'The Kalkhoff Agattu is now the best electric bike ever' - Cycle Show

More documents

Recommendations

Info

2008 Pro Connect Pedelec electric bike £1495 inc VAT & Delivery (15% off RRP £1760) The new Kalkhoff Pro Connect will be rated as the best electric bike ever. It uses a pedelec system, meaning the Panasonic motor senses when and how hard the pedals are being used. Your pedalling is converted into motor power which drives the rear wheel through the chain and gears. This makes for near silent operation, excellent hill climbing and the sensation of being bionically boosted. Warranty 2 years (extra cover available) Motor Panasonic 250W integrated system Range up to 80km assisted Operation eco, normal & hi-power modes Battery 26V 10Ah Lithium Manganese removable battery pack with built-in carrying handle Battery life up to 500 recharges or 40,000km Battery weight 2.4 kg Charge time max 5 hours Bike weight 20.8 kg including battery Frame Aluminium frame for trekking and touring Cables tidily routed through frame Available in a range of sizes (see below) Gears Shimano Nexus Inter-8 hub 307% range Shifter Shimano Alfine Rapidfire Handlebar Humpert City-Trekking Stem Adjustable aluminium stem Seatpost Concept X-treme Saddle Selle Bassano 7th Avenue Brakes Shimano Deore XT M770 V-Brake Brake handles Shimano Deore XT M771 Front lamp Busch & Muller front halogen lamp Rear light Busch & Muller lamp, stays lit when stationary Lighting current supplied by main battery Front rim Shimano WH-T565, 622-19 Rear rim Shimano WH-8R25, 622-19 Tyres Continental Contact ExtraLight 37-622 - puncture resistant, low rolling resistance, reflective strip for visibility. Mudguards SKS 42 Mudguards with plastic reflector, HR-spoiler and edge saver Pedals Wellgo Trekking Light Colour Silver / Palermo silver matt Battery and charger, bell and manual also included. Free UK delivery.
'A great machine in a class of its own' Extracts from A to B's July 2008 review. The Pro Connect has been awarded A to B's highest 1** rating Back in A to B 63 (yes, the naughty one), we tested the Kalkhoff Agattu and were impressed. We won't go over the story again, but the new breed of bikes from the likes of Gazelle and Kalkhoff arrived here at a crucial time - the ground-breaking Giant Lafree had been withdrawn and Chinese bikes were suffering a rash of battery failures. In short, it looked as though the new and promising electric bicycle industry was about to disappear up its own cathode. The cavalry arrived from Europe. Dutch and Germans know a thing or two about bicycles, and they know how to build them light, well-equipped and reliable. These countries are also big, big markets for electric assist, because they're pragmatic volk, and if you ride every day to school, work, college or shops, assistance can be of benefit. In the UK, where people make most of their journeys by car, electric bikes are paradoxically regarded as ‘cheating’, whereas, presumably, a Ford Galaxy isn't. A strange attitude, and one we will need to overcome if we are to survive in the Peak Oil era... The Pro Connect Kalkhoff's new Pro Connect (pictured here on the cover of A to B July 2008) is, arguably, the perfect machine for this brave new world. At 21kg (2.5kg battery + 18.5kg bike), it's one of the lightest electric bikes we’ve seen and really not much heavier than a fully-equipped conventional bike. Like the Gazelle and the Agattu, it uses the new Li-ion version of the trusted Panasonic drive unit that made the Lafree such a delight. For anyone worried about battery life, Panasonic is offering a two-year battery warranty. You shouldn't need it because we've heard no evidence of early failure. Dynamically, the Pro Connect is pretty similar to the Agattu we tested back in January, but that weighed 25.8kg, so Kalkhoff has clearly done some work in the weight department. The bike has as really nice, rigid aluminium alloy frame of the kind that goes ‘ting’ when you tap it, as opposed to the inferior sort that goes 'thunk'. On the road As the system is so similar to the Agattu, we’ll just look at the differences. Where the Agattu was a sensible roadster, the Pro Connect is much more the sort of thing for commuting to work - flatter, sportier hybrid-style handlebars, reduced weight, and the 8-speed hub, in place of the 7-speed fitted to the Agattu. This is geared to give the same top ratio (it has to be to keep the assisted top speed in the legal zone), so it effectively provides an extra gear at the bottom, and a range from 26" to 80". As the Agattu restarted on a 1:6 hill with ease, this will only be useful if you live somewhere very hilly, so we suspect most users will want to increase the gearing with a smaller rear sprocket. This would give an adequate first gear in the low 30-inches, and an `overdrive` top. Technically illegal, because assist would be available above 15 mph, but much nicer, particularly when spinning fast down long shallow descents. Actually, the Panasonic motor seems to have had some ‘tweaking' since we last tried it, because the Pro Connect will cruise at 16 or even17mph on the flat, despite the modest top gear ratio. The Nexus hub is linked to a Shimano Alfine Rapidfire Plus shifter - a double lever thing like a dérailleur shifter. Once you've acclimatised to the dérailleur that isn't, the Pro Connect is a wonderful machine to ride. Much of the weight-saving has come from getting rid of the suspension forks and good riddance. The lithe frame transmits every lump and bump, and the Continental tyres roll well, with a purposeful zizz. Talking of speed, rolling resistance is excellent by any standards. We found 30mph coming up
Page 1 and 2: 'The Kalkhoff Agattu is now the bes
Page 3: Few products of any kind are this g
Page 7 and 8: 'It really is the best thing I have
Page 9: 50Cycles Order Form (Order hotline

'The Kalkhoff Agattu is now the best electric bike ever' - Cycle Show

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?