Another twelve months of Pro Connect ownership have elapsed and so I have decided to do a three year / 9000 mile review. The bike has evolved since I purchased mine back in July 2008, but some aspects of the bike remain the same and so will still be relevant.
You can read my original 24 month review at the beginning of this thread.
Modifications / Accessories
All of the accessories listed in the original review are still relevant and are still providing excellent reliable service.
The Magura HS33 brakes, which I retro fitted, although very powerful, low maintenance and kind to the rims have been a slight disappointment. This is all to do with a lightly sticking slave cylinder which makes set-up and adjustment more difficult than it needs to be. They are still far superior to the Shimano Vee brakes and a very worthwhile upgrade.
Items in need of replacement
Pedals: The bearings collapsed inside one of the pedals at 7000 miles.
Strengths
General:
My bike has taken a fair amount of punishment and is used regularly (daily in the summer) for a 20 mile round trip commute. This involves over 1000 feet of climbing on each trip. The up-hill sections give the motor a good test and the strategically placed pedestrian crossings which default to red all the time test the brakes.
The bike is as solid as ever with no obvious component wear. It still feels taught and strong. Remarkably, the bikes paint and general finish has not degraded at all. It still looks like new, despite covering nearly 9000 miles.
The Panasonic drive is still as smooth and faultless as ever. It continues to soak up the miles in the cold, wet, heat, dust, mud and anything else you can subject it to. I think it might well be indestructible.
Gears:
The Alfine hub has experienced no problems at all. It can be slow to change or even stick when the temperature falls below -5 deg C, but apart from that it is superb and complements the robust zero maintenance Panasonic drive unit well. The gear ration range is perfect for my hilly area (42-9-18 set-up) allowing strong hill climbing ability combined with a good cruising speed on the level.
Drive:
I have had a set of sprockets and a new chain sitting in my garage for nearly a year. I purchased them ready to replace the drive chain when a part of it wore out. At nearly 9000 miles and three years, that day has yet to arrive. I am still using the original chain and sprockets which are working perfectly well.
Battery:
I have had to move this from being a weakness to a strength. The battery is 30 months old, the original having been replaced under warranty at 6 months. It has definitely lost capacity and it struggles to meet the 20 mile round trip in the depths of winter.
I ran it to cut out four weeks ago. The weather was warm and I had completed my 20 mile, 1000 foot of climbing, round trip commute. The bike continued for a further 5 miles giving me a total 25 mile range. I don’t think that this is too bad for a 30 month old 7500 mile battery.
I tend to use the bike in low assist mode nearly all of the time and the battery has ample capacity to complete the 20 mile commute when used like this. Recently, I achieved 48 miles before battery cut out, which again is very good for a 30 month old battery.
The reduction in battery capacity seems more noticeable / pronounced in the higher assist modes. In Low Mode, there is virtually no perceivable reduction in range from when the battery was new. In Normal Mode there is a definite reduction from new and in high mode a very pronounced reduction, but still very usable. I would estimate that the bike range at about 15 miles in high mode.
The above might have something to do with the battery’s internal resistance increasing rather than a loss of capacity. Since internal battery losses = IIR (I= current R = battery internal resistance). Double the current demand will = 4 x the losses due to internal battery resistance.
Overall, this bike continues to impress. I treat it as a work-horse / tool to get me to and from work, but the sheer robustness and reliability endears me to it more and more the longer that I own it. It’s become a reliable old friend, the sort that never lets you down and I am very fond of it.
Weaknesses:
None really. You will see a list of weaknesses on the original review which I wrote last year, but with a series of retro fit upgrades they are no longer applicable or worthy of mention. I think the newer Pro Connect incorporates most of these things, so it should be a well refined bike now.
Summary:
All that I wrote in the original summary still holds true. The Pro Connect is a solid reliable bike which is ideally suited to the rigours of daily use and all of the conditions that the British climate can throw at it.
50 Cycles, who are currently to sole supplier of this bike, are able to source all the spares that you are likely to need and have a convenient on-line ordering system for spare parts. 90% of the bits that you are likely to need can be obtained from any bike shop if you prefer.
I undertake all of my own maintenance, but there is no reason why any bike shop should not be able to support this type of bike. All of the electric bits are within a self contained module low down in the centre of the bike. No cable ties, no brake cut off switches, plugs, wires, or weather seals. Just one unit which is so reliable that you can forget about it. Everything else that sits around this ultra reliable module is standard push bike. Its dead simple. Ideal for a totally clueless novice or an experienced EBiker.
Unfortunately for 50 Cycles and the other bike suppliers, you won’t be selling me another EBike anytime soon. I’m very attached to my 2008 vintage Pro Connect. It does all that I ask of it, it looks like new and is built like an anvil.
