2015 Kalkoff Tasman Impulse 8 HS 17Ah low step 46cm frame

[One_Box]

Bought new from 50Cycles ( Bristol ) in March 2015 for £1995 with 18 months interest free credit.
Mileage to date is 392 miles. Bike weighs 23.3 Kg and the battery 2.994 Kg giving a total weight of 26.3 Kg.
Things I like : -

• Excellent ergonomics, all controls to hand. Handlebars pulled back approx 45 degrees giving a very comfortable upright riding position aided by the ergonomic grips.
• Compact display is very clear and back lit showing battery level, assistance level ( Eco, Sport or Power ) speed, and either trip mileage or odo reading. The control switches on the left hand side of the handlebar are also backlit.
• Magura hydraulic rim brakes give superb modulation and braking.
• 8 speed Shimano Nexus hub gear, very easy to adjust and a good range of gears.
• Suntour CR 8V front suspension fork is not adjustable but damping is excellent giving good control on our very potholed roads.
• Post Modern Glide suspension seat post adds to comfort.
• Sturdy Racktime rear rack which also helps to secure the rear mudguard and prevent rattles.
• Schwalbe Life tyres ( 622-40 ) give good road holding and feedback over mixed terrain.
• Rims and spokes have not needed any adjusting and have remained true.
• Impulse 2 motor - power from the first push of the crank, smooth and progressive. On the flat unless there is a headwind I do not use assistance as the bike is easy to pedal without it. On inclines I use mostly Eco, Sport seems to add about 1/2 - 1 mph with the same pedalling effort and Power gives a distinct increase above that.
• I wanted to be able to cycle 60 miles in hilly terrain, this 17 Ah battery does the job along with my legs of course !
• Frame is beautifully made with a top class paint job - not a blemish in sight.

Things I don't / didn't like : -

• Left hand lever operates the front brake, I've never seen that on any other bike I've owned. As I have a number of conventional cycles which I still ride a lot I have to re-jig my brain every time I get on my Kalkoff.
• As supplied, the bike is hopelessly under geared even for hilly South Wales. I have changed the sprocket of the Nexus 8 from a 21T to a 19T and now find I can pedal up to about 23 mph on the flat which is fine for this type of bike and my limited power output.
• The rear mudguard is about 25 cm too short. I pity anyone following me on a bike in rain !
• The bell is the worst I have seen on a bike and is an utter disgrace on a bike costing 2K. I have got rid of the thing. Kalkoff should ask Pashley where they source their "ding dong" bells from !
• No bottle bosses. I appreciate Kalkoff market this as a city bike but if you put a battery on it with a 100 mile range it is possible someone may actually use it ! I have fitted a set of Zifal Gizmo water bottle mounts to the down tube which work fine.
• As supplied the wheel circumference setting in the computer was too low for the size of the tyre. I found this when comparing distances travelled with my Garmin 200 GPS computer. This has now been corrected by 50Cycles using their specialist kit. It is a great shame that this couldn't be achieved using the compact display although I believe it is possible with Kalkoff bikes that use the larger display.
• The stock saddle is far too soft for long distances IMO. A Brooks B17 now sits a-top my bike and my bum is in heaven.
• Some of the decals especially on the forks are of questionable quality.

Problems : -

My battery developed an electrical fault linked to a dodgy negative terminal after 6 weeks. 50Cycles supplied me with a loan battery until a new battery was available. I fitted this yesterday and will be conditioning it over the next few rides.

Conclusion : -

An attractive and well made bike that shouts quality. Every time I ride it I have a smile on my face

Customer service from 50Cycles has been outstanding, thank you Anthony at the Bristol branch.

 

[hopbackguy]

Nice review @One_Box . I also have a Kalkhoff from 50cycles.com, a Pro Connect Impulse 10, which I haven't had long enough to do much mileage on yet, but have thoroughly enjoyed so far.

One thing I wondered from your review, you've given the weight of the bike - how did you weigh it? I'm interested to know how much my own one weighs as its not stated anywhere I have found, but I can't figure out how to do it

 

[One_Box]

Weighed the battery on digital kitchen scales.
I have a good quality digital bathroom scale which I used to weigh the bike.
I just picked the bike up jumped on the scale and took a reading. I then weighed myself. The difference is the weight of the bike.

 

[oriteroom]

Thanks for review One_Box. Both my wife's new Tasman, and Osho (see his post) have signs of arcing on the negative terminal. Can you tell us how the fault manifested itself, were you getting cutting out. We just seem to have signs of arcing at the moment, but is that the precursor for a more serious problem. Can you tell me, is the terminal block 'floating' (i.e loose!) on your Tasman.

Also have your problem re wheel size, hers is 26", software must be set to 28", so it overestimates distance by 5% and of course only assists to 95% of max speed, because it's overestimating speed. It's going to be a real pain having to return for software update. The Quality Control on these latest bikes leaves something to be desired! I think the older ProConnects were a better build quality.

