Good to hear of a retailer actively trying to develop the market, rather than just flog lowest common denominator bikes from a container from China.

 

It will be an uphill task persuading buyers Klakhoff/Impulse problems are a thing of the past.

 

To be fair, my limited direct experience has been good.

 

Two acquaintances have newish Kalkhoff/Impulse bikes and both are pleased with them so far.

 

Motor questions aside, it's worth remembering Kalkhoff make excellent, well-finished bikes.

 

I'm biased in the sense I like quality German roadsters, having owned two of them.

 

I currently have a Riese and Muller Charger, and there's no doubt it's a lovely bike, and has been much admired.

 

Although the law of diminishing returns applies.

 

I'm not sure the price premium over, say, a Cube is entirely justified.

 

Kalkhoff do indeed make excellent well finished bikes. Their motors on the other hand are Some of the worst we have seen in recent times.

Good to hear of a retailer actively trying to develop the market, rather than just flog lowest common denominator bikes from a container from China.

 

It will be an uphill task persuading buyers Klakhoff/Impulse problems are a thing of the past.

 

To be fair, my limited direct experience has been good.

 

Two acquaintances have newish Kalkhoff/Impulse bikes and both are pleased with them so far.

 

Motor questions aside, it's worth remembering Kalkhoff make excellent, well-finished bikes.

 

I'm biased in the sense I like quality German roadsters, having owned two of them.

 

I currently have a Riese and Muller Charger, and there's no doubt it's a lovely bike, and has been much admired.

 

Although the law of diminishing returns applies.

 

I'm not sure the price premium over, say, a Cube is entirely justified.

 

The Blue Label Charger Nuvinci was my original choice two years ago but the I came across the Kalkhoff Integrale which looked and promised to be fantastic according to the sales literature. Plumped for the Integrale 8 and now regret it somewhat as it has Drive unit issues (occasional klunking noises from the freewheel mechanism) which still exist despite have been so called sorted by 50 cycles. Now spend most of my spare time riding my new Cube eMTB with Bosch CX Drive which is superb and the Kalkhoff is now a £3000 piece of junk gathering dust in the shed! Would never buy another Kalkhoff or a bike from 50 cycles.

 

 

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The Blue Label Charger Nuvinci was my original choice two years ago but the I came across the Kalkhoff Integrale which looked and promised to be fantastic according to the sales literature. Plumped for the Integrale 8 and now regret it somewhat as it has Drive unit issues (occasional klunking noises from the freewheel mechanism) which still exist despite have been so called sorted by 50 cycles. Now spend most of my spare time riding my new Cube eMTB with Bosch CX Drive which is superb and the Kalkhoff is now a £3000 piece of junk gathering dust in the shed! Would never buy another Kalkhoff or a bike from 50 cycles.

 

 

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Dear Phil,

 

That does not sound right at all please forward your customer order number so we can arrange collection of your bike and replace the motor for you so you can get some joy from your bike or at least sell it with a new 3 year motor warranty if you have an alternative bike.

 

We really cannot let one customer go un-satisfied and with a little reasonable care and understanding from both parties I am sure we can get this matter satisfactorily sorted out for you.

 

Kind regards

 

Joe

Kalkhoff do indeed make excellent well finished bikes. Their motors on the other hand are Some of the worst we have seen in recent times.

 

Dear Tilson,

 

It really is not as bad as what this forum makes out we have had 50 motor failures out of thousands of bikes sold and all apart from Phil if he can supply an order number have been resolved at no cost or inconvenience for the customer.

 

As a customer we have also provided you with a good service and we would be happy for this to continue by offering to get your current Panasonic Pro Connect back on the road for just the cost of the motor and a free service. Seeing as you are one of our founding Kalkhoff customers.

 

If you would like to email me directly on aftersales@50cycles.com you can arrange to bring your bike in to me.

 

Kind regards

 

Joe

Dear Tilson,

 

It really is not as bad as what this forum makes out we have had 50 motor failures out of thousands of bikes sold and all apart from Phil if he can supply an order number have been resolved at no cost or inconvenience for the customer.

 

As a customer we have also provided you with a good service and we would be happy for this to continue by offering to get your current Panasonic Pro Connect back on the road for just the cost of the motor and a free service. Seeing as you are one of our founding Kalkhoff customers.

 

If you would like to email me directly on aftersales@50cycles.com you can arrange to bring your bike in to me.

 

Kind regards

 

Joe

 

Dear Joe,

 

Thank you for your offer to assist me with my Panasonic model Pro Connect. Happily, the bike is once again working very well after the fault was traced to moisture in the handlebar controller.

