Hi Tom

 

The datasheet that James posted has the part number as Y-322 03420, not Y-322 03429 (I've certainly order the Y-322 03420 ones as on the factsheet item number 27).

 

I hope these are the same.

 

John

 

Thanks John - yes stick to the numbers on the fact sheet.

Yes the incorrect part number was a Typo error by me. I have ordered the one from the data sheet posted by James, but thanks for pointing my error out. It could have lead to disappointment!

I have fitted an 18T sproket following the instructions posted by James and Flecc. The instructions were spot on. Thanks.

 

The sproket retaining clip was a bit of a devil to re-fit, but it went on eventually. I shortened the chain by two links and this seems to position the wheel in the centre of the rear slots when re-fitted. I didn't use a clip type joiner, but very carefully pushed the pin almost out and then back in again. I have just been out for a 10 mile hilly test ride and all seems well.

 

I find that I am now using the full range of gears which seems more sensible than with the 23 tooth sproket which I have removed. I was only using 4 to 8 with that fitted.

 

Thanks again for all your help with this.

 

Tom

An Experiment In International Relations.

 

The 57cm Kalkhoff Pro arrived in remarkably good condition on Friday morning, in Springfield/Eugene, Oregon. Hammered it together and have taken a number of shakedown cruises.

 

So far I have taken off the fenders. Took off the 'comfort' seat & replaced it currently with the Brook's leather saddle. It has tabs on the back that I can hang a proper fanny pack off of. Have put Crank Brothers, Mallet pedals, on the cranks. Also added a computer to keep track of miles & such. So the bike is ready to roll.

 

I finally wore the battery out on the Kalkhoff. Went 67 miles on the first battery charge. Total average speed was 11.9 mph. Did a lot of stop and repairs during the sundry shake down cruises, not to mention a nice bit of city miles, so not a bad reading for the first go.

 

Two factors at play. The terrain is level to undulating, a few small hills, but nothing to write home and tell Ma about. The second is my riding style.. I have a tendency to pedal outside the Panasonic’s power curve. Since I am used to high cadence at the pedals (95rpm), I am often spinning away at a level that I am receiving little or no assistance from the engine. The Panasonic helps get me up to speed and then I maintain that speed without much assistance. Except for a bit of experimentation, I have used the Medium power setting.

 

I plan to change the 23T rear sprocket on the Shimano Nexus hub to an 18T sprocket, which will lower the distance a tad. Not to mention speed the bicycle up a bit. But that will be a few days, since neither the afore mentioned sprocket, nor chain tool is in my immediate possession. In the mean time, the battery is in the charger gaining strength by the minute.

 

Duane

Congratulations on your new bike Duane, it looks good stripped like that.

 

That's a great range, and it supports my observations on this system in my Agattu test that a strong cyclist could get much more than the over 50 miles I showed on that heavier bike. Like you I enjoy high cadences and don't find pedalling these bikes at over the assist limit any problem.

 

I'll be interested to know what range you get after the sprocket change, though I suspect it won't be too badly affected with your riding style.

.

The Shipping News

 

The package arrived a day a head of schedule. Considering the distances involved, 8 time zones, the package with the 57cm Kalkhoff Pro Connect arrived in excellent condition. Accolades to 50Cycles and United Parcel Service.

 

The package travelled by jet from GB, to St. Louis, Missouri. It went through customs, then back on another jet going to Portland, Oregon. So it was handled a minimum of times by the infamous cargo crunching automatic sorters, who loiter around all major ports of call, just waiting for your package to come through..

Circlip from hell

 

#The sproket retaining clip was a bit of a devil to re-fit,

 

Youre not bloomin joking!!!! It makes the one on my Twist seem like a dream!!!

 

I have the circlip pliers, but they come in handy when taking them off in the first place. The retaining circlip here is a length of square metal forged/moulded in to a circle and then cut.

 

REALLY REALLY hard. It took me as long to get that clip on as it did to change both innertubes to schraders, shorten the chain (hope done right - find out in morning on way to work) and put on my mirror!!!

 

Thumbs are REALLY sore and bloody now

 

 

John

Dang, that looks a lot like my Lafree, the panier, seat, no fenders. etc. Of course, that looks brand NEW and it's missing the dent I have in the main frame tube.

