I believe only batteries made by BMZ have sleep mode.

It's not that important unless you leave your bike unused for more than a month in winter. With Chinese batteries, it's best to ride the bike often, at least once a month.

 

Do you know which bikes have this battery?

 

I'm unlikely to ride over the winter months.

BMZ make batteries for a lot of companies - Kalkhoff for example, and Bosch, but not Chinese.

It's the Panasonic batteries supplied with their crank units that originated this sleep mode on e-bike batteries in 2007. The only imitator since is BMZ with their Kalkhoff-BMZ batteries for Panasonic and Kalkhoff crank units. I don't know of BMZ making batteries like this for any other e-bike maker. Both these also have a capacity measurement facility as well as a content meter. They are quite expensive batteries though, the larger capacity ones costing as much as some budget e-bikes.

 

So neither Woosh nor any other budget e-bike supplier have these features.

I have ridden the Smarta and it is a pretty good bike amongst the far east import offering. The Electric Transport Shop I have found to be very good to deal with. The battery on this bike is only 9Ah which is quite a limited capacity - I wouldn't bank on it covering 40 miles. The 4 year battery warranty has some caveats to bear in mind.

 

All Kalkhoff bikes come with a 2 year warranty. Kalkhoff bikes (being German made) are very different in component quality terms to bikes like the Smarta. This is why they cost considerably more. Whether you consider this money worth spending will depend on many things but is essentially a matter of personal choice. Most Kalkhoff bikes have much higher capacity batteries.

Where is the best place to buy a Kalkhoff bike? I don't mind spending more. If I get once with a sleep mode battery then it should fit me better as I leave the bike dormant over winter.

Leccy,these batteries only lose about 2 per cent per month when left unused, we advise our customers the 80/20 rule...that batteries should not be stored left full or empty. In practice,we recommend that if you are intending to leave the bike unused for several months,then fully charge the bike,ride it for 30 mins under power to take the top off the charge,you would be ok to then leave the battery up to 6 months without any further charging.

I leave 2 bikes on a boat,all winter,they are usually at about 60 per cent charge in the spring.

KudosDave

Leccy,these batteries only lose about 2 per cent per month when left unused, we advise our customers the 80/20 rule...that batteries should not be stored left full or empty. In practice,we recommend that if you are intending to leave the bike unused for several months,then fully charge the bike,ride it for 30 mins under power to take the top off the charge,you would be ok to then leave the battery up to 6 months without any further charging.

I leave 2 bikes on a boat,all winter,they are usually at about 60 per cent charge in the spring.

KudosDave

 

Is that the Kalkhoff/Panasonic battery or are you referring to all batteries?

Where is the best place to buy a Kalkhoff bike? I don't mind spending more. If I get once with a sleep mode battery then it should fit me better as I leave the bike dormant over winter.

 

The exclusive agent for Kalkhoff in the UK is 50cycles, with showrooms at Loughborough, Kingston upon Thames and Shoreham by Sea.

 

Here's their contact page with full details of those locations. Do try to have a test ride first to help you choose the right one, even within one brand they vary considerably in sizing and personal suitability.

Having purchased the latest addition to my stable from 50 Cycles very recently, I endorse Flecc's recommendation that you test-ride any/all the models which hold appeal for you. Indeed, if you visit the London branch, Tim will probably insist you try a few models.

 

The British ebike market is suffering some ridiculous marketing hype currently, KTM dealers being particularly shameless in that regard. Some of the prices are simply crazy and without justification when real scrutiny is applied but let each potential buyer judge for himself.

 

There are some 'budget' bikes and middle-range machines that are pretty well the equal of some of these over-hyped bikes being heavily exposed before us right now. However, in an effort to ensure their dominant position as a major player in the bike market in the UK, 50 Cycles' pricing seems particularly keen at the present time.

 

In the 6 years I have been looking at these pages, I really can't remember anyone having a bad word to say about Kalkhoff bikes so I don't think you'd go far wrong if you paid 50 Cycles a visit to see for yourself.

 

Tom

Tim,oh sorry I meant Tom....50 cycles London showroom is in Hampton Wick near Kingston....this area of London is becoming an electric bike oasis...just down the road you have the London Electric Bike Company....whilst you are testing the Kalkhoff range at 50 cycles you can trip down the road to try the stylish KTM range,the exciting off road Haibike range and our own Kudos range.

What do you mean by ' the ridiculous marketing hype of some KTM dealers',I personally think at its price level the KTM range is amazing value,they are beautifully built,have an amazing range of models and are available from a number of local dealers across the UK.

I really can't remember anyone having a bad word to say about the KTM bikes ,so I don't think you would go far wrong if you paid London Electric Bike Company a visit to see for yourself.....hehe

KudosDave

Where is the best place to buy a Kalkhoff bike? I don't mind spending more. If I get once with a sleep mode battery then it should fit me better as I leave the bike dormant over winter.

 

Levy,the only place that I know to buy a Kalkhoff bike is 50 cycles.

