New bike for serious commuting

[axolotl]

The KTM Macina Bold or the KTM 400 Sport are lovely bikes for serious commute if you don't mind spending £2k. We have many customers on this forum using the Kudos Tourer with either Derailleur or Nexus gears,quite a cheap bike now ,from £965.00 . Where are you located in the UK?
KudosDave

I'm in Leek, in North Staffs, just to the south west of the Peak District, so very hilly.

I'd rather spend £2k if it means I get a very low maintenance bike with long range over hilly terrain, rather than £1-£1.5k and have a machine that's not quite up to the job. As I said, it's got to cope with all weathers. Having given some more thought to my regular journeys, it's really got to be capable of at least 35 hilly miles.

Now looking at the Kalkhoff and KTM bikes...

 

[newboater]

hi axolotl I live in leek and like you have just stated with electric ,I bought a wisper 705c from a local dealer about a month ago ,having great fun with it so far ,longest ride was 20miles last Saturday not much last few days because of the weather

 

[trex]

I'm in Leek, in North Staffs, just to the south west of the Peak District, so very hilly.

I'd rather spend £2k if it means I get a very low maintenance bike with long range over hilly terrain, rather than £1-£1.5k and have a machine that's not quite up to the job. As I said, it's got to cope with all weathers. Having given some more thought to my regular journeys, it's really got to be capable of at least 35 hilly miles.

Now looking at the Kalkhoff and KTM bikes...

maintenance of a £2,000 bike is not much different from that of a £1,000 bike.
Consider this: Chinese bikes dominate the commuting bike market (possibly 5 to 1) and yet, fewer members who use their Chinese bikes for commuting reported problems than members with BH or KTM! if something on a Chinese commuting bike breaks, you can probably find it at Halfords or ebay. If you have a £2000 bike, you'd wait a week or two.

 

[wissy]

i can get about 22-25 miles full turbo on my KTM and the 400 battery. i keep spare charger at work in case of issues.

 

[axolotl]

trex - I hear what you're saying about parts availability. It's quite the quandary really. I shall do some more research and look at a few more bikes before making a decision.

newboater - I'll keep an eye out for you around town. Can't be that many people with ebikes in Leek.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

maintenance of a £2,000 bike is not much different from that of a £1,000 bike.
Consider this: Chinese bikes dominate the commuting bike market (possibly 5 to 1) and yet, fewer members who use their Chinese bikes for commuting reported problems than members with BH or KTM! if something on a Chinese commuting bike breaks, you can probably find it at Halfords or ebay. If you have a £2000 bike, you'd wait a week or two.

simply not true...

most bike parts on any bike are standard these days. If you're buying a cheap bike, the parts will be heavier and lower quality, but they are interchangable with the parts on a good bike and vise versa. (Generally)

Which part do you think you can buy from any bike shop that will fit a Chinese bike, but won't fit a KTM or BH bike?

The only difference is that the stock (OE) parts on the premium bikes are name brands that are generally lighter and better quality than the parts on cheaper bikes.

I'd actually argue that the parts on our bikes are easier to replace than some of the bits that are found on other bikes. As they are totally standard and available in any bike shop.

Col

 

[Arbol]

simply not true...

most bike parts on any bike are standard these days. If you're buying a cheap bike, the parts will be heavier and lower quality, but they are interchangable with the parts on a good bike and vise versa. (Generally)

Which part do you think you can buy from any bike shop that will fit a Chinese bike, but won't fit a KTM or BH bike?

The only difference is that the stock (OE) parts on the premium bikes are name brands that are generally lighter and better quality than the parts on cheaper bikes.

I'd actually argue that the parts on our bikes are easier to replace than some of the bits that are found on other bikes. As they are totally standard and available in any bike shop.

Col

Can the batteries inside the triangle frame of some KTM e-bikes be changed easily?

Several chinese batteries are just plug and play: take out the old one, put the new one (check voltage, capacity and connectors are the right ones).

I am not sure a DIY that could change a chinese battery in a chinese DIY bike, he could also change the battery of a KTM e-bike, using a standard (non-KTM) battery.

The same for motors: I believe KTM uses specific motors that need to be bought from a specific brand. Chinese DIY bikes have many more options.

Hey, KTM e-bikes and bikes are great. Just what trex said was not wrong.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

sorry, when we talk components, we also mean things like pedals, chain, hubs, tyres, gears, handlebars, grips, brakes etc etc.

if you're just talking about eBike batteries, then thats a slightly different debate.

ok, so if a battery fails on a Chinese bike, which branch of Halfords can a customer go to, to buy a new one?

and why it is easier / quicker to buy a chinese battery than it is a Bosch one online.... I don't think it is, is it?

Plus if a battery failed on a KTM and it was a warranty (we only use Bosch and Panasonic, so we've not had one fail in the whole time we've been working with KTM in the UK) we'd ship a replacement direct to the dealer and the bike would be back on the road. I'm sure the chinese brands would also do this. So there is no difference again.