 

With the stronger assist and the 8 speed, I would automatically go to the 16 tooth sprocket, but I live in Vegas.

 

I still use a 4 speed, less power available, and a 18 tooth right now here and it does real well. I can drive up the parking garage ramps here in 3rd gear. In 4th it stalls.

 

edited to change to 18

Edited August 1, 200817 yr by prState

Dang, that looks a lot like my Lafree, the panier, seat, no fenders. etc. Of course, that looks brand NEW and it's missing the dent I have in the main frame tube.

 

With the stronger assist and the 8 speed, I would automatically go to the 16 tooth sprocket, but I live in Vegas.

 

50cycles are offering delivery to the States now with facilities for that on their site. For you that would be a high power longer range version of your Lafree.

 

This is what they say in their latest newsletter:

 

US deliveries

 

http://www.50cycles.com/images/images2008/usflag.gif We can now deliver Kalkhoff electric bikes to customers in the USA and Canada. Call +44 844 800 5979 or order online - once you select your country of residence, our system will automatically deduct UK VAT (local sales tax of 17.5%) and add US shipping. We've already delivered our first few bikes to customers in Oregon and Texas.

.

American interested in Pro Connect

 

Hi All,

 

I live in California and am considering purchasing a Kalkhoff bike. I have not been able to find any information on the dimensions of the various sizes of the bikes. I tried the Giant Twist Freedom DX here in the US, but it comes in only two sizes, neither of which felt right to me. Plus it comes with panniers that cover the batteries, and the panniers are tiny to the point of not being very functional.

 

I was thrilled to see that 50 cycles will ship to the US, but am nervous about ordering the wrong size bike.

 

Would any of you Kalkhoff owners measure and post the stand-over heights of your bikes so I can figure out the correct size? I'd appreciate it alot. I've contacted 50 Cycles by email but haven't heard back. I gather they're busy getting out all your orders...!

 

Falstaff, how is your experience going with your new bike? How much assembly did you have to do? Did you buy a plug converter for charging the bike? Any feedback on the international buying process?

 

Thanks to all who respond. This site has been great for learning about pedelec bikes.

Hi Erica

 

I have the 57cm Diamond Frame pro connect, and I have a 31/32 inch inside leg and am 5'11" tall. It is just right (if not a bit high), bt it 'feels' right to ride. My wife is 4'11" an she has the 45cm Step-thru frame and she can only just ride it. I can adequately tip-toe to the floor on mine, but she has to dismount on hers.

 

I believe that I would have been absolutely fine with the 53ch frame too, as I understand they have 6cm of forward-backwards movement available in the seat, but I prefer bigger frames (my legs seem long for my body ).

 

Hope that helps a bit

 

John

Standing Tall

 

Hi Erica

 

First the issue of the ‘Stand Over’ height.. Like John I have a 57cm male/diamond frame.. Which is their 22.5 inch frame size.. Frame size is generally measured from the center of the cranks, where your pedals connect to the top of the seat post.. On the Kalkhoff, the cross bar or top bar slopes upwards from 2 inches below the end of the seat post to where it connects to the head tube at the handle bars. I measured standover height from a couple inches in front of the nose of the saddle and got 32 inches.. At the juncture with the handle bars, that figure was 34. Could probably subtract an 1.5 inches from the above figures for the medium frame they offer, the 53cm diamond frame. Not sure this mathematical trick works for the small and extra small frames, but it does give you some idea of the stand over height...

 

That being said, I never ‘stand over’ a bike.. Since I have used toe clips for quite a few decades and now clipless SPD pedals, I free up my right foot and do a partial dismount by coming off the saddle & leaning the bicycle over to the right as I put my foot down.. Like John mentioned in the previous post, I am long in body and more so in feet, so the ‘large’ size frame I chose is a good fit. I could have gone with the extra large frame, and even made do with the medium.. But like the 57cm frame.

 

A good idea would be to download the High Res Kalkhoff Pro Connect image from the 50Cycles website.. You can really zoom in on it without fuzziness. Can give a visual reference to some of the things folks are talking about in this forum..

