c_elder

Hi Flecc All the best on the day and wish you a speedy recovery. c_elder

Hi Flecc As someone who has previously worked as an engineer, I completely agree with you that product improvements happen continuously. However, they usually do so through either: Better design, eg. different shape of spoke. Better components, eg. a stronger spoke. Do it completely differently, eg. another type of wheel altogether. Since, it is clearly is a traditional bicycle wheel and with the same design of spoke, are there now stronger spokes available than ones made from high tensile steel?

Hi Scott Can I get further clarification? Are you saying that you are showing a different picture of the product than the one you are actually selling? For the record, I am one of the original PC 2008 owners who claimed off the warranty for a 36 spoke upgrade.

Just to clarify, is this the same as the PC Disk 8 shown here This picture shows 32 spokes.

This will probably work on all Kalkhoff hub geared bicycles but first a little context - please bear with me. My second pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres developed a puncture (again in the rear wheel) between 11-12,000 miles (each pair lasted for about 6,000). This time around decided to replace the entire wheel set as wasn't sure how much longer the bearings in the wheels would last. Agreed with Jim in the workshop at 50 Cycles that he, when he has a spare minute, can dismantle the old wheels to see how much life is still left in them. Perhaps he could report back here. Anyways, the gear change on the new alfine hubs started out a bit hit-and-miss. Didn't think much of it at the beginning since I put it down to a break-in period. However this turned out not to be the case. In any event I noticed that the battery lights reduced in the same distances as before the wheel change (I cycle the same route everyday). However, on the second day, the hit-and-miss gear change became irratating so phoned Jim to ask for advice. He informed me that as part of the wheel-change package, he fitted a new gear cable and that this had probably stretched during transit and to check the gear alignment. You can see how to do this at 50cycles Advanced Electric Bike Workshop Videos. Basically, put the bike into 4th gear and check the two yellow bars align at the rear wheel. If the gear cable has stretched over time (something to be expected), it can be tighted the same way that the brake cables can be tightened by adjusting the knob where the gear cable exits the shifter at the handlebars (turn anti-clockwise to tighten). Voila! Gear change became a thing of beauty (OK, slight embellishment). But to top it off, the point at which the battery lights reduced is now about a mile more than previously. This makes sense if you think about it. Anything that reduces the transfer efficiency of kinetic energy from the pedals to the rear wheel will decrease batter performance. Enjoy!

Hi Tilson I would like to add my appreciation of a very detailed and factual review. Everything you say about the bike also gels with my own experience. The only thing I would dispute is your assertion that running a second hand scooter would be cheaper (having ran a new but cheap scooter). Whilst the daily petrol costs is indeed very low, the other costs: depreciation, insurance, maintenance, road tax etc... as well as breakdowns add significantly to the cost.

Hi oriteroom Sorry for being late joining the discussion but Alex728, JamesC and flecc have all responded with the solutions I employ. I have to admit, removing the rear wheel is a bit beyond me so would be interested to hear how you got on.

At that sort of distance I presume that your chain has stretched. When this happens, the teeth on the cogs will also wear to the new shape of the chain. Simply replacing the chain may cause slipping. You might find that you will also need to replace the cogs. Keeping the cogs and chain in-synch is one of the reasons why I rotate the chains on a weekly basis. Hope this helps.

That is the one. I believe that, for Evans, both are in-store items only. There are no clear instructions for which way around the locking clip goes but it made sense to me that the gap is trailng as the chain goes around. That is, as you kneel on the right hand side the bike (front wheel on your right) with the chain-break on the bottom and with the clip on your side, then the gap is to the right (hope that makes sense). I always have the clip outwards as this makes it easier to both see and put on / take off.

I use the SRAM PC1 1/8" chain but, more importantly as you pointed out, I use the KMC Universal Connector 1/8" Chain Link (both from Evans). The latter is a 3 component link where the locking link does not go all the way around (the ends are about 1 mm apart). This allows me to see where the link is and it can be dissambled in seconds using a thin-nose pair of pliers. I then use a small flat bladed screw driver to push the locking link back on. I have to admit that, initially, I was scared that the link might come flying off at any time (and carry a spare) but it has not done so for 2, almost 3 thousand miles. In fact, I've never had any kind of problem with the link at all. Also, when I exchange the chain, I use a toothbrush and white spirit to clean the cogs (this is what takes the bulk of the 45 minutes). The incoming chain obviously also needs to be oiled.

That is the place, near Roehampton Gate. The person who runs the store, operates an informal service since he has two Kalkhoffs for rent from 50 Cycles. Please note that he does not offer a full service but has carried out more difficult tasks like replace the back wheels and cogs (difficult for me anyway). He is a very nice chap and his prices, compared to Evans for example, leave you thinking whether or not you've taken advantage of him. I always pay him more than he asks for anyways (something I don't do for Evans).