KudosDave

I personally think at its price level the KTM range is amazing value

 

Value... We have a Bosch-powered Pro Connect in Hampton Wick now, with 2014 Performance Motor & 400Wh battery. It's priced at £1895 while the equivalent KTM appears to be at least a couple of hundred pounds more and arguably not as well-equipped. The Pro Connect i8 with Impulse 2.0 and 612Wh battery is still less expensive than most of the KTM bikes as far as I can see and offer greater range, power, lighting, etc.

 

Warranties - it's 2 years on all the Kalkhoff bikes. However, the batteries have an expected lifetime of 1100 charge cycles rather than the usual 500. Also, we've recently been informed that the battery ageing rate in the largest packs is around half that of usual i.e. 1-2% (about 0.2Ah) per year rather than 2-5% (up to 0.55Ah/year) for other chemistries.

 

Showrooms We have another showroom opening in Bristol later this Spring too and we're looking for another showroom in somewhere like Cambridge or Norwich. You can try Bosch, Impulse 1.0, Impulse 2.0, Xion and whatever else we have at each showroom.

Edited March 17, 201412 yr by Tim

That Pro Connect is a fantastic deal, and i've not seen another Bosch performance motor anywhere near that price!

Value... We have a Bosch-powered Pro Connect in Hampton Wick now, with 2014 Performance Motor & 400Wh battery. It's priced at £1895 while the equivalent KTM appears to be at least a couple of hundred pounds more and arguably not as well-equipped. The Pro Connect i8 with Impulse 2.0 and 612Wh battery is still less expensive than most of the KTM bikes as far as I can see and offer greater range, power, lighting, etc.

 

Warranties - it's 2 years on all the Kalkhoff bikes. However, the batteries have an expected lifetime of 1100 charge cycles rather than the usual 500. Also, we've recently been informed that the battery ageing rate in the largest packs is around half that of usual i.e. 1-2% (about 0.2Ah) per year rather than 2-5% (up to 0.55Ah/year) for other chemistries.

 

Showrooms We have another showroom opening in Bristol later this Spring too and we're looking for another showroom in somewhere like Cambridge or Norwich. You can try Bosch, Impulse 1.0, Impulse 2.0, Xion and whatever else we have at each showroom.

 

Tim,50 cycles....really good news all your expansion plans...this e-bike business has come alive of late...Kudos is happy to be a modest part of the market....will drop in and say hello,next time I am visiting Hampton Wick,such a nice village in greater London.

KudosDave

www.kudoscycles.com

Value... We have a Bosch-powered Pro Connect in Hampton Wick now, with 2014 Performance Motor & 400Wh battery. It's priced at £1895 while the equivalent KTM appears to be at least a couple of hundred pounds more and arguably not as well-equipped. The Pro Connect i8 with Impulse 2.0 and 612Wh battery is still less expensive than most of the KTM bikes as far as I can see and offer greater range, power, lighting, etc.

 

Warranties - it's 2 years on all the Kalkhoff bikes. However, the batteries have an expected lifetime of 1100 charge cycles rather than the usual 500. Also, we've recently been informed that the battery ageing rate in the largest packs is around half that of usual i.e. 1-2% (about 0.2Ah) per year rather than 2-5% (up to 0.55Ah/year) for other chemistries.

 

Showrooms We have another showroom opening in Bristol later this Spring too and we're looking for another showroom in somewhere like Cambridge or Norwich. You can try Bosch, Impulse 1.0, Impulse 2.0, Xion and whatever else we have at each showroom.

 

Thanks. I think the nearest store you have to me is Loughborough.

 

A bit too far to visit for me normally but will try to get down there in the next few weeks.

The British ebike market is suffering some ridiculous marketing hype currently, KTM dealers being particularly shameless in that regard.

Tom

 

Hi Tom.

 

Is there any chance you can give us a bit more detail about this comment? We're always interested to hear feedback, on the perception of what we and our dealers are doing.

 

Pushing the brand, and indeed eBikes generally is something I employ people to do, so I'm pleased you're seeing more of the brand. But I don't think anyone is over hyping anything, that I'm aware of.

 

We've got a quality product that we're proud of, and we've got a dealer network that is clearly liking selling the product, which is why they are all saying nice things about the bikes.

 

We only sell KTM to cycle shops that do multiple brands, so whenever you hear a dealer praising KTM you can be fairly sure that they are doing it from a perspective of working with multiple brands and being happy with KTM.

 

We don't sell direct, and we don't sell to shops that do exclusively KTM because we don't believe in those business models. We like the people selling KTMs to have a choice of what to sell so customers know their are being given sensible advice and a fair choice with things to directly compare our brand too.

 

We appreciate that some brands will sell direct and cut out the retailers and therefore be able to do things cheaper. However we value our network of dealers and want to ensure everyone in the industry makes a decent living so things are sustainable. Lots of shops have tried being specialists in one brand in the cycle industry and in the long term it doesn't really work, which is one of the reasons why we've not gone with this model.

 

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Regards

Col.