 

Duane

The Electric Horseman... Some Assembly Required

 

When I first opened the large bicycle box, I was a little dismayed over not having any assembly instructions. On a simplistic level, you will have to mount the front tire to the frame, the handle bars need mounting as well, along with the seat post. An excellent set of allen wrenches are a must.. You will also have to install the pedals to the crank arms. That with hooking up the front brake assembly.. Then air up the tires... Took well less then an hour.. I had their high resolution image on my computer screen for reference while I was hammering the bicycle together.. If you read some of my posts from a few days ago, you will see that I have modified the bicycle right out of the box. The assembly is straight forward. Can always email me or post questions to the forum if you run into a hard spot...

 

After reading the brief handouts, sent along with previous bicycles, translated from German, it was stated that the power unit should only be plugged into a 220volt circuit... So I bought a power transformer to handle the task of converting 110 volts to 220 volts. This has worked excellently... But it may not have been necessary... But since I was at the far end of the food change, I did not want to gamble... The back of the battery charger states that it can be plug into any circuit from 110 volt to 230 volt... Data I did not know in advance.. So I may have wasted $20 something on the transformer. Oh well... . In any case you will need a Euro plug converter to mate the euro round plug ends with the US standard socket.. A very small cost...

 

My impressions of the bicycle are only about 8 days old. I do enjoy riding the Kalkhoff Pro Connect. I like its stretched touring like frame, which makes it quite stable. Very comfortable. Easy to handle in foot and motor traffic. It is an excellent road bike, a trekking bike. It’s a critter born for asphalt. So far I am in the second go at ‘conditioning’ the battery, which means running it till it quits.. For first conditioning set, I went 67 miles before the battery shut down.. I am now on my second battery charge.. As of sundown tonight, I had racked up 62 miles and still have one light on the console and battery... Neither of these guys are flashing.. Which sort of indicates I have between 10% -20% battery capacity left. I will certainly reach the upper 70's, perhaps into the low 80 miles traveled between battery charges. These numbers are well beyond even my own expectations.

 

The international buying process has some frustrations, things like your bank or credit card company charging fees to convert currency come to mind. But otherwise, the ordering process is quite straight forward.. 50Cycles has a best seller on their hands in the Kalkhoff. They have been responsive to my questions that have arisen during the break in of the cycle.. Are they perfect... No.. But they are very good...

stand over height

 

Hi Erica ,

I have the 49 cm diamond frame ProConnect (19 1/2 " centre of cranks to top of seat tube) and I measure the top of the cross bar to be 31" halfway along it's length. As Falstaff says it slopes downward from the handle bars to saddle but I think halfway is roughly where I stand. I am 5'9" and my inside leg is 33" so I wouldn't want it any higher.

 

Its a great bike with the 18 tooth sprocket.

 

Mark

Thanks Guys!

 

John, Duane, and Mark,

 

Thanks for your replies. I am very interested in this bike, and like Duane I am on the west coast of the US and will be in a stew if I can't figure out the proper size bike. I am 5 feet, seven inches and think the 49 (probably) or the 53 (possibly) mignt work. Not clear yet on the 53 cm bike measurements.

 

Duane, I appreciate the detailed response about how your Pro Connect arrived and the assembly process. Sounds like it won't be hard to handle. Once I assemble the bike, I'll probably take it to a shop for a once-over.

 

The battery life you are experiencing is fantastic. I was thinking of ordering a second battery, but maybe that's not necessary. I hope to commute but also do pleasure rides on the bike, taking 20-60 mile hilly country rides on the bike. Two batteries might make a "century"!

 

Please keep us updated on your progress with the bike. The photo, by the way, is great; what a pretty bike.

 

And Flecc, thanks for the welcome. This is a great site, and very welcoming to newcomers, which is appreciated.

 

Erica

Pro Connect

 

John, Duane, and Mark,

 

Thanks for your replies. I am very interested in this bike, and like Duane I am on the west coast of the US and will be in a stew if I can't figure out the proper size bike. I am 5 feet, seven inches and think the 49 (probably) or the 53 (possibly) mignt work. Not clear yet on the 53 cm bike measurements.

 

Duane, I appreciate the detailed response about how your Pro Connect arrived and the assembly process. Sounds like it won't be hard to handle. Once I assemble the bike, I'll probably take it to a shop for a once-over.

 

The battery life you are experiencing is fantastic. I was thinking of ordering a second battery, but maybe that's not necessary. I hope to commute but also do pleasure rides on the bike, taking 20-60 mile hilly country rides on the bike. Two batteries might make a "century"!

