April 4, 201313 yr Was that not the dreadful Lucas pumps? The Bosch pumps were the better of the two. Originally no the Lucas was the better one but then they went on to emission control and screwed the entire job up. Most people had no idea how to set the pumps up properly so never got the best out of them.
April 4, 201313 yr Half of Kalkhoff range have derailleurs, all Haibikes have derailleurs. If the chain comes off or if you have a puncture, hub gears are right pain. Not really. They are dead simple.
April 4, 201313 yr My old CVT motor has lasted since 1973 [ATTACH]5415.vB[/ATTACH] With the newer electronics you should be able to program in the pedal speed you wish to do and the CVT will alter the gearing. Will keep an eye on this? A totally different way to shift gears. Bob
April 4, 201313 yr Nice, real character cars. Don't see many of those original DAFs now Bob, yours dating from before Volvo butted in I think.
April 4, 201313 yr .....If the chain comes off or if you have a puncture, hub gears are right pain. Simply not true, it's just as easy to pop the rear wheel of my two hub geared bikes as it is any of my derailleur geared machines.
April 5, 201313 yr Did he say why? JimB I had asked Moustache to advise whether Nuvinci or the derailleur would be more adapted for long trips across mountainous terrain. The answer was that the derailleur would be more suitable because it consumed somewhat less energy and that in case of puncture, repair would be easier. A separate conversation with my retailer added another factor, that of weight. I planned to lift the bike on and off trains and occasionally heave it up two floors to my apartment. The extra 2kgs or so of the Nuvinci over the derailleur is certainly noticeable as soon as you lift it. The retailer also suggested that an experienced ‘dry’ cyclist, on long trips, would prefer the sense of precision and of a snappy gear change that the derailleur provides. This may be more a feeling than a fact, but actually is one that I personally appreciate. The kind of trips I have in mind, for which it remains hard to imagine anything other than a derailleur being appropriate, are shown by these videos (caution: the musical accompaniment is a bit of an acquired taste!):
April 5, 201313 yr Author I had asked Moustache to advise whether Nuvinci or the derailleur would be more adapted for long trips across mountainous terrain. The answer was that the derailleur would be more suitable because it consumed somewhat less energy and that in case of puncture, repair would be easier. A separate conversation with my retailer added another factor, that of weight. I planned to lift the bike on and off trains and occasionally heave it up two floors to my apartment. The extra 2kgs or so of the Nuvinci over the derailleur is certainly noticeable as soon as you lift it. The retailer also suggested that an experienced ‘dry’ cyclist, on long trips, would prefer the sense of precision and of a snappy gear change that the derailleur provides. This may be more a feeling than a fact, but actually is one that I personally appreciate. The kind of trips I have in mind, for which it remains hard to imagine anything other than a derailleur being appropriate, are shown by these videos (caution: the musical accompaniment is a bit of an acquired taste!): Thanks for your reply AlMel - very useful. I enjoyed the videos - breath-taking in many ways:o I now have a curious desire for a Fondue Neuchatel! Regards, JimB Edited April 5, 201313 yr by JimB
April 5, 201313 yr Great videos - I even got to quite like the soundtrack; although, my taste in music could be termed eclectic In the deuxieme fillum the young ladies handlebars seemed inordinately wide (if you'll pardon the expression); or is it just that she's slightly built?
April 5, 201313 yr Great videos - I even got to quite like the soundtrack; although, my taste in music could be termed eclectic In the deuxieme fillum the young ladies handlebars seemed inordinately wide (if you'll pardon the expression); or is it just that she's slightly built? I don't know the width, but this is the bike: Moustache Bikes | Samedi 26 9S
April 12, 201313 yr Someobody asked in another thread about whether or not Kalkhoff are offering bikes with NuVinci this season but my reply hasn't appeared for some reason. The answer is yes, several models and all of them using the NuVinci i360 Harmony hub rather than the manual-shifting N360 CVT. Hoping to have the first here in the UK next week and hopefully in time for the Eden Project event. Just to reiterate, it's the proper automatic i360 not the manual shifting N360. http://www.50cycles.com/img.ashx?o=products/Thumbnail_130f2dnzn28ki.jpg Kalkhoff Ergo Impulse Cardio training electric bike This one has a heart monitor so it maintains a constant heart rate through an interaction between the Impulse drive and NuVinci i360 Harmony transmission. Clever, eh? Available in crossbar and step-thru styles. And we have two versions of the Sahel with the Impulse drive and NuVinci i360 Harmony transmission http://www.50cycles.com/img.ashx?o=products/Thumbnail_3b6cajr2lgktr.jpg Sahel i360 NuVinci Harmony Electric Bike http://www.50cycles.com/img.ashx?o=products/Thumbnail_2321esduhtkfw.jpg Sahel i360 NuVinci Harmony Step-thru Electric Bike
April 12, 201313 yr NuVinci is great for electric bikes but feels like you are treading through treacle when unpowered a number of independant reviews have said this e.g. electric bike magazine. This is more noticeable on NuVinci when compared to Shimano Alfine or Nexus! However there are plenty of options if you want to go for NuVinci KTM, Moustache etc.
