Does anyone have any experience with Panasonic or Kalkhoff e bikes?
10-14-12, 06:00 PM
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AllenG has been an avid fan and posted quite a bit on the subject. Do a search for his name or PM him to get comments.
10-14-12, 08:59 PM
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Thanks, it was probably his posts that got me looking at them. They look like a good quality bike. The downside, besides the cost is the special built frame. I already have an E+ bike with very little support now that they are out of business.
Last edited by Metal Man; 10-15-12 at 05:26 AM.
10-14-12, 09:41 PM
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I've got a Panasonic. Love it. I put an Xtracycle cargo kit on it and have put it through hell.
I matched it up with a NuVinci hub and the frame is going to wear out before the drive train is even close to its lifespan.
Ive gotten eight yearsvofvhard labor from my bike.
Batteries wear out, tires and tubes wear out, break pads slowly vanish, chains stretch; can't say how long the motor will last, nothing has broken on it yet.
I matched it up with a NuVinci hub and the frame is going to wear out before the drive train is even close to its lifespan.
Ive gotten eight yearsvofvhard labor from my bike.
Batteries wear out, tires and tubes wear out, break pads slowly vanish, chains stretch; can't say how long the motor will last, nothing has broken on it yet.
10-15-12, 04:17 AM
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Hi Metal
In my experience there is very little to differentiate between the Panasonic & Kalkhoff system.
The Kalkhoffs come in a variety of paint finishes from different suppliers, for example Spencer Ivy are the same bikes to the best of my knowledge.
We have recently taken on a supplier, BH, which have a range of ebikes that includes the Panasonic system, and they cost significantly less than a Kalkhoff for the same motor system. They are lighter than the Bosch ones and have a lower entry price than the Kalkhoff guys so it's worth doing a bit of googling in that regard.
What I've found is that the Panasonics are more 'cycling' orientated and have reduced weight in comparison to most ebikes due to the li poly instead of li-ion batteries but you lose a bit of this if you go for the larger capacity ones. However the display is fairly rudimentary with low-medium-high red display lights sort of thing. In contrast the Bosch crank drive system is a bit more power + weight orientated but has a good LCD readout with range estimations and what not.
Hope this is helpful, please get back to me if you want to know anything further.
Greg D
In my experience there is very little to differentiate between the Panasonic & Kalkhoff system.
The Kalkhoffs come in a variety of paint finishes from different suppliers, for example Spencer Ivy are the same bikes to the best of my knowledge.
We have recently taken on a supplier, BH, which have a range of ebikes that includes the Panasonic system, and they cost significantly less than a Kalkhoff for the same motor system. They are lighter than the Bosch ones and have a lower entry price than the Kalkhoff guys so it's worth doing a bit of googling in that regard.
What I've found is that the Panasonics are more 'cycling' orientated and have reduced weight in comparison to most ebikes due to the li poly instead of li-ion batteries but you lose a bit of this if you go for the larger capacity ones. However the display is fairly rudimentary with low-medium-high red display lights sort of thing. In contrast the Bosch crank drive system is a bit more power + weight orientated but has a good LCD readout with range estimations and what not.
Hope this is helpful, please get back to me if you want to know anything further.
Greg D
Last edited by Greg_d; 10-15-12 at 07:28 AM.
10-22-12, 02:23 AM
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Hi Metal
What I've found is that the Panasonics are more 'cycling' orientated and have reduced weight in comparison to most ebikes due to the li poly instead of li-ion batteries but you lose a bit of this if you go for the larger capacity ones. However the display is fairly rudimentary with low-medium-high red display lights sort of thing. In contrast the Bosch crank drive system is a bit more power + weight orientated but has a good LCD readout with range estimations and what not.
Greg D
What I've found is that the Panasonics are more 'cycling' orientated and have reduced weight in comparison to most ebikes due to the li poly instead of li-ion batteries but you lose a bit of this if you go for the larger capacity ones. However the display is fairly rudimentary with low-medium-high red display lights sort of thing. In contrast the Bosch crank drive system is a bit more power + weight orientated but has a good LCD readout with range estimations and what not.
Greg D