My point was that if a part breaks on a bike, you can find it on ebay or internet be it chinese or KTM or BH.

 

[trex]

talking about mechanical components, where can you buy Ambrosio rims? Halfords don't stock Magura brakes, or Bosch Isis BB for example. On electrical components, I doubt that any of your customers would dare do it themselves in fear of voiding the guarantee.

 

[KTM Bike Industries UK]

you don't need to replace a rim with the same brand, if you break a rim (unlikely with a quality brand and well built wheel) you can just walk into any bike shop and get a replacement.

edit:

If you wanted a specific Ambrosia rim, they are distributed by these guys:

http://www.ambrosio.co.uk/contact_us.htm

so you'd just need to contact them to find somewhere who could send you a matching rim.

with regard to the brakes, why would you need to replace a brake? Its a fully sealed hydraulic system thats pretty much zero maintenance. If you cut or damage a hose, its a simple replacement that any shop can do.

and ISIS bb's wear out, just the same as any other would do, but Halford don't stock the BB's for my normal bike either. So if I feel the bearings starting to go, I order one from my local bike shop.

I don't see why that would be any different where in the world my bike was built?

 

[Jazzist]

The branded bike components are more likely to be found in your LBS than unbranded OEM parts eg brakes but you can likely interchange to a more expensive part if you had to.

You're saying that with cheapo motor and battery there is more scope for swapping for a range of cheapo parts that might be found on eBay etc (not likely in the lbs) whereas with Bosch, impulse, etc the fittings on the frame will only fit the specific motor?

If you've spent £2k on a 2014 Bosch bike then you probably don't want the ability to swap out the motor for something Chinese, you're going to want it repaired to the same, superior, spec.

Someone looking for a relatively expensive commuting solution probably doesn't care that someone can make there own battery pack for a DIY bike (if that was the case they'd DIY and not be looking at expensive stock bikes?)?

Who is to say which is the most reliable but it's hard to suggest the Chinese bike is MORE reliable, how's that possible vs better quality parts?

I'm new to ebikes and like the look of Kalkhoff and KTM (maybe others the choice is crazy), very hard to compare.. I wonder what the difference is, say, between the quality of a £2k machine from both companies? Eg hubs, rims, other parts, etc.?

There is a bewildering amount of choice it's hard to even draw up a shortlist to go and look at some!!

 

[axolotl]

There is a bewildering amount of choice it's hard to even draw up a shortlist to go and look at some!!

Absolutely!

 

[Jazzist]

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/events/redbridge-e-bike-test-day-sunday-18th-may.10/

Pity it's so far away but looks good!

 

[flecc]

The most waterproof of all is the Panasonic crank drive system, as I've demonstrated it can be ridden completely submerged by water with no ill-effect, either at the time or later. The handlebar unit is similarly completely sealed and the integrated battery platform mounting isn't prone to water problems.

The only water protection needed with an e-bike using one of these power units is what the rider needs.

Trouble is that e-bikes using these units are not in the lower cost range.

 

[axolotl]

flecc - Am I right in thinking that the Panasonic is also one of those systems that doesn't have a throttle - pedal assist only?

 

[superDove]

I'm thinking of buying two sub £1k Chinese Bikes instead of a higher spec £2k Bike. That way SWMBO (or family or friends) might be tempted to join me. It also means that I'll have a spare battery to double my mileage when I'm by myself, I'll have a back up eBike for commuting and I'll be able to swop parts to test when troubleshooting. All this means more to me than the difference in riding experience from the more expensive Bike.

 

[flecc]

flecc - Am I right in thinking that the Panasonic is also one of those systems that doesn't have a throttle - pedal assist only?

Yes, you are right, it's pedelec only. There is an optional walk-alongside throttle that works to 6 kph, but that's at the lowest power setting so has limited usefulness.

 

[Kudoscycles]

I'm in Leek, in North Staffs, just to the south west of the Peak District, so very hilly.

I'd rather spend £2k if it means I get a very low maintenance bike with long range over hilly terrain, rather than £1-£1.5k and have a machine that's not quite up to the job. As I said, it's got to cope with all weathers. Having given some more thought to my regular journeys, it's really got to be capable of at least 35 hilly miles.

Now looking at the Kalkhoff and KTM bikes...

 

[Kudoscycles]

Hi,you have a good dealer in Leek...Kevin at Leek Cycle Solutions,full contact details on the Kudoscycles website.
Last year we had a roadshow on the Manifold Trail,a lovely part of the UK to ride a bike.
So many people now use mountain style bikes to commute,possibly adding a rack and panniers. The BPM motor has transformed the hill climbing strengths of the hub drive bikes,if you are average height the Kudos Tornado is a possible or the Typhoon if you are tall.
Hope that helps
KudosDave

 

[axolotl]

Thanks, Dave. I know where Leek Cycle Solutions is - didn't realise they did ebikes. I'll check them out tomorrow.