Overall Rating:
Up from 7/10 to 8.5/10
You can read my original 24 month review at the beginning of this thread.
Modifications / Accessories
All of the accessories listed in the original review are still relevant and are still providing excellent reliable service.
The Magura HS33 brakes, which I retro fitted, although very powerful, low maintenance and kind to the rims have been a slight disappointment. This is all to do with a lightly sticking slave cylinder which makes set-up and adjustment more difficult than it needs to be. They are still far superior to the Shimano Vee brakes and a very worthwhile upgrade.
Items in need of replacement
Pedals: The bearings collapsed inside one of the pedals at 7000 miles.
Strengths
General:
My bike has taken a fair amount of punishment and is used regularly (daily in the summer) for a 20 mile round trip commute. This involves over 1000 feet of climbing on each trip. The up-hill sections give the motor a good test and the strategically placed pedestrian crossings which default to red all the time test the brakes.
The bike is as solid as ever with no obvious component wear. It still feels taught and strong. Remarkably, the bikes paint and general finish has not degraded at all. It still looks like new, despite covering nearly 9000 miles.
The Panasonic drive is still as smooth and faultless as ever. It continues to soak up the miles in the cold, wet, heat, dust, mud and anything else you can subject it to. I think it might well be indestructible.
Gears:
The Alfine hub has experienced no problems at all. It can be slow to change or even stick when the temperature falls below -5 deg C, but apart from that it is superb and complements the robust zero maintenance Panasonic drive unit well. The gear ration range is perfect for my hilly area (42-9-18 set-up) allowing strong hill climbing ability combined with a good cruising speed on the level.
Drive:
I have had a set of sprockets and a new chain sitting in my garage for nearly a year. I purchased them ready to replace the drive chain when a part of it wore out. At nearly 9000 miles and three years, that day has yet to arrive. I am still using the original chain and sprockets which are working perfectly well.
Battery:
I have had to move this from being a weakness to a strength. The battery is 30 months old, the original having been replaced under warranty at 6 months. It has definitely lost capacity and it struggles to meet the 20 mile round trip in the depths of winter.
I ran it to cut out four weeks ago. The weather was warm and I had completed my 20 mile, 1000 foot of climbing, round trip commute. The bike continued for a further 5 miles giving me a total 25 mile range. I don’t think that this is too bad for a 30 month old 7500 mile battery.
I tend to use the bike in low assist mode nearly all of the time and the battery has ample capacity to complete the 20 mile commute when used like this. Recently, I achieved 48 miles before battery cut out, which again is very good for a 30 month old battery.
The reduction in battery capacity seems more noticeable / pronounced in the higher assist modes. In Low Mode, there is virtually no perceivable reduction in range from when the battery was new. In Normal Mode there is a definite reduction from new and in high mode a very pronounced reduction, but still very usable. I would estimate that the bike range at about 15 miles in high mode.
The above might have something to do with the battery’s internal resistance increasing rather than a loss of capacity. Since internal battery losses = IIR (I= current R = battery internal resistance). Double the current demand will = 4 x the losses due to internal battery resistance.
Overall, this bike continues to impress. I treat it as a work-horse / tool to get me to and from work, but the sheer robustness and reliability endears me to it more and more the longer that I own it. It’s become a reliable old friend, the sort that never lets you down and I am very fond of it.
Weaknesses:
None really. You will see a list of weaknesses on the original review which I wrote last year, but with a series of retro fit upgrades they are no longer applicable or worthy of mention. I think the newer Pro Connect incorporates most of these things, so it should be a well refined bike now.
Summary:
All that I wrote in the original summary still holds true. The Pro Connect is a solid reliable bike which is ideally suited to the rigours of daily use and all of the conditions that the British climate can throw at it.
50 Cycles, who are currently to sole supplier of this bike, are able to source all the spares that you are likely to need and have a convenient on-line ordering system for spare parts. 90% of the bits that you are likely to need can be obtained from any bike shop if you prefer.
I undertake all of my own maintenance, but there is no reason why any bike shop should not be able to support this type of bike. All of the electric bits are within a self contained module low down in the centre of the bike. No cable ties, no brake cut off switches, plugs, wires, or weather seals. Just one unit which is so reliable that you can forget about it. Everything else that sits around this ultra reliable module is standard push bike. Its dead simple. Ideal for a totally clueless novice or an experienced EBiker.
Unfortunately for 50 Cycles and the other bike suppliers, you won’t be selling me another EBike anytime soon. I’m very attached to my 2008 vintage Pro Connect. It does all that I ask of it, it looks like new and is built like an anvil.
Overall Rating:
Up from 7/10 to 8.5/10
