Kenny

My rims are standard size and the 700 x 38 Marathon Plus I removed measured 37mm wide, close enough to the marked size unlike the Continentals.

Having read Gubbins post about his spill on ice I decided to fit my Continental TopContact Winter tyres I bought about six years ago, but never got round to fitting. The marked size is 700 x 37 but when i fitted them I discovered they were only 31mm wide. I checked the size of a Continental TouringPlus tyre (same marked size) I have fitted on one of my other bikes and found it too was undersized at 32.5mm wide. I generally fit Schwalbe Marathon Plus on my bikes and they are always near enough the stated size. It's no wonder Continental claim lighter weights for their tyres when they're much smaller than their marked sizes. Has anyone else noticed this or have I just been unlucky and had some rogue tyres?

Thanks very much for the informative reply's Dave and soundwave. I've used the excellent (but very expensive) Exposure Strada for many years which I swap between my bikes. This one looks great value so I think I'll give it a try.

Could someone please tell me what what type of connector this light has. I have an excellent waterproof Tecknet 10000mAh power pack I occasionally use for charging my phone. It has a USB power out and I was wondering if I could use this to power this light rather than buying another power pack.

I really like the style of this but would rather it was powered with a 50cc engine. It would then be able to keep up with the traffic flow and have no range worries. Nearly all mopeds are boring scooter style and I’ve not seen anything like this since the Suzuki FreeGo concept bike a few years ago.

I've been using these Blazeware heated gloves, on my occasional winter rides, for the last few years. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blazeware-heated-gloves/282273555896?hash=item41b8d0a5b8:g:Ah4AAOSw4GVYPYJm They provide a nice gentle warmth with heat elements in each finger and thumbs. They might prove a bit of a faff for regular computing though as the batteries only last 3 hours.

I've been using the Feedback Sports Pro for about 8 years. https://www.evanscycles.com/feedback-sports-pro-elite-bicycle-repair-station-00103362?esvt=54914-GOUKE2291848&esvq=&esvadt=999999-0-1219798-1&esvcrea=189699608585&esvplace=&esvd=c&esvtg=pla-307859100371&esvo=00103362-NA-NA&esvaid=50080&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6qfPsbGt1wIVVGwbCh0tNwBlEAQYByABEgLSl_D_BwE A bit expensive, but a great lightweight stand with an excellent clamping system with quick release.

This would be good news for folk like me who occasionally like a little bit over the current 15mph limit. Would the S class still continue?

A lot of things to like about this kit and Panda eBikes have been around for quite a while, so know their stuff. Looks simple to fit and is even lighter than the Cytronex kit at a fraction of the price. Could you tell me the two battery sizes available with the kit?

Good to see your still enjoying your bike Tillson. One of my batteries is over six years old and has only lost around 15% range, although it has only been used for about 5000 leisure miles. The Pro Connect is a slow climber as it's not as powerful as the latest bikes but in terms of weight, components etc. I recon it still holds it's own and the reliability is exceptional.

One Thousand Pages! Well done to all he contributors who've made this the most prolific pedelec thread ever. It's been a thoroughly interesting read, and for me, very educational.

Good to know, but the Rio doesn't have the option of either torque or cadence sensors, which allow for different riding styles.

What would you do to pretty them up a bit? All the best, David Hi David. There's obviously a good market for your Wisper Torque but for me it looks a bit old fashioned and I'd much prefer the battery mounted in the frame triangle. The motor, being very quiet, and with both torque and cadence sensors is a big plus point and receives high praise from the very knowledgeable D8veh. The Wisper motor mounted to a frame/battery set up along the lines of the Woosh Rio would do it for me.

This looks like a winner. As nice as anything offered from the likes of KTM or Haibike, and the Shimano E8000 drive could be a Bosch beater. The carbon frame at that price point should be very popular. Hope you bring out a touring version for for us older riders in the future.

Thanks for the detailed report Dave. I hope the Bafang Mini Hub due at the end of this year is a little quieter, with no power delay. Also the Bafang mini rear hub motor has cassette gears which I prefer.

I have the Ergon grips with integrated Barends. These allow you to switch your hand position between flat and vertical which helps relieve strain on long rides.

I have both Ergon grips and the cheaper copies fitted on my bikes and find the cheap ones to be just as good. The rubber grips wear the same on both of them so they have to be replaced in time and £7 is a lot easier on the pocket than £40 Ergons (with Barends).

I think this lightweight motor could be ideal for folk of average fitness. I find my lowish powered, nine year old Kalkoff, powerful enough and haven't been tempted to upgrade yet as the latest bikes are no lighter or better specced. For my ideal bike, I'd like a nice lightweight hybrid aluminium or carbon frame with rack and mudguard mounts (almost impossible to find on carbon frames) and room for Big Apple tyres for a comfortable ride. Boardman produce a hybrid weighing under 10kgs so a similar electric bike, with this motor and battery fitted, would be only 17kg complete with mudguards, rack and stand.

Hope you enjoy taking life a bit easier. You've always been a great electric bike enthusiast and I remember in the early days of the forum you were usually first to get hold of the latest bikes and share your thoughts on them. It was your very favorable views on the Pro Connect that inspired my first purchase, which is still giving me a lot of fun eight years on. Would be nice if you continued to post in the forum to share your extensive bike knowledge and experience.

Looks really nice in the new pictures. I think they'll be very popular. I'm going to be very tempted to go for the 17.5AH one in August. Could you please tell me the frame size of the 27.5" wheel Rio?

Having owned a few shaft drive motorbikes (that's my Yamaha XJ750 in my avatar). I think shaft drive would go well with electric bikes. The efficiency loss not such an issue and there nice and clean with low maintenance. The forthcoming mini hub motor mentioned in the article is even more welcome for me. All the UK kit suppliers seem to supply lardy hub motors of 3 - 4 kg even though excellent lightweight motors like the Q100 have been around for ages. Hopefully this mini Bafang will be a good un and available in the UK in time.

Great detailed review and your last short paragraph sums up what I love about my electric bikes.

Thanks Woosh, all good working components though I prefer a freehub to a freewheel. Back on topic, I quite like the look of the new Kudos Mistral. It has a nice modern looking frame, with rear rack mounts, and the increasingly popular 27.5 wheel size. The battery integration is very neat, though I'd like the option of a larger capacity. Also a little on the heavy side at 24.5kg.

My apologies if I'm misunderstanding this. The spec for the Rio says : Gears 8 speed Acera 11t - 34t So does that refer to the rear mech being Acera and not the gear cluster which is the screw on type DNP freewheel?

I've always thought of freewheel gears as old fashioned and cassette gears as the modern, popular choice of gears. Isn't it a cassette motor you have fitted to your Rio bike? I've always assumed a cassette motor was the better option.