 

Please keep us updated on your progress with the bike. The photo, by the way, is great; what a pretty bike.

 

And Flecc, thanks for the welcome. This is a great site, and very welcoming to newcomers, which is appreciated.

 

Erica

 

I got the 53cm Pro Connect Gents frame a few weeks ago and I am very pleased with it. My height is 5ft 10ins and inside leg is 31ins. I have the seat of the bike at it's lowest position and it is just right for me. The hill climbing is excellent with me being 12st in weight I barely have to change gear unless there is a head wind.

The battery is really good as well, compared to my previous ebike which was a Giant Lafree Step Thru.

One thing I have had to get used to was mounting the bike differently since I was so used to the 'step thru' bike which is much easier to get on and off.

The Pro Connect looks and feels great. It has already had a number of admiring glances and positive comments. It can be ridden just like an ordinary bike. Kalkhoff are definitely on a winner with this one provided the price doesn't get too high.

Thanks, Walkerman!

 

The bike sounds great. I'm quite interested in it to use for commuting, errands, and road rides in the country around the Bay Area.

 

Could you possibly measure from the ground to the top of the crossbar about midway along the crossbar? I just want to make sure that at stops I'm not resting on that bar....ouch!

 

I'm only 5'7 and trying to decide between the 49cm (not in stock) and the 53cm (lots in stock). The fellow at 50Cycles is about to take a holiday and is a bit pressed to take international calls right now, I gather. I am thrilled that they are now shipping to the US, as our options for high quality pedelecs are few.

 

Glad to hear you are enjoying your bike so much. Hopefully I will join the ranks of happy (and properly fitted) owners, too.

Thanks, Walkerman!

 

The bike sounds great. I'm quite interested in it to use for commuting, errands, and road rides in the country around the Bay Area.

 

Could you possibly measure from the ground to the top of the crossbar about midway along the crossbar? I just want to make sure that at stops I'm not resting on that bar....ouch!

 

I'm only 5'7 and trying to decide between the 49cm (not in stock) and the 53cm (lots in stock). The fellow at 50Cycles is about to take a holiday and is a bit pressed to take international calls right now, I gather. I am thrilled that they are now shipping to the US, as our options for high quality pedelecs are few.

 

Glad to hear you are enjoying your bike so much. Hopefully I will join the ranks of happy (and properly fitted) owners, too.

 

 

It measures about 31.5 inches at the mid-point of the crossbar at the top edge.

Thanks, Walkerman!

 

I get your comments about the step through versus diamond frame in terms of mounting. That's another decision point for me. I like the ease of the step through, but prefer the looks (and the bottle bosses, the ease of putting the bike on a work stand or car rack, and the simplicity) of the diamond frame. Given that you had the step-through previously, and could have had either style in the Pro Connect, what swung you over to the diamond frame.

 

I think in the US, the step through style might be less attractive to thieves, but who knows. I sure wish I could pop round to the shop and ride the bikes!

Pro Connect

 

Thanks, Walkerman!

 

I get your comments about the step through versus diamond frame in terms of mounting. That's another decision point for me. I like the ease of the step through, but prefer the looks (and the bottle bosses, the ease of putting the bike on a work stand or car rack, and the simplicity) of the diamond frame. Given that you had the step-through previously, and could have had either style in the Pro Connect, what swung you over to the diamond frame.

 

I think in the US, the step through style might be less attractive to thieves, but who knows. I sure wish I could pop round to the shop and ride the bikes!

 

The looks of the diamond frame swung me. The step thru is very easy to get on and off but I always felt my previous step thru bike looked a bit quirky and old fashioned. The Pro Connect diamond model gets admiring looks and I suppose that makes it more attractive to thieves.

I might be in San Fransisco and California later this year - it's a pity I couldn't bring it over for you to try out

I'm 5ft 4 with inside leg of 29in. i have the 45cm Pro connect stepthrough and can balance with the balls of my feet on the floor. Couldn't do this on the agattu due to the suspension seatpost which made the choice easier:) . I woudn't want a bigger size.

Hello all concerned.

Just finished my first range testing of my Pro-Connect and the results are very good.

 

Conditions.

49cm Pro-Connect.

18 tooth rear sprocket modification.

Male rider (not that fit).

5ft 11inch tall.

13stone 7lbs.