Even though I said that the battery life was below expectation, I consider this a wear and tear issue on the basis that degradation is a known issue on all rechargeable batteries.

I have placed a long term review of the bike in the reviews section. I'll attempt to answer any any additional questions about living with the 2008 model although this may not be as quick as I would like. I'd also like to apologise to iangrimmett who PM'ed me about the performance of the bike an embarrassingly long time ago but which I only got by logging into my account recently.

Pro-Connect 8,000 Mile Review This builds and extends upon the 250 mile report (by me) above. Reviewer: c_elder Purchased From: 50Cycles Purchase Price: GBP 1,395 Time Owned: 2 years Local Terrain: Moderate Hills I only use the bike to commute the 35 miles round trip between South West and East London. The 8,000 miles estimate come from having done this journey about 250 times. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Strengths: Reliability & Build Quality For me, this is the final word. Road Performance I would not even consider using a normal bicycle for my commute. After Sales Support I am aware of the complaints against 50 Cycles but I have always found them to be very helpful. Also, if you live near Richmond, I would thoroughly recommend the guy at Richmond Park Cycle Hire for any maintenance work that you need to be carried out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Weaknesses: This is the list of things that has gone wrong with the bike... 500 miles Three spokes broke in the back wheel. Simple replacements of the spokes proved unsuccessful. 50 Cycles sent a replacement 36 spoke wheel which has proven very reliable. 4,000 miles Chain stretched and started to rub on the chain tensioner. Replaced all 3 cogs, cost about £30 (from memory so may be off). I also now run 3 chains; at any one time: one is in a bath of white spirit, one is drying and one in use. 6,000 miles My rear Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre was punctured by a piece of glass, absolutely reliable till then. Replaced both tyres, cost about £40. I will now pre-emptively replace the tyres annually. Battery life During the first 1,000 miles, I was able to do the entire 35 mile round trip on high power (power cuts out automatically at the limit speeds). Between 1,000 - 7,000 miles, a single charge would last the entire journey but mainly on low power and I needed to switch it off completely during down hill runs. From 7,000 miles I needed to charge each way going mainly on low power. During very windy days, I still need to turn it off completely during down hill runs. It looks very likely that I will need to replace the battery after about 500 charges. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Summary: 8,000 miles says it all really! Whilst I have had problems with the wheels of the bike, critically, it is much more reliable than public transport. Typically, the cycle journey takes 15 minutes longer than public transport - when public transport working! When public transport has problems then that commute time can be 3 or 4 times longer. The cycle commute time does have a dependency on traffic conditions but only with a spread of about 10 mins over 75 mins! Also, I take about 45 mins every weekend to carry out chain maintenance. Overall, averaged over a year, I guess that the time taken by both modes are about the same. Cost Analysis I only cycle between March and November since the winter months are too unpleasant and risky for me. My monthy travel pass is £180 so the bike saves about £1,400 annually (factor in holidays and the occasional need to buy expensive daily tickets). Compare this against the cost of running the bike: bike - £1,395 locks - £150 lights - £100 tyres - £100 assessories - £400 battery depreciation - £150 From a pure cost perspective, the break even point is just under 2 years. However, this does not include incidental benefits. The main one is gym membership and the time saved for not going! Acid Test Knowing all the problems up-front, will I still have bought the Pro-Connect? Hell YES! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall Rating (out of 10) : 9.0 (battery life and range below expectation)

I meant to post this earlier but a combination of a busy job and an attention seeking 3 year old - well dads will understand... I broke 2 and bent a further spoke on the WH-8R25 rear wheel of my Pro Connect in September this year. Just to put it in context, I only use the Pro Connect to commute between Richmond Park and Canary Wharf in London, a round trip of about 35 miles. The breaks came over a 4 week period. 50 Cycles replaced the wheel with an SG-S501 Alfine 36 spoke wheel (this is the replacement as 50 Cycles told me that Shimano has stopped making the WH-8R25 - draw your own conclusions). 50 Cycles responded professionally and quickly to my phone calls. The whole thing took about a month due to slowness at my end (job and child as stated before). Unfortunately, I haven't been really able to stress test the new wheel due to winter and recovering from flu. The whole replacement was free. 50 Cycles has some kind of deal with a cycle hire shop in Richmond and the mechanic there did the job (very nice guy - would recommend!). Of course, the whole experience was not positive but given that mechanical problems do happen, the service received was excellent - it shows that I can expect good after-sales support.