Patti

Thanks, tillson. But my bike has a derailleur fitted - along with hub gears. Wouldn't that keep the tension going? I don't want to fiddle with the chain myself - is it the sort of job that a local bike shop could do?

Thanks for your helpful comments. 50 cycles sent me a new sprocket which looked identical to the existing one, so I didn;t change it - as you said, it wasn't wear. I have hub gears, flecc. Would that make a difference? As I said, the gears are perfect when I'm not using the battery assist. I am really worried about going a long distance with the 'temporary fix', but I might have a go at it tomorrow. I wonder how many people are having this problem.

Please look at what I wrote somewhere else (not quite sure how the site works). I had precisely that problem - ie grinding & something that sounds as if the gears aren't connecting properly. And it's only when the power is being used; when it's just me pedalling, everything is fine. I have just rung 50 cycles who said that it's the motor drive sprocket and they are sending me two new ones (in case one is useless like the one the bike came with - I have had it for less than 3 weeks)...

Motor drive sprocket on the Pro connect My lovely Pro connect was delivered just over two weeks ago and I have just returned from a 3 day cycling trip, complete with Bob Ibex trailer. The combination was quite brilliant; with the help of the electric assist, I powered up hills that I could never have attempted with the 20k load on the back. And I DO recommend the trailer - it was so easy to pull that I almost forgot it was there. BUT: Day 1: rode about 60 miles, everything fine. I exhausted the battery & charged it overnight. Day 2: another 60 miles. But half way through the day, I heard a tiny grating noise around the chain area, rather like the sound when a gear hasn't quite engaged. Through the afternoon this became more pronounced. But it had nothing to do with the gearing, which worked perfectly when I wasn't using the electric boost. Day 3: the noise was really bad; it felt as if the chain was constantly slipping and grinding. But again, only when the power was on. I headed for home as I felt really worried that I was doing some real damage. I phoned 50 cycles, who told me that it sounded as if the motor drive sprocket, situated behind the main chain wheel, had worn. On a two-week-old bike????? I'm sure that he's right, but I am seriously not impressed. Also, the post room was closed so 50 cycles would be unable to send a replacement out today. So I won't get it until Tuesday which rather messes up my plans for a cycling holiday starting - guess when - next Tuesday. C'est la vie - but not good on such an expensive bike.

Thank you very much for your advice, flecc and deadmonkey. I guess I will just have to bite the bullet, fight through the manual and change the tubes! x

I have just bought a beautiful pro Connect cycle and how I love it. Instead of wheezing up hills,,, well, I still wheeze but only a little. I have bought a Bob Ibex one-wheel trailer and plan to go cycle camping for a month to Land's End and back, if I last that long. I have no doubts about the cycle, only me. BUT - and there are always 'buts': I am 5ft 4" tall and even buying the 50cm frame, I have to hop skip and jump to mount. Why doesn't Kalkhoff provide a smaller frame-size for this bike? Or, if they do, why doesn't 50 cycles import them? No, I don't want a step-through model. Why use wheels with Dunlop valves? I remember these from my long-ago childhood days and haven't seen valves like this for years. So why are Kalkhoff using these on such a high-spec, up-to-the-minute cycle??? And the pump that comes with the cycle... it's pathetic! I really fear getting a puncture - not because of changing the wheel (and the instruction manual makes it look like rocket-science) but because of pumping it up afterwards. Can anyone recommend a better pump for Dunlop valves? I really don't want to have to change tubes - I didn't pay out all that money to do this. Advice welcomed. xx Patti