Pegasus Bike vs. Kalkhoff

[Intex]

I rode my first e-bike today, a Pegasus E-Swing. It was a little different than I expected.
As I began to pedal off, the surge of the battery motor came on (Sanyo). as I pedaled, the motor stayed on assisting, but after a very short time, the bike was moving faster than I was pedaling, and it was a bit strange, as the pedals do not "Free-Wheel" . Are all e-bike like this?

Also, Whenever I stopped pedaling, the motor stopped assisting. I was under the impression that you could have the motor work without having to pedal, if you wanted to take a brief rest??- Are all e-bikes like this?

I think I would be more interested in a Kalkoff Pro-Connect, since it is a lighter bike (the Pegasus seemed pretty heavy to me), and also has Li-Ion batteries, that must be lighter than the Nickle Metal Hydride that the Pegasus has.

If anyone has ridden both, please let me know how the two compare. Thanks. I have contacted Kalkoff, and they have NO dealers in Paris- go figure?

 

[iaing]

The Pegasus I do not know about, but all the Kalkhoffs are pedal assist only. No pedalling = no motor power. Though there are plenty of other manufacturers who supply their bikes with throttle power assistance as well as pedal assistance.

Iain

 

[fishingpaul]

The pedals freewheel on all of the electric bikes i know of,and most have a throttle which can be used without pedalling on the flat and minor hills,panasonic powered bikes like the kalkhoff are pedal assist only.

 

[Orraman]

Intex,
If you are in Paris, or on continental Europe, EC regulations require all electric bikes to be restricted to being power assisted only when being pedalled.
For the present UK law permits the use of throttle control even when not being pedalled.
From German adverts those bikes are fitted with a 7 speed hub gear that has a back pedal brake but does have a freewheel that allows the bike to travel forwards faster than the pedals are turning.

Dave

 

[Intex]

I am in France, but the bike will be taken back to the U.S., where it can be modified whichever way.
I now remember reading that NEXUS offered the 7 speed hub as both freewheel and back pedal brake models, maybe this is what you were referring to.

So what you are saying, is that with the Kalkhoff Pro Connect, it will NOT moive on its own power? IS this something that can be modified, or is this something inherent with the Panasonic system? Should I be looking at something like the Schwinn, or Trek powered bike?

This is very difficult to decide when there are no bikes to try, but I have to decide one way or the other.

Thanks

 

[flecc]

The Panasonic system can only be cycled under pedal power Intex, inherent to the system and this cannot be modified. The Swiss BikeTech company make a modification on a couple of models which allows a limited throttle to allow walking alongside with the bike driving itself, as one might do walking up a hill. It's not possible to extend this to the whole power range though, since that is controlled internally by the pedalling.

If you are going back to the USA with the bike, a Schwinn with a throttle could be a better choice, since that US make could be better placed there for service, though it's still limited to 15 mph. However, since most of Europe is tied to pedelec only bikes, it really would be better to buy in the USA where nearly all the e-bikes are throttle controlled and made to run at higher speeds as well, up to 20 mph rather than only to 15 mph.

The two brands sold in Europe which are well represented in the USA are Giant with their Twist models (pedelec only and 15 mph) and eZee, whose bike are throttle, but only while pedalling and 15 mph in Europe, but throttle only and 20 mph in the USA. In Britain eZee give us the choice, a switch for pedelec or throttle only, because we have different law at the moment, though we are still restricted to 15 mph unless we do a modification, available only on some models.
.

 

[Orraman]

All new Panasonic motors are pedelec and offer assistance only, with the rider selecting output of 0.5 or 1:1 or 1.3 of the rider's pedalling input.
They are sealed units with no means of altering their mode of operation.
flecc, our resident guru, has made the most comprehensive scours of information on the Panasnic system available in the Technical Section and in answers to members.
I am ignorant of conditions outside the UK but it is unlikely that throttle only commercial e-bikes would be available on the Continent, perhaps those better informed will help.

There is the option of converting an existing bike with a kit imported from the UK or the Far East. Wheel kits with hub motors from Alien are well spoken of on this forum and I have had success with Cyclone kits and both of these kits have the option of a form of pedelec operation that might scrape by the authorities.

You could search this forum for relevant information and if you are returning to the USA you would be well served investigating the site at ~~

Endless-sphere.com • Index page

Dave

Addendum.......................

Dratt, I wish I was cleva and didn't need a spellchecker and I could get posted before you lot.

 

[flecc]

I'm a lousy typist Dave, having to correct everything before posting and sometimes after as well, and it often happens to me that others get in first. Doesn't matter though, for an inquirer, having a second opinion is alway better than just one.
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