2008 Kalkhoff Pro Connect

[tillson]

I've been using my 2008 Pro Connect much more over the summer. I had stopped using it in early 2016 when I moved jobs and it became too far to cycle. Up until March 2016, I had used the bike on a daily basis and clocked up over 23000 trouble free miles. I replaced the original Panasonic 26 Volt 10 Ah battery in 2015 with an aftermarket 18 Ah unit.

Well today, I thought I'd try out the original 26 Volt 10 Ah Panasonic battery which I have owned for 9 years and 3 months and I would estimate has done about 14 - 15 thousand miles. It propelled me for a staggering 17.6 miles with over 1000' of climbing. I thought the battery was only good for about 5 miles, but it just continued to provide power. Managed carefully, I can comfortably get 60 miles out of the aftermarket battery.

I was riding with a friend who has a three year old Pro-Connect with the Impulse 2 motor (it's fifth). My old Pro Connect is just about equal to it in every respect. I will concede that the newer bike climbs at about 12 mph when I am climbing at 10 mph and seriously steep hills, but I'll accept that in return for the longevity and reliability of the old beast.

I won't be looking to upgrade any time soon.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

5th motor? Is that a record? It's not looking good for those that pay £350 for a replacement motor, thiugh it is supposed to be guaranteed for 2 years.

 

[Kenny]

Good to see your still enjoying your bike Tillson.

One of my batteries is over six years old and has only lost around 15% range, although it has only been used for about 5000 leisure miles.

The Pro Connect is a slow climber as it's not as powerful as the latest bikes but in terms of weight, components etc. I recon it still holds it's own and the reliability is exceptional.

 

[tillson]

5th motor? Is that a record? It's not looking good for those that pay £350 for a replacement motor, thiugh it is supposed to be guaranteed for 2 years.

Yes, 5th. The first four were replaced within the initial 2 year warranty period. The 5th motor became necessary beyond the two year point and had to be paid for.

To be fair, the price of the new motor, including fitting, sounded very reasonable. The 5th motor now carries a new 2 year warranty and if it is replaced, the clock is re-set.

It still baffles me how 10 years ago we had ultra-reliable & perfectly adequate motor systems, and now the manufacturers have managed to evolve that into a crock of ......

I think the new motors are entirely satisfactory and will last for many years if you never switch them or use them for any purpose. Like me, my friend hammers his bike with a minimum of 25 miles per day for commuting plus leisure use on top of that. The Impulse simply aint up to it. They don't make em like they did in the olden days.

 

[tillson]

The Pro Connect is a slow climber as it's not as powerful as the latest bikes but in terms of weight, components etc. I recon it still holds it's own and the reliability is exceptional.

It is slower than the Impulse, but not by a significant margin. A couple of MPH on a steep hill is worth sacrificing for the durability and reliability.

 

[nemesis]

The bulletproof Panasonic motor in the pro connect probably became too expensive for Kalkhoff and they thought they could build a better one cheaper,big mistake.

 

[tillson]

The bulletproof Panasonic motor in the pro connect probably became too expensive for Kalkhoff and they thought they could build a better one cheaper,big mistake.

The Impulse motor reliability is well documented and as you say, it was a big mistake.

How is the Bosch motor performing? Do we have anyone on the forum doing high, trouble free, mileage (in excess of10000 miles) with that motor? I know it damages the Shimano Alfine hub gear system, which I think is a major negative because it's perfect for utility ebike use such as commuting.