Pannier with total weight of 10lbs.

Total weight 199lbs.

Bike on high power all the way.

 

Fully charged to dead battery based on 5 identical commutes.

I basically lost 1 light on the battery for each commute.

Each commute was an average of 5.13 miles and 464 feet of climb (12hills), the max hill was a 1 in 10.

 

Results....

 

25miles which included 2,325 feet of ascent.

 

All data came from my Garmin etrex attached to the bike.

Data was then uploaded to my PC and compiled by my Fugawi mapping software.

 

I am very pleased with this result for a very hilly area like Sheffield.

 

Mid power setting range in the next few weeks.

 

 

Any comparisons?

 

Regards Bob.

 

 

UPDATE......

Just though I'd let people know how my commute is progressing in the last 5-6 weeks since this post.

The legs are really kicking in now and im starting to use the medium setting more often than normal.

The hill climbing is now being done in higher gears and faster times.

I've now shaved off 3 mins from my one way commute (20mins now).

Sweat levels have now dropped from extremely sweaty on arrival at work, to now being a bit sweaty.

Weight loss 10lbs, though my appetite is bigger than before.

Due to this fact I'm gonna do some more re-testing on the Pro-Connect next week and compare and post the results.

Good news all round really.

 

Regards Bob.

UPDATE......

 

I've now shaved off 3 mins from my one way commute (20mins now).

 

 

Regards Bob.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

one way commute ??? do you and bike use some star trek "transporter" to beam back home on an evening so you can do your "one way commute" the next day...?

UPDATE......

Just though I'd let people know how my commute is progressing in the last 5-6 weeks since this post.

The legs are really kicking in now and im starting to use the medium setting more often than normal.

The hill climbing is now being done in higher gears and faster times.

I've now shaved off 3 mins from my one way commute (20mins now).

Sweat levels have now dropped from extremely sweaty on arrival at work, to now being a bit sweaty.

Weight loss 10lbs, though my appetite is bigger than before.

Due to this fact I'm gonna do some more re-testing on the Pro-Connect next week and compare and post the results.

Good news all round really.

 

Regards Bob.

 

 

Sounds very much like my experience. I am now into about 5 months ( time flies when you are enjoying yourself) and I have made further reductions on my commute. When I started I used to take on the hills in third now I am up to 5 sometimes 6 if I feel good with no loss in speed. Av speed on the steepest parts consistently around 9mph

 

Just back from a holiday though and I do feel the burn when I return to the hills. Recovery is swift thankfully.

Kalkhoff Bike Sizes

 

Thanks, Walkerman!

 

The bike sounds great. I'm quite interested in it to use for commuting, errands, and road rides in the country around the Bay Area.

 

Could you possibly measure from the ground to the top of the crossbar about midway along the crossbar? I just want to make sure that at stops I'm not resting on that bar....ouch!

 

I'm only 5'7 and trying to decide between the 49cm (not in stock) and the 53cm (lots in stock). The fellow at 50Cycles is about to take a holiday and is a bit pressed to take international calls right now, I gather. I am thrilled that they are now shipping to the US, as our options for high quality pedelecs are few.

 

Glad to hear you are enjoying your bike so much. Hopefully I will join the ranks of happy (and properly fitted) owners, too.

 

 

Hello Erica

 

I have copied, below, emails between 50cycles and myself. They may provide a little help in deciding on sizes. I bought a 49cm Wave Frame Tasman which suits me just fine. The saddle arrived in its lowest position and I am glad I went for this smaller size.

 

Iain

 

 

Hello

I am looking at your Kalkhoff range of bikes.

One question, please: I am 5' 9" with a 29" inside leg measurement. Which size is correct for me?

Thank you

Yours

Iain

 

 

Hi Iain, the 53cm frame size, for either Pro Connect or Agattu would be best.

All the best,

Tim Snaith

50cycles Ltd

 

 

Hi Tim

Thanks for your reply. Would the 49cm Tasman be OK bearing in mind the 29" inside leg? And I notice it is in stock.

Thank you

Iain

 

 

 

Hi Iain, yes, the 49cm would also be suitable as the suspension mechanism on the seat post adds a couple of inches to the minimum saddle height, and the saddle stem is adjustable over about 4-5 inches.

 

All the best,

Tim

50cycles Ltd