 

[One_Box]

I have looked at a number of Kalkoff batteries and they all show signs of what appears to be arcing on the negative terminal. In itself I don't think there is anything to worry about. My initial problem was caused by a mechanical fault in the negative terminal contact which caused the motor to cut out and the display to go blank intermittently.

The terminal block on my bike is indeed floating and I think this is correct.

I'm afraid if you have the compact display the bike will have to go back to 50Cycles to be plugged into their box of tricks. Why the bikes are being sent out with the wrong wheel circumference is beyond me. I did a rolling measurement of the wheel circumference sitting on the bike with the tyres pumped up to normal. This will give you a more accurate result than relying on data sheets.

My bike now provides assistance up to an indicated 17 MPH.

 

[SteveRuss]

I couldn't agree more about the bell. I replaced mine immediately..

 

[Leccy]

I think it's the law to provide a bell. Most bikes come with a cheap one just to tick that box.

 

[SteveRuss]

I think it's the law to provide a bell. Most bikes come with a cheap one just to tick that box.

It's not so much that it's cheap, it's just weird and awkward to use.

I value a bell highly on a pedal bike. Especially for cycle paths as it's a very polite way of alerting people to your presence. I think all bikes should be supplied with a decent bell for this reason alone

 

[JohnCade]

I think they have to supply one with a bike but there is no obligation to have one fitted to a bike in use. I’ve found pedestrians often don’t register a bell, and a polite excuse me works better. Same for passing horses as they are often two abreast with the riders talking.

 

[Croxden]

I find horses hear the bell before the rider does, and that's the important bit.

 

[JohnCade]

Yes, they can get a bit skittish though and you see their ears twitching. But I want the riders to know I’m there, so I call out, and I tell them which side I’m passing on as well.

 

[hopbackguy]

Weighed the battery on digital kitchen scales.
I have a good quality digital bathroom scale which I used to weigh the bike.
I just picked the bike up jumped on the scale and took a reading. I then weighed myself. The difference is the weight of the bike.

Of course! Good thinking

 

[oriteroom]

I have looked at a number of Kalkoff batteries and they all show signs of what appears to be arcing on the negative terminal. In itself I don't think there is anything to worry about. My initial problem was caused by a mechanical fault in the negative terminal contact which caused the motor to cut out and the display to go blank intermittently.

The terminal block on my bike is indeed floating and I think this is correct.

I'm afraid if you have the compact display the bike will have to go back to 50Cycles to be plugged into their box of tricks. Why the bikes are being sent out with the wrong wheel circumference is beyond me. I did a rolling measurement of the wheel circumference sitting on the bike with the tyres pumped up to normal. This will give you a more accurate result than relying on data sheets.

My bike now provides assistance up to an indicated 17 MPH.

Thanks for your reply. Spoke to Charles at 50cycles Shoreham, as you said it looks like a trip from Bournemouth to Shoreham to have a software fix. The error on my wife's equates to the difference between a 26 and 28" wheel. Why on earth that cannot be sorted out by proper Quality Control at source during manufacture I just don't know. Still it only a 20 minute job, but a 2+ hour car trip, so p'raps we can enjoy a nice days cycling around Brighton etc.

The battery connector.... Apparently Charles said it shouldn't be loose or move and suggested that p'raps the hex bolts were loose. They weren't, but i took the cowling off, a put a small strip of inner tube under the ends of the connector, so the casing can hold the connector in place.

Agree with you about the cheap plasticky decals, one on battery already lifting at the edges. The old bikes had better finishes. The fitted bell is big, awkward,cumbersome and a joke. The smaller simple 'ping' ones are better. My wife's will be changed.

You must have the really continental model!! My wife's Tasman the left hand brake lever operates the rear brake. Like you, never known a left handed front brake.

Agree as well about the gearing. My wife is no Bradley Wiggins but even she has commented that the gearing is lower than on her old ProConnect, which has a 22 or 23T rear sprocket. She runs out if higher gears when wanting to assist on gentle downhills. I am going to change it for an 18T sprocket, which will move all her gears up by about one. I changed my sprocket to an 19T on my original ProConnect.

 

[One_Box]

I'm going to check the "floating contact" issue with the technical department of 50Cycles tomorrow to get a definitive answer and will post back ASAP. We have contradictory advice at the moment from people at two different branches of 50Cycles.

At the moment, with my engineers hat on, I believe Anthony at Bristol is on the money

 

[oriteroom]

Thanks One_Box, look forward to a definitive answer re battery contacts.

 

[One_Box]

Talked to technical dept. There should be a small amount of longitudinal float in the contact block that the battery fits into.

 

[oriteroom]

Talked to technical dept. There should be a small amount of longitudinal float in the contact block that the battery fits into.

Thanks for getting an answer. Longitudinal depends upon viewing perspective. I take it, that looking into the compartment from the side, this means it moves back/forth not side to side.

 

[One_Box]

Yes indeed, sorry I didn't make that clear.

 

[Osho]

So if I don't have any 'longitudinal float' I have a problem?

 

[One_Box]

I think the reason for the float is to take care of any slight misalignment between the contacts and the battery whe it is inserted. This way the battery contacts should not get damaged.