I opted for the dearer version with the hub gears. That gave me maintenence free gears, fully enclosed chain, and the motor wheel on the front. Already in this forum our friend "iffy" has reported difficulty getting his Kudos King back wheel (with motor) out to repair a puncture and it just seemed to me that front wheel motor was a bonus. The derailier version of the tourer has the motor in the back wheel although that's probably better for traction. "Horses for courses" I suppose.
Kudos were kind enough to let me come and collect the bike. They are essentially a mail order business I was told by the helpful chap who handed over my bike. He told me that I had to put the wheel in the forks in a particular way when I got home. Looking at the assembly instructions which were provided I note that advice was missing. So there could perhaps be new owners out there with front wheels incorrectly fitted. There were also tools missing (inluding the 18mm spanner for the front wheel) which didn't worry me as I had them already.
Some of the handbook photographs are not of the Tourer - maybe the City, so the handlebar adjustments might throw the mechanically naive. The handbook also gives the battery warranty of 1.5 years rather than Kudo's generous 2 years. Basically, the owner manual could do with some work. The charger instructions could do with work too to make them clearer to understand.
As a few new Kudos owners have noted, the display comes configured in Km. Unfortunately, none of us so far have been provided with instructions that relate to the display - and how to adjust it.
An email to Kudos produced no reply so after a couple of days I messaged Dave at Kudos (via this forum) and got a speedy reply. He said he would look into it, but after a week our friend "iffy" came up trumps again.
See his post "Kudos: Change display to miles" - pure genius, thanks "iffy".
Now that my display is showing Miles, I can report that I have commuted 32 miles this week with the display still showing 3/4 charge. Mostly I have been riding in level 2 assist with brief excursions to level 5 for the hills. That 3/4 charge indication could be like the last 1/4 tank in my car. It goes rather quickly! - So I'll comment on that in a couple of months.
I'm glad I got the hub gears. They work just fine and the Tourer has thinner tyres than my mountain bike and are easier going on the road surface.
I had to adjust my route a little. The Tourer isn't designed for the potholes around here that my mountain bike with suspension absorbed. I'm certainly looking forward to cycling to work now that I don't have to worry about those dratted hills.
One niggle which perhaps forum members have met in other bikes, the right handlebar grip keeps trying to come off. Any cures?
I will give another report in a few months once the bike is run in. I wish Dave & Kudos sucess and competition is always good for the consumer. The pricing is right, but their future will also hang on how they respond to problems as they arise. It would be nice to hear that new owners have instructions for the display included and are set to Miles before dispatch.
Brian
Kudos were kind enough to let me come and collect the bike. They are essentially a mail order business I was told by the helpful chap who handed over my bike. He told me that I had to put the wheel in the forks in a particular way when I got home. Looking at the assembly instructions which were provided I note that advice was missing. So there could perhaps be new owners out there with front wheels incorrectly fitted. There were also tools missing (inluding the 18mm spanner for the front wheel) which didn't worry me as I had them already.
Some of the handbook photographs are not of the Tourer - maybe the City, so the handlebar adjustments might throw the mechanically naive. The handbook also gives the battery warranty of 1.5 years rather than Kudo's generous 2 years. Basically, the owner manual could do with some work. The charger instructions could do with work too to make them clearer to understand.
As a few new Kudos owners have noted, the display comes configured in Km. Unfortunately, none of us so far have been provided with instructions that relate to the display - and how to adjust it.
An email to Kudos produced no reply so after a couple of days I messaged Dave at Kudos (via this forum) and got a speedy reply. He said he would look into it, but after a week our friend "iffy" came up trumps again.
See his post "Kudos: Change display to miles" - pure genius, thanks "iffy".
Now that my display is showing Miles, I can report that I have commuted 32 miles this week with the display still showing 3/4 charge. Mostly I have been riding in level 2 assist with brief excursions to level 5 for the hills. That 3/4 charge indication could be like the last 1/4 tank in my car. It goes rather quickly! - So I'll comment on that in a couple of months.
I'm glad I got the hub gears. They work just fine and the Tourer has thinner tyres than my mountain bike and are easier going on the road surface.
I had to adjust my route a little. The Tourer isn't designed for the potholes around here that my mountain bike with suspension absorbed. I'm certainly looking forward to cycling to work now that I don't have to worry about those dratted hills.
One niggle which perhaps forum members have met in other bikes, the right handlebar grip keeps trying to come off. Any cures?
I will give another report in a few months once the bike is run in. I wish Dave & Kudos sucess and competition is always good for the consumer. The pricing is right, but their future will also hang on how they respond to problems as they arise. It would be nice to hear that new owners have instructions for the display included and are set to Miles before dispatch.
Brian
