Ed B

Hello all, Thanks for all the replies so far. Here's an update: yesterday I visited 50cycles at Loughborough and tried an Agattu and the X27, the Agattu principally as a point of reference as it was the X27 I was primarily interested in. Took them both on a pre-planned route of 14 miles, in order to reach a decent hill - Nanpantan and Beacon Roads. Discounting a slow start & end - due to traffic and getting a 'feel' for the bikes and the controls - I averaged 16mph on the X27, 15 on the Agattu. This is using a mix of power levels on the X27, (I'm sure if I did the whole thing at 5 it would've been a little quicker, although 5 seemed thirsty on the battery) and mostly level 3 (of 3) on the Agattu, which did seem to take less out of the battery than 5 on the X27. Went away without making a decision, slept on it - and ordered the X27 today. I'll post a review after I've used it for a time. Thanks again for the help & suggestions Ed

Hello all, Long-time lurker here. I've been thinking about using an electric bike to commute to work on and off for quite a long time now, a year at least. This is for a distance of 9 miles each way. Terrain is rolling - very little flat, lots of gentle slope and a couple of 7 - 10% hills. The total ascent is 700ft. I cycle it on an unpowered bike from time to time in about 35 minutes. My aims for an electric bike would be to a) cut journey time b) get to work without being (too) sweaty, meaning I could skip the shower & change of clothes c) reduce car usage, save on petrol etc. However what's stopped me from going ahead so far is the initial cost of the bike and having a perfectly good car. This has changed now - the car got old, failed it's MOT once too many times so it's gone off to car heaven, and I'm left riding in every day unpowered whilst I dither between buying another car or following my pedelec dreams... I've had a look around and the best match to what I think are my requirements that I've found so far is the Kalkhoff Xion. What I would like is opinions on whether this really is the best match, or is there another bike I've not considered? What I'm looking for, and the xion delivers on: 1 - Disk brakes. 2 - No motor drag if the bike is running above the cutoff. 3 - Gearing that will allow the bike to be pushed, manually, up to ~30mph. For the downhills, of course... 4 - A bike that's certified EN 15194. (Does the Xion have this? Couldn't find anything definitive) 5 - Road-bike styling 6 - Hub motor, principally to avoid wearing out chain / cassette faster than necessary, plus it keeps all the fiddly mechanical bits out of dirt's way. This will be a bike for all-season riding. 7 - Enough power to get me, pedalling with only moderate effort, at ~11.5 stone, up hills of 10% at the full 15mph. Not sure if the xion will deliver 100% here? Let's say that the moderate effort would get me up, unpowered, at a sluggish 5mph. What the Xion doesn't have, and high on my wish-list: 8 - For the motor to be in the front wheel, and an internally geared hub in the back. Again this is for convenience - less exposed parts to get dirty / keep clean, no derailleur to get bent, no cassette to wear out. Lastly, any suggestions on where I might test-ride this bike? I'm in Sheffield. Many thanks Ed