Pro-connected

As some-one who routinely uses an electric bike in Edinburgh, I'm pretty sure this will be a non-starter for at least a decade. That's not because of any of the technical or administrative reasons described above, but because there are roads in Edinburgh that the Government of Eritrea would be ashamed of. This follows a decade in which £764million has been spent here on a (still not-working) tram system, and about £764 has been spent on road maintenance. There are parts of Edinburgh where, if I'm on foot, I keep an eye on the potholes not just to avoid getting drenched when buses go through the water at the bottom of them but because of the very real risk of hit in the face by chunks of flying tarmac as more of the road surface breaks up.

Sorry BAH48, but I disagree fundamentally. WD40 is not a lubricant! As avid completist readers of this forum may know, I acquired a Kalkhoff Pro-Connect S from another member in December 2012. On the 9th of April the chain parted going up a slight incline. After the chain was replaced, the transmission started slipping under load regularly. At the Edinburgh Cycle Company this was instantly diagnosed as significant wear in the rear cassette. On back-tracking through this forum, I learned that the previous owner's 'lubricant' of choice was WD40. I find that describing WD40 as a 'lubricant' to professional cycle mechanics generally prompts slapping of the forehead, fierce oaths, hilarity or any combination of the three. This is not a complaint about the bike I bought. (Caveat emptor). I reckon that replacing the chain and the rear cassette has improved the mechanical efficiency of the transmission by about 10 to 15%. I can tell that from both a higher top speed, and an increase in cruising speed of 1 to 2 mph without putting more effort in. My PC-S has gone from being a very good bike to being a great bike in my view. If you go to the WD40 website, you'll read that "WD-40 literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula". Under FAQs about bikes the makers claim that "you can use it on frames to prevent them from rusting, to lubricate pivot points, to prevent mud from sticking and to displace moisture from bike components". Nothing about chains, though, and here's a quote from a website called Gizmodo: "while WD-40 is useful for everything from unsticking gum to cleaning tile, you shouldn't spray it anywhere near your bike. It causes dirt and dust to stick to your chain, turning it into a grody mess". That's my philosophy. Incidentally the replacement chain on my PC-S is an especially long version for electric bikes made by KMC. Electric Bike Chains It works fine, and there's no need to buy 2 shorter chains and join them.

I am repelled by these comments. I fail to see the 'humour' inherent in a young woman's life being cut short by 4 bullets to the head. With the honourable exception of Cyclezee, you people are sick, sick, sick.

You can estimate the monthly output from a photovoltaic panel using the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory ‘PVWatts’ online calculator. It has World-wide solar data built-in including London Gatwick. Using Gatwick data gives the following estimated monthly outputs from a 40 Watt panel: Jan - 1,280 Watthours Feb - 1,520 Watthours Mar - 2,280 Wathours Apr - 3,480 Watthours May - 4,040 Watthours Jun - 3,680 Watthours Jul - 3,960 Watthours Aug - 3,920 Watthours Sep - 3,040 Watthours Oct - 2,320 Watthours Nov - 1,360 Watthours Dec - 800 Watthours Taking NRG's calculated capacity of 324 Wh and an overall charging efficiency of 60%, each charge will require 540 Wh, so your 40 Watt PV panel will give you enough energy for 58 charges per year. Unfortunately in the winter months you'll have to wait a long time for the battery to charge: December would typically only fully charge the battery once. BTW - The electrical output of a PV cell is dependent upon the intensity of the light to which it is exposed. So PV cells will tend to generate more electricity on bright days than when skies are overcast. However, photovoltaics do not need to be in direct sunlight to work, so even on overcast days a PV cell will be generating some electricity.

Interesting comment to put on a cycling forum, given Britain's current overwhelming proficiency at Olympic cycling! Perhaps you could discuss 'the Olympics are not sport but a pastime for girls' with Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy, MBE of this parish? BTW, South Africa are currently 87th in the World FIFA football rankings. Even if they win their next 2 friendlies that won't give them enough ranking points to get above Scotland (currently 72nd) or Togo (71st) or the Cape Verde Islands (69th).

Hi. Sorry to take so long to reply to your post but I have waiting for the Edinburgh weather to allow me to get out and acquire the data to answer your query about battery use. I have now compared both my Pro-Connect and my Pro-Connect S around a roughly 20 kilometre route around the North-West of Edinburgh. The weather conditions were broadly the same, and I've been round several times in the same direction using the same 18AH battery on each bike with the assistance level set to 'medium' continuously. With the Pro-Connect, battery elec use is roughly 6.25 Watthours per kilometre (10 Watthours per mile), whilst the PC-S elec use is roughly 8.75 Watthours per kilometre (14 Watthours per mile). So for the same distance the PC-S uses 40% more battery power. I should point out, however, that on both bikes I've cycled at my normal comfortable cadence which results in an average speed on the PC-S about 10 to 15% higher than the PC, and a top speed about 20% higher. The 'fun factor' uplift is about 500%!

