I tried one too D8veh, the Haibike is very impressive until you 'hit the wall' at 15 mph
To be honest NRG, after 2 minutes 'pootling' around the industrial estate on medium power, I just kept it on high, 'to see what she would do'. Acceleration on the flat up to 15 mph felt very quick, even with the chunky MTB tyres, once there the power cuts instantly with no Panasonic style transition. There is no need to employ counter intuitive low cadence pedalling which, despite lots of Panasonic miles, doesn't really suit my style of riding. Climbing the nearby hill route was so easy, if rather messy with no mudguards, but I do seriously wonder how far you could go on full power with that 9Ah battery?
Didn;t get a chance to try it in any other mode because I didn't know how to change it. The guy set it to max power because most people wanted to try the hill-climbing ability. The road back from the hill was straight and slightly uphill with a slight headwind, so when you got to the 15mph cut-off, it was like you hit a wall because it got there so easily. Naturally, if you set the power lower, you wouldn't have hit the wall so hard. At first it gave the impression that it was really fast to pedal, but it was only an illusion because of the power. It made you think that you were going downhill with the wind behind you (to 15mph). I had a proper go on my BPM Diamond back today, doing my 30 mile commute. It has Rock Shox Dart 4 forks which are miles better than any of the bikes at the show apart from the Haibike's, but the power and climbing ability is about the same using the pedal sensor. However, with the throttle, mine'll blitz it. So, although the Haibike is nice and exotic, you can get something nearly as good (in real terms) for about £2000 less. That to me puts it in its place, but if I won the lottery, I might have another think about it. I think the Panasonic driven bikes are finished now, until Panasonic bring out a 36v version. They seemed like a joke by comparison. I bet one's imminent.
I tried a standard one and one with modified sprockets and gearing. There is absolutely no contest between the Panasonic system and the Bosch one. The Bosch system climbs easier with no special techniques, is lovely and smooth and miles more powerful. If you don't want the power, you can always turn it down, but if you don't have it, you can't turn it up. The Bosch batteries only weigh 2.5lb (if I read the spec. right), so, if you want more range, it would be easy to carry a couple of spares in a pannier bag. It unclips in seconds. If you had tried the Bocsh system, I'm sure you'd be saying the same as me. Trust me, if Kalkhoff and the rest of them don't do something about their drives, they're dead in the water!
All reports say the Bosch assistance tops out at 15 mph, on a moderate up-slope the latest Panasonics will assist to 17.5 mph on standard sprockets. This is acceptable within the EU specification. Whether on an incline or on the flat, the Pansonic will be 2.5 mph faster with assistance than the Bosch.
Unfortunately not, It didn't seem to be part of their test fleet - just there for show I think. Anyway, it looks like just the standard 8Fun kit, so shouldn't be any different to the others with this system - powerwise. I find this motor more than adequate for normal riding etc.
I think Derby Cycles must be a candidate for the Bosch alternative, if only because it's a fellow German system.