 

50 Cycles have indeed provided me with good service over the past 9 1/2 years. Apart from an issue regarding the wheels, which Derby Cycles the brand owner resolved, I have absolutely no complaints about 50 Cycles. You even gave me a cycle computer free of charge on one occasion because I had to drive my bike over to you.

 

My bike will be 10 years old in June 2018 and will have covered well over 20,000 miles during the period. The original battery still works and is capable of over 10 miles. It has the original Alfine 8 speed hub and the whole bike cleans up like new. So the build quality is not in question.

 

I have a friend who bought an Impulse powered Pro Connect in 2015. The build quality of that bike is equal to mine, so no problems there. Because, unlike the Panasonic unit, the cut off on the Impulse motor is not cadence related, the bike rides very nicely and feels very smooth and natural. So in principle, the bike is a better proposition than my older Pro Connect.

 

The friend who owns the newer bike, like me is a very frequent high mileage user and a reasonably fit cyclist. During the warranty period, the bike had at least 2 new motors fitted. Shortly after the warranty expired, the motor failed yet again and the replacement had to be paid for. The latest motor, he tells me, has a rolling 2 year warranty. For example, if this one fails, it will be replaced for him and the warranty re-set to two years. He’s not had to test that yet, so it’s not possible to comment.

 

Personally, I wouldn’t be happy about the number of motor failures and that combined with what we read hear and what is reported on other forums, it tips the likelihood strongly in favour of there being an issue with the Impulse motor. I have sympathy for 50C because you have been left shouldering the burden of dealing with what could be a manufacturer’s fault.

 

What I have described above concerning the Impulse motor simply is not good enough. People have paid a lot of hard earned good money to buy a bike which is marketed as being high end quality. The price also reflects that these bikes should be very reliable.

 

Kalkhoff should not be selling new motors to customers who have had ongoing issues with the Impulse motor from new and throughout the entire warranty period. They should take this one on the chin and do the right thing.

 

I’m not having a go st 50C, but there definitely seems to be something wrong with the Impulse motor and I don’t think my statement regarding the reliability is unreasonable.

It really is not as bad as what this forum makes out we have had 50 motor failures out of thousands of bikes sold

You're in danger of losing all credibility if you try and feed us crap. I reckon that I've been informed of 50 examples of motor failures and I don't even deal with Impulse motors. AFAICT, every single forum member, who's an owner of an Impulse motor that's done 2000 miles has had at least one replacement motor, and every owner that I know or who I've come across has had the same. If 50C have only dealt with 50 replacement motors, that's a very poor show because it implies that they've been fobbing off complaints and leaving their customers high and dry.

You're in danger of losing all credibility if you try and feed us crap. I reckon that I've been informed of 50 examples of motor failures and I don't even deal with Impulse motors. AFAICT, every single forum member, who's an owner of an Impulse motor that's done 2000 miles has had at least one replacement motor, and every owner that I know or who I've come across has had the same. If 50C have only dealt with 50 replacement motors, that's a very poor show because it implies that they've been fobbing off complaints and leaving their customers high and dry.

 

Dear D

 

The fact is your fact is incorrect.

 

Kind regards

 

Joe

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/pedelecmonitor-mileage-and-repairs-statistics.26204/

 

well that says it all dont it over 90% fail under 2000 miles

You're in danger of losing all credibility if you try and feed us crap. I reckon that I've been informed of 50 examples of motor failures and I don't even deal with Impulse motors. AFAICT, every single forum member, who's an owner of an Impulse motor that's done 2000 miles has had at least one replacement motor, and every owner that I know or who I've come across has had the same. If 50C have only dealt with 50 replacement motors, that's a very poor show because it implies that they've been fobbing off complaints and leaving their customers high and dry.

You can't speak for me d8veh (although on most occasions I agree with your expert comments). I am a forum member with a Kalkhoff Impulse that's done over 2,000 miles (well over 3,000 in fact) on the original motor. Impulse 1 though and I have a certain degree of mechanical empathy and treat it with respect.

You can't speak for me d8veh (although on most occasions I agree with your expert comments). I am a forum member with a Kalkhoff Impulse that's done over 2,000 miles (well over 3,000 in fact) on the original motor. Impulse 1 though and I have a certain degree of mechanical empathy and treat it with respect.

 

Not relevant though, we know the Impulse 1 has a good record, it's the Impulse 2 that is the subject and the one d8veh refers to. Here's the title of this thread:

 

Ongoing reliability of Kalkhoff/Focus Impulse 2 motors

.

Failure rate, as usual, is very hard to work out.

 

I'm surprised at Dave's post, which indicates a failure rate of close to 100 percent over 2,000 miles.