Since when were the South Africans 'the greatest sporting nation on earth'? Moderately proficient in 2 sports which a very limited number of nations play, perhaps. They were 61st in the 2012 Olympic medal table when sorted by medals per head of population behind those noted sporting nations Lithuania (12th), Ireland (22nd), Qatar (32nd), Moldova (48th), and North Korea (51st). Does the functionary who drafted this for Her Majesty have a secret pro South Africa agenda?

There's a review of the City Mantis at: City Mantis Electric Scooter : Product Review which includes this photo:- [ATTACH]4721.vB[/ATTACH] Those are not pedals, they're clearly foot rests. I can't see any way this qualifies as a bicycle.

.. and today Santa made an early delivery in Edinburgh bringing Hugh's old PCS to me. Actually it was TNT who delivered it and that was a painfully drawn-out process! Evidently TNT and I have different interpretations of the words 'express' and 'next-day'. It only required a day resting in their Croydon depot, and about 5 fraught phone calls to get the delivery made. (During one call I was informed in consecutive sentences that the bike was (a) in Edinburgh already awaiting delivery (b) still in Croydon as it had missed the overnight run to Edinburgh and © lost in transit! Turned out it was (b)). Still I suppose we are nearing the winter feasting festival and the couriers are working flat out. On the plus side it survived the long journey Northward intact and has now been re-assembled, tested and taken for a test ride. First impression is that it's a fantastic bike and somehow more direct than my Pro-Connect: like the difference between a sports car and the family saloon I suppose. The PCS has very different gearing and tremendous lights and brakes. Once I've done a few hundred kilometres on it I'll post a fuller account. Not sure about the Fizik saddle: that might get swapped for a Specialized Expedition. I was thinking I might keep my original Pro-Connect, but having had possession of a Pro-Connect S for all of 5 hours I suspect the original family saloon won't get out of the garage much in future! So is anyone out there interested in acquiring a Pro-Connect in the early spring? XL frame size, done about 5,000 kilometres (I've done just over 4,500 of those, and the guy I bought it from on ebay told me he'd done about 450 miles. Actually the wheels have only done 1,500 km as I swapped the original 24 spoke Shimano wheels for the 36 spoke Alex Ace 17 wheels from my GT Traffic 2 in May this year. Currently shod with Schwalbe Road Cruiser tyres. 2 x 10 AH batteries with it although the original is now down to about 60% on the push and hold capacity test and the second has about 80%. Wired 'computer' fitted. I say 'early spring' as at the moment it's so grubby I'd be embarrassed to show it to anyone. So after it's had a deep clean and a service, I'll be looking for about £800 for it. Any takers? Once again, thanks very much Hugh for your travails in getting the PCS to me. Much appreciated.

I can't help feeling that President Obama is being rather hypocritical about guns given that during his first term, gun ownership in the US actually accelerated. Did you know that: 1) US citizens now own 5 times more guns than the combined armies of NATO? 2) 44% of all gun purchases in the US are now what the FBI comically calls 'long guns' (most of them army-style assault rifles to you and me). 3) More than one million Americans have died from gunshots in the US since JFK was assassinated in 1963? (Only 405,000 Americans were killed in World War 2). 4) It's easier to buy an assault rifle in the USA than get mental health treatment? (This may explain (1), (2) and (3) above. If American citizens wish to 'bear arms' let them buy as many guns as they want: just make it completely illegal to buy, sell, own or make ammunition.

Hi. Thanks for that, but while you were away I've made arrangements to buy a second-hand Pro Connect S. The idea of having 3 Kalkhoffs is tempting, but that's probably a bit greedy!

What's the frame size? I'd be interested if it's either 55 or 60cm.

Kalkhoff Mirrors Who makes the mirrors fitted to Kalkhoffs? I can recommend them for toughness, at least. Happily cycling along on Saturday attempting a minor re-adjustment of the mirror position when I clumsily flicked the mirror out of the bar-end and onto the road. A couple of cars missed it, but I think the SUV driver deliberately went over it! I managed to pick it up then, and to my astonishment it was in just 2 pieces! One almost whole mirror and a small plastic flake off the mounting surround. The mirrored surface is scratched and there's a rattle from inside, but it went straight back on and off I went. Used some 'No-more nails' when I got back, so hopefully it's a bit-more 'senior-moment' resistant. I think it must be made from weapons-grade plastic!

Specialized Expedition My experience with Brooks saddles links in with wharfitude and Biged's postings. I had a Brooks B33 on my Pro-Connect and rapidly replaced it with a Specialized Expedition saddle. A quarter of the cost and a hundred times more comfortable, plus no more excrutiating back pains.

How about this little beauty? (Obviously not a pedelec)!