Commuting - Kalkhoff Xion?

[Ed B]

Hello all,

Long-time lurker here.

I've been thinking about using an electric bike to commute to work on and off for quite a long time now, a year at least. This is for a distance of 9 miles each way. Terrain is rolling - very little flat, lots of gentle slope and a couple of 7 - 10% hills. The total ascent is 700ft. I cycle it on an unpowered bike from time to time in about 35 minutes.

My aims for an electric bike would be to a) cut journey time b) get to work without being (too) sweaty, meaning I could skip the shower & change of clothes c) reduce car usage, save on petrol etc.

However what's stopped me from going ahead so far is the initial cost of the bike and having a perfectly good car. This has changed now - the car got old, failed it's MOT once too many times so it's gone off to car heaven, and I'm left riding in every day unpowered whilst I dither between buying another car or following my pedelec dreams...

I've had a look around and the best match to what I think are my requirements that I've found so far is the Kalkhoff Xion. What I would like is opinions on whether this really is the best match, or is there another bike I've not considered?

What I'm looking for, and the xion delivers on:

1 - Disk brakes.
2 - No motor drag if the bike is running above the cutoff.
3 - Gearing that will allow the bike to be pushed, manually, up to ~30mph. For the downhills, of course...
4 - A bike that's certified EN 15194. (Does the Xion have this? Couldn't find anything definitive)
5 - Road-bike styling
6 - Hub motor, principally to avoid wearing out chain / cassette faster than necessary, plus it keeps all the fiddly mechanical bits out of dirt's way. This will be a bike for all-season riding.
7 - Enough power to get me, pedalling with only moderate effort, at ~11.5 stone, up hills of 10% at the full 15mph. Not sure if the xion will deliver 100% here? Let's say that the moderate effort would get me up, unpowered, at a sluggish 5mph.

What the Xion doesn't have, and high on my wish-list:

8 - For the motor to be in the front wheel, and an internally geared hub in the back. Again this is for convenience - less exposed parts to get dirty / keep clean, no derailleur to get bent, no cassette to wear out.

Lastly, any suggestions on where I might test-ride this bike? I'm in Sheffield.

Many thanks

Ed

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Ed,

Welcome to the forum, we have a bike that meets your most aspects of your criteria, the eZee Sprint 8 as seen here eZee Sprint 8 - electric bikes and conversion kits.

A member of our eZee Rider Scheme lives in Barnsley and is happy to meet people interested in buying one of our bikes.

Please let me know if we can be of help.

 

[Chris the Sheep]

Speaking as someone with similar experience, but without the hills, I think you're right to insist on the front hub motor / rear IGH from a longevity point of view - I have a pedelec with that combination (7-speed Nexus) and also a conventional bike with an 8-speed Alfine. Wear on the chain/sprocket of either bike is low (I love internally geared hubs for that reason), but the pedelec shows significantly less wear than the 'manual'. I've done 2000 miles on the pedelec and only adjusted the chain once.

I assume that's because the front hub motor takes away the peak loads, making life easier for the hub and chain.

(I live on the coast, and sand plays havoc with derailleurs).

I find that a combination of pedelec and conventional bike means I get to ride the bike every day, I have a spare in case of problems, and by using the unpowered bike once or twice a week I keep my fitness. It's definitely a realistic alternative to a car.

Whatever bike you choose, as an established cyclist I'd say a proper torque-sensing system is a must - but make sure it doesn't affect how the bike rides unpowered. I say that because I have a Giant with a sprung system in the cranks, and it makes the pedals mushy - I wouldn't recommend it for that reason, everything else about it is great. I believe an alternative uses a sensor in the rear dropout (TMM?) - I haven't tried one (wish I had) but that shouldn't affect the ride anything like as much.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Worth checking out Panasonic hub drive bikes as featured on KTM bikes as well as other brands. These have a 47v motor and normally 27 or 30 gears. The bike I commute on is one of these and can comfortably cycle 5 miles in under 18 minutes. In top assistance mode the bikes with this system fly, well worth a test ride!
DW

 

[Tim]

There are Pro Connect Xions, 24-speed and 27-speed, to test ride at our premises in Loughborough.

I'm always pleasantly surprised by this system, particularly on hills. It does this business. I took it around the lumpier bits of Charnwood Forest last week, which is as hilly as anywhere in parts and the countryside was gorgeous too. It was lifting my 15 stone up a 1:10 at around 13mph in 3rd of 5 power modes. Silently too.

Yes, it's EN15194 certified. They're a little underpriced at the moment, we're likely to put the price up later this month.

Come and take one for a spin!
Tim

 

[Tedi]

I bought an X27 4 weeks ago.

My commute is 11 Miles each way which includes a steep hill rising from 80ft to 550ft in just over a mile which the bike handles with ease.

I am 13 stone 4 and I average 17.2mph (slightly sweaty) if I push on and 15.5mph if I take it easy (no sweating)

I use level 3 assistance (scale 1-5) and can go 2 days (44 miles) between charges but I charge every day as recommended.

I took the bike to my holiday cottage at Loch Tay a trip of 46 miles with a heavy pannier on and still had around 20% battery left and this route had a serious 2000ft climb over 5 miles, I stopped half way up as the motor overheat warning light started to flash, after a break of around 30 mins it was fine.

It is certainly a well built and comfortable bike, everything works, no rattles and I have just passed 600 miles.

Can give you some data showing this from my mapyourride page, shows my commutes at 37-40 mins for 11 miles

 

[Ed B]

Hello all,

Thanks for all the replies so far. Here's an update: yesterday I visited 50cycles at Loughborough and tried an Agattu and the X27, the Agattu principally as a point of reference as it was the X27 I was primarily interested in. Took them both on a pre-planned route of 14 miles, in order to reach a decent hill - Nanpantan and Beacon Roads. Discounting a slow start & end - due to traffic and getting a 'feel' for the bikes and the controls - I averaged 16mph on the X27, 15 on the Agattu. This is using a mix of power levels on the X27, (I'm sure if I did the whole thing at 5 it would've been a little quicker, although 5 seemed thirsty on the battery) and mostly level 3 (of 3) on the Agattu, which did seem to take less out of the battery than 5 on the X27.
Went away without making a decision, slept on it - and ordered the X27 today.
I'll post a review after I've used it for a time.
Thanks again for the help & suggestions

Ed