically, the cycle journey takes 15 minutes longer than public transport - when public transport working! When public transport has problems then that commute time can be 3 or 4 times longer. The cycle commute time does have a dependency on traffic conditions but only with a spread of about 10 mins over 75 mins! Also, I take about 45 mins every weekend to carry out chain maintenance. Overall, averaged over a year, I guess that the time taken by both modes are about the same.
Cost Analysis
I only cycle between March and November since the winter months are too unpleasant and risky for me. My monthy travel pass is £180 so the bike saves about £1,400 annually (factor in holidays and the occasional need to buy expensive daily tickets). Compare this against the cost of running the bike:
bike - £1,395
locks - £150
lights - £100
tyres - £100
assessories - £400
battery depreciation - £150
From a pure cost perspective, the break even point is just under 2 years. However, this does not include incidental benefits. The main one is gym membership and the time saved for not going!
Acid Test
Knowing all the problems up-front, will I still have bought the Pro-Connect? Hell YES!
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Overall Rating (out of 10) : 9.0 (battery life and range below expectation)