From personal experience I can say that the bike manufacturer's warranty is a waste if time and not fit for purpose. if the motor has an issue it would be Bosch's fault.. If it was the dial also Bosch. if it was the brakes then that manufacturer, gears then that brand manufacturer, rims, suspension, etc etc etc. They also do not respond to customer's emails and fob you off. They also quote agreement, small print and tell you to refer to x brand manufacturer etc etc etc and weeks can go by..... Oh and they just tell you to deal with seller whcih is fair enough but not when they are given tat information in first place. i am assuming that KTM have learnt from their experience and have improved the feedback they give to their retailers. needless to say i do not rate KTM UK suppliers much. The retailer I do rate .. Without any quibbles at all they went above and beyond ehat they needed to do despite hassles they had through no fault of their own.

 

the experience I had with KTM UK will definitely affect the brand I buy next time.... Booo Hiss baaa!

hmm, the processes you have described.

 

1) your warranty being with the dealer you bought the bike from

 

and

 

2) that brands like Bosch / Shimano / Rockshox etc etc handle the warranty process for their components themselves.

 

are 100% correct.

 

So if you break a Rockshox fork, you take your bikes to the dealer you bought the bike from, and they contact Fishers Outdoor Leisure who are the UK service centre for Rockshox for them to be fixed.

 

This is I'm afraid how the warranty process works for all bike brands in the UK who use branded components. There is nothing we as a brand can do to change this.

 

We're glad your dealer helped you out, and this is 100% what they are there to do. We can't be dealing with all the thousands of KTM customers direct I'm afraid - its not our role.

 

The problems with your case, from memory (I could be wrong) were all caused by the fact that you live about 300 miles away from the dealer you bought the bike from.

 

If you can in a few lines explain how you would have preferred things to be handled I can pass this onto the brands concerned, but I'm afraid systems are in place that the whole cycle industry has to work with.

 

Regards

Col

The problems with your case, from memory (I could be wrong) were all caused by the fact that you live about 300 miles away from the dealer you bought the bike from.

 

Hi Col - I'm in North East Essex and researching into buying a ebike but there is a dearth of ebike dealers in the vicinity for test rides etc. So your quote doesn't inspire confidence esp if splashing out on a quality brand if things go wonky - and a KTM is on the list. I'm not a car driver and my only other means of transport is a motorcycle or train so getting a potentially problematic bike back to where I might potentially purchase it from would be err problematic and I wouldn't want my location thrown back in my face if things went tits up.

Hi,

 

I can't remember the exact details of the problems this lady had with her KTM, but I do remember she is in North Wales and the dealer is in Norfolk. So when there was a problem, (which is actually pretty rare - hence why I can remember this case) the dealer had to have the bike collected and brought back to their store to be fixed. The lady had problems finding a box, or couldn't be in when their couriers want to collect. I'm sure she can post the details so we can look at this specific case if needed.

 

These are problems you have when buying a bike, or indeed anything mail order.

 

This is no different with any brand or indeed any product. There are advantages to buying mail order or on-line, and equally there are advantages from buying local.

 

If you are looking at a KTM ebike, we'd always prefer you to buy local for the back up and to support your local shop. We do have a number of dealers in Essex, or if you have a local bike shop you'd like to use we could consider supplying them if there is no one set up as a dealer already locally.

 

Regards

Col

Hi Col - I'm in North East Essex and researching into buying a ebike but there is a dearth of ebike dealers in the vicinity for test rides etc. So your quote doesn't inspire confidence esp if splashing out on a quality brand if things go wonky - and a KTM is on the list. I'm not a car driver and my only other means of transport is a motorcycle or train so getting a potentially problematic bike back to where I might potentially purchase it from would be err problematic and I wouldn't want my location thrown back in my face if things went tits up.

Wicky...not sure how soon is your timescale but the London Electric Bike Company will be offering test rides for KTM on the excellent Redbridge Cycling Centre,North East London on May 18. Alternatively it's a trip to Hampton Wick,West London..which KTM bike do you want to test?

KudosDave

Col There's a KTM motorcycle dealers close by in Halstead but they don't appear to have anything to do with ebikes. Hook of Holland/Rotterdam is closer in dry miles to an ebike dealer!

 

KudosDave - ta for the heads up was probably looking at a trip out to Kingston upon Thames area to see different dealers around that time to have a try out on different models depending if the NSA doesn't bring down the internet in the meantime ;-)

there are only two ways of getting good warranty:

 

1. buy (a KTMo_O) from local bike shop on your doorstep

2. buy direct from manufacturers (Ezee, Kudos, Rose, Woosh)

 

Or master the dark art of bike maintenance yourself.

Nope... Problem was not finding a box but was to do with the dial cutting out all the time and KTM not knowing what the problem was and the delay in manufacturers giving advice and correct information and the problem recurring. Snd yes the hassle sending it in a box when advice given to retailer was incorrect was a pain but that is nit what the problem was but rather an additional burden and costs to the retailer mainly. i just wanted a replacement to avoid all the ongoing hassle for retailer and me but KTM UK refused. It was more annoying when nobody at KTM seemed to know what the problem was.... Or didn't seem to care blaming Bosch? Anyhow.. Don't want to get into throwing accusations here but wanted to clarify that 'boxgate' was not the issue.. The fault was!