David Henshaw's A to B magazine review of the Kalkhoff Pro Connect. The Pro Connect and Kalkhoff brand in general were awarded A to B's highest 1** rating and the bikes still rank at the top of his electric bicycle buyer's guide league table. There have since been many improvements to this model - better lights, gears, more assistance power, new paintjob.
Back in A to B 63, 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bikes from the likes of Gazelle and Kalkhoff arrived here at a crucial time - the ground-breaking Giant Lafree had been withdrawn and Chinese bikes were suffering a rash of battery failures.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 surprisingly quickly on modest downgrades and we exceeded 40mph with a following summer breeze. Fortunately, the Shimano Deore V-brakes are powerful and progressive - just what you - need on a machine of this kind.
Take the battery off and the Pro Connect weighs only 18.5kg. Performance is obviously not super-sharp, but it's a pleasant and practical bike to ride without power. Put it back in and performance is rather better than the Agattu which we can only put down to the lighter weight, freer-running tyres and lower riding position.
On the Medium speed setting, we achieved 33 miles at a very creditable average of 14.3mph.which is 10% further and 13% faster than its more pedestrian stable-mate. On High, the range is slightly reduced, at 31.5 miles and speed marginally higher, at 14.7mph. We didn't have time to do a full test on Low, but those figures suggest a maximum range of 52 miles, which is very good indeed for such a relatively small battery.
Fuel consumption is between 5.8 and 9.5Wh/mile, figures that are significantly better than the Agattu, and amongst the best you will see from any power-assisted bike anywhere, ever. Excellent results. That the Pro Connect can record such a high speed while using so little power is all the more creditable. It's all down to efficiency, and this is a supremely efficient bike.
Equipment - as we said in A to B 63 - scores 9/10. There is no suspension, but the bike's all the better for that, mudguards are standard, as is a nice solid-looking, but slimline, rear rack, a chunky side-stand and lights. The Continental Contact Extra Light tyres are interesting,and seem to offer something for everyone. They clearly roll well, but they're also light (a claimed 470g apiece in this large 37-622mm size), they fold - useful for cycle tourists. The Pro Connect comes in a nice range of frame sizes, as you would expect from a European manufacturer - four with a top tube and four step-thru variants that we used to describe as `Ladies`, sexist beasts that we were.
Conclusion
It's difficult to criticise the Pro Connect. It's light, pleasant to ride, quiet, powerful and economic. Ignoring the turgid Giant Twist 1.0, the only competition at this level comes from the Sparta Ion, which is a bit weak and the Gazelle bikes, which are not quite sporty enough for your typical commuter. The Pro Connect is a great machine, and it really is in a class of its own.
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