 

On t'other hand, Dave is a straight talker and when he says he's been told of 50 failures, you can believe it.

 

However you cut it, buying a new Kalkhoff/Impulse bike remains a leap of faith.

 

Particularly as there's lots of viable alternatives with Bosch and Yamaha motors which don't fail nearly as often.

Not relevant though, we know the Impulse 1 has a good record, it's the Impulse 2 that is the subject and the one d8veh refers to. Here's the title of this thread:

 

Ongoing reliability of Kalkhoff/Focus Impulse 2 motors

.

Thank goodness for that and here's me thinking my considerate pedalling was eking out a few more miles on my soon to fail Impulse1 motor when all along it is the Impulse 2 motor everyone is worried about. Shame the post I commented on just stated Impulse - not 1 or 2.

Thank goodness for that and here's me thinking my considerate pedalling was eking out a few more miles on my soon to fail Impulse1 motor when all along it is the Impulse 2 motor everyone is worried about. Shame the post I commented on just stated Impulse - not 1 or 2.

 

Understood Steed. I think there's been the odd Impulse 1 failure, but that's true of all these bike motors, including Panasonic and Bosch, anything can fail occasionally.

 

It seemed to be the more powerful Impulse 2 that really introduced the problems.

.

Dear D

 

The fact is your fact is incorrect.

 

Kind regards

 

Joe

At least I have a certain amount of integrity. You're trying to play down the matter and play the part of the helpful service manager, when you personally tell forum members over the phone that you're not going to help them because they posted details of their problems on the forum, then your boss follows up with threatening emails. I guess that you didn't count those ones in your 50.

Dear D8veh,

 

I am just trying to help and letting you know the motors are now solid as rock and the manufacturing process has been updated with the bikes now coming with a 3 year warranty.

 

In our opinion the Impulse system still has the most range and power and we continue to order them in heavy numbers and sell 100's per month of this system and this forum actually is making the situation look 10x worst than it actually is. What would be described in politics as fake news.

 

Thanks for your input and giving us the opportunity to set things straight.

 

Kind regards

 

Joe

You're trying to play down the matter and play the part of the helpful service manager, when you personally tell forum members over the phone that you're not going to help them because they posted details of their problems on the forum, then your boss follows up with threatening emails. I guess that you didn't count those ones in your 50.

 

If that is happening, it’s not acceptable.

 

The internet is a great platform for bringing issues to the attention of a wide audience. Before the days of internet forums, it was common practice to tell customers that their particular issue was a one off, or that they had never seen that fault before, thus shirking their moral and legal responsibilities. Nowadays, things have changed, the whole situation can be laid bare, people are able to identify trends and spot problems.

 

Not being an Impulse 2 owner, but an observer, I can identify several facts:

 

1) I see a 42 page thread concerning one particular fault with one particular motor type.

 

2) I personally know one person who owns an Impulse 2 motored bike. That bike has had at least 3 new motors fitted since it was new in 2015, the latest motor having to be paid for.

 

3) I have never seen a common complaint like this with Panasonic, Bosch, Yamaha or other crank drive motor, or one extend to anything like 42 pages, 839 posts and continue for 18 months.

 

If I was asked to decide whether I thought there was a serious and unresolved issue with the Impulse 2 motor, based on what I see here, I would be forced to say that I think there is and my decision would be not to buy one. It’s simply a case of probability and the 3 points listed above, for me, make it more likely that there is an issue than there is not an issue.

 

Joe at 50 C sees more motors and customers than I do and if he is saying that he has only heard or seen 50 faults from thousands of bikes sold, then his opinion will be justifiably different to mine. 50 faults out of “thousands” of units sold is acceptable and unless we can show anything to the contrary, then it would be unfair to say that this is untrue. We can still hold our own opinion on the matter though.

 

Regarding whether 50 C have refused to help owners who have posted on this forum, or have threatened owners, again we need to see evidence of this. It’s a serious charge and an experience that I have not had in any of my dealings with 50C.

Edited November 10, 20178 yr by tillson

Dear Phil,

 

That does not sound right at all please forward your customer order number so we can arrange collection of your bike and replace the motor for you so you can get some joy from your bike or at least sell it with a new 3 year motor warranty if you have an alternative bike.

 

We really cannot let one customer go un-satisfied and with a little reasonable care and understanding from both parties I am sure we can get this matter satisfactorily sorted out for you.