April 12, 201313 yr And the Grace MX!! I agree, the Nuvinci compared with a hub or better still a derailiure gear set is a little stodgy. However on Bosch system bikes it enables manufacturers to turn the torque up to 50Nm from a Shimano's stated maximum of 40Nm without voiding the Shimano warranty. With the extra 10Nm of torque the NuVinci drive is wonderful! All the best David
April 12, 201313 yr Hi David, does the Grace MX have NuVinci i360 or the twist grip N360 shifter? I can't make it out on the specs page.
April 12, 201313 yr In reply to Electrifying cycles chap - but NuVinci Harmony was conceived specifically for electric bikes with decent long-range batteries that aren't going to run out on you. Treacly ride when unpowered is kind of missing the point... I'm surprised that some ebike manufacturers went for the old manual N360 hub rather than the nifty new automatic i360 Harmony. I'm really looking forward to this heart-monitoring integration with Harmony - my jaw dropped when they told us about that, cannot wait to see how it works in practice. They've kept the price sensible as well. Edited April 12, 201313 yr by Tim
April 12, 201313 yr Hi David, maybe we'll catch up at the Eden Project event next weekend if you're around? Been a while Cheers, Tim
April 12, 201313 yr NuVinci is great for electric bikes but feels like you are treading through treacle when unpowered a number of independant reviews have said this e.g. electric bike magazine. This is more noticeable on NuVinci when compared to Shimano Alfine or Nexus! However there are plenty of options if you want to go for NuVinci KTM, Moustache etc. I really don't think that the transmission drag introduced by the NuVinci hub is an issue. Why would you buy an electric bike and then ride it with the power turned off? It makes no sense. This heart rate monitor thing sounds like a gimmick to me. The best sensors for telling you when to change gear are your leg muscles and eyes. To use heart rate as a gear change trigger is like monitoring the MPG of your car to detect low tyre pressure. There are better ways to do both.
April 12, 201313 yr I will try to get there for the weekend/early week Tim, but we have another exhibition at the end of the week so can't make both unfortunately.
April 12, 201313 yr In reply to Electrifying cycles chap - but NuVinci Harmony was conceived specifically for electric bikes with decent long-range batteries that aren't going to run out on you. Treacly ride when unpowered is kind of missing the point... I'm surprised that some ebike manufacturers went for the old manual N360 hub rather than the nifty new automatic i360 Harmony. I'm really looking forward to this heart-monitoring integration with Harmony - my jaw dropped when they told us about that, cannot wait to see how it works in practice. They've kept the price sensible as well. That maybe true but some people want to ride bikes unpowered as well or beyond 15.5mph so it is important that this is known. Also KTM has the automatic transmission. At the end of the day it depends what you want from your electric bike. David Edited April 12, 201313 yr by Electrifying Cycles
April 12, 201313 yr This heart rate monitor thing sounds like a gimmick to me. The best sensors for telling you when to change gear are your leg muscles and eyes. To use heart rate as a gear change trigger is like monitoring the MPG of your car to detect low tyre pressure. There are better ways to do both. Here's an example of where it might be useful. You have a heart problem and your doctor urges you to take some exercise as part of the recovery. You ask him if cycling is OK and he says "yes, but try to keep your heart rate below 140 if you can". So you think, that's all very well but it's hilly round here and I need both hands on the handlebars, I can't cycle round taking my pulse all the time. So until this Ergo Impulse came along you just had to cycle carefully... This new system means you can input your target heart rate and the heart monitor, transmission and pedal assistance will work in concert to keep your heart rate as close to 140bpm (for example) as possible, regardless of terrain. Up hill and down dale at a constant 140bpm. As well as riders with heart problems, those who want to lose a bit of weight can target a higher heart rate (I think it's 145bpm and above for me) which will mean you'll ride with just the amount of effort to burn calories and lose weight without getting tired and out of breath. So, it's a genuinely useful innovation for people with specific health issues, people who want to lose weight and people who have a reason to train at a particular heart rate. Edited April 12, 201313 yr by Tim
April 12, 201313 yr I really don't think that the transmission drag introduced by the NuVinci hub is an issue. Why would you buy an electric bike and then ride it with the power turned off? It makes no sense. This heart rate monitor thing sounds like a gimmick to me. The best sensors for telling you when to change gear are your leg muscles and eyes. To use heart rate as a gear change trigger is like monitoring the MPG of your car to detect low tyre pressure. There are better ways to do both. Just depends how you want to ride it and what speed e.g. whether you ride it above 15.5mph. I think it is a good system for the right person, horses for courses (and not the food variety!).
April 12, 201313 yr Author .....................This new system means you can input your target heart rate and the heart monitor, transmission and pedal assistance will work in concert to keep your heart rate as close to 140bpm (for example) as possible, regardless of terrain. Up hill and down dale at a constant 140bpm...... QUOTE] Tim, like a lot of people I have a heart 'issue' and use my cross trainer with a target heart rate program in exactly the way you describe. Iknow you're going to tell me when you get these bikes in but as this has come up here can you tell me; 1. Whether the bike comes with a heart rate monitor and whether that's Bluetooth or not? The premium (in price) over the NuVinci Harmony would cover the cost of a receiver on the bike and a Bluetooth Chest Monitor many times over so one would hope so. 2. On many occasions owners may wish to ride the bike like an 'ordinary' NuVinci auto - ie without the heart rate program, can this be done? 3. Are the 2013 models arriving with the 17.00ah batteries? JimB
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