 

Kind regards

 

Joe

 

Dear Joe,

 

Thanks for the understanding reply and I am grateful for the offer to put things right and resolve my issue. I will contact you directly early next in order to progress this matter. Apologies if I came across as being over critical of 50 cycles but I'm afraid I let my frustration get the better of me.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dear D8veh,

 

I am just trying to help and letting you know the motors are now solid as rock and the manufacturing process has been updated with the bikes now coming with a 3 year warranty.

 

In our opinion the Impulse system still has the most range and power and we continue to order them in heavy numbers and sell 100's per month of this system and this forum actually is making the situation look 10x worst than it actually is. What would be described in politics as fake news.

Joe

 

A statement was published some time ago stating that the issues with the Impulse motor had been resolved via a software update. Problems seemed to continue after that statement was made.

 

Fake news implies lying. It is also a term which is gaining wider usage in order to discredit some genuine information which is an inconvenient truth. What is your evidence that anyone on this thread has lied?

 

Regarding whether 50 C have refused to help owners who have posted on this forum, or have threatened owners, again we need to see evidence of this. It’s a serious charge and an experience that I have not had in any of my dealings with 50C.

 

I can send you evidence by PM if you want it. I don't think it would be right to publish it, but you can see that Joe didn’t dispute that point because he knows that it's true and if he disputes it, I'd provide the evidence.

 

The only fake news I've seen are various posts from 50C from themselves masquerading as punters saying how great their bikes are, and the reviews posted on various websites, including their own, look highly suspicious.

Dear Tilson,

 

It really is not as bad as what this forum makes out we have had 50 motor failures out of thousands of bikes sold and all apart from Phil if he can supply an order number have been resolved at no cost or inconvenience for the customer.

 

As a customer we have also provided you with a good service and we would be happy for this to continue by offering to get your current Panasonic Pro Connect back on the road for just the cost of the motor and a free service. Seeing as you are one of our founding Kalkhoff customers.

 

If you would like to email me directly on aftersales@50cycles.com you can arrange to bring your bike in to me.

 

Kind regards

 

Joe

 

 

Hello Joe,

 

Sorry I had a blazing row with you on the phone when you rang me this morning about the clicking noise on my two and a half year old Tasman Impulse 2, and the word "pedal" appearing on the console screen. Although on the phone you stated in no uncertain terms that I would have to pay you £600 to repair it, in the email you sent, you stated that I could get the software upgraded, in order to repair the problem. So how can I do that. I live in Cambridge. I do not have any other form of transport, as I explained, and I live on an extremely small income so there is no way I can afford £600 for a bicycle that shouldn't need such a major repair at this early stage its life span.

 

- K

I can send you evidence by PM if you want it. I don't think it would be right to publish it, but you can see that Joe didn’t dispute that point because he knows that it's true and if he disputes it, I'd provide the evidence.

 

The only fake news I've seen are various posts from 50C from themselves masquerading as punters saying how great their bikes are, and the reviews posted on various websites, including their own, look highly suspicious.

 

Some points in here that I had forgotten about and now you have reminded me. I don’t need to see the messages, I’ll take your word for that Dave.

Hello Joe,

 

Sorry I had a blazing row with you on the phone when you rang me this morning about the clicking noise on my two and a half year old Tasman Impulse 2, and the word "pedal" appearing on the console screen. Although on the phone you stated in no uncertain terms that I would have to pay you £600 to repair it, in the email you sent, you stated that I could get the software upgraded, in order to repair the problem. So how can I do that. I live in Cambridge. I do not have any other form of transport, as I explained, and I live on an extremely small income so there is no way I can afford £600 for a bicycle that shouldn't need such a major repair at this early stage its life span.

 

- K

 

Knowing someone who’s bike had the software upgrade, im sceptical. He had another two motors after the upgrade.

 

What did the Tasman cost? £2000 ish? You have had the bike 30 months and now it’s useless, so £66 / month. They think this is ok and what you should expect from a Kalkhoff? Well they must do if they intend charging you £600 to fix it.

 

I really dislike this. My friend had a series of motor failures throughout the warrant period and had to pay for the most recent replacement. The bike was only just out of warranty. This was / is a continuation of a problem which has existed since day one and it is a problem which was not satisfactorily resolved.

 

Now this from Keterick.

 

People considering a Kalkhoff, take note and decide carefully.

I thought that Derby Cycles had agreed to provide all the exchange motors FOC beyond the normal warranty period! Why are 50C charging for them?

Well all I know is that I feel very sad that people have spent their money on something that wasn't what they thought it was, wasn't what was promised and people who ride bikes are usually decent people who care for the environment and maybe don't have enough money to run a car. Personally I feel like I've been treated ruthlessly, and that I will end up trapped indoors without my bicycle because I am disabled and I cannot walk very far. It is very sad and I actually feel depressed now.