Almost one year with Focus Aventura Speed 1.0

[Anil Coumar]

Well friends, it's been almost a year since I bought my bike. See my 3 month review in this forum for details. I still LOVE this bike. I have had no problems other than the one I mentioned in the 3 month review about the Gates carbon drive belt making loud noise and slipping a few notches when you are climbing hills. Sometimes it feels like you are between 2 gears.

Today I spoke to a mechanic at the store where I bought the bike. He told me that the Gates belt tends to loosen up a bit and that after a few months/weeks of riding, I should have had it tightened. I am taking it in next week to get it done.

 

[davidg1982]

Where did you buy yours? Did you test ride it first? I am interested in this, but there doesn't seem to be any 'good' dealers of Focus and their electric bike line in Chicago, Illinois.
How easy is it for you to get to top speed without going 'full power' mode?

 

[Anil Coumar]

I bought mine in Seattle. My first bike - iZip Zuma was purchased at the REI store in downtown Seattle. The Focus was bought at Seattle E-Bike http://www.electricbikeseattle.com/. Friendly folks - very helpful and competent. For my second bike, the decision was between Focus Aventura Speed 1.0 and the Stromer ST2 (last year's version). After a lot of going back and forth, I picked the Focus and had no regrets until I saw the new Stromer ST2 S ;-)

 

[davidg1982]

I bought mine in Seattle. My first bike - iZip Zuma was purchased at the REI store in downtown Seattle. The Focus was bought at Seattle E-Bike http://www.electricbikeseattle.com/. Friendly folks - very helpful and competent. For my second bike, the decision was between Focus Aventura Speed 1.0 and the Stromer ST2 (last year's version). After a lot of going back and forth, I picked the Focus and had no regrets until I saw the new Stromer ST2 S ;-)

How easy is it for the bike to get up to 28mph without it going into power mode?

 

[Anil Coumar]

That is a tough question to answer. How fast it gets to 28 mph depends on the rider's weight, slope (even when it looks flat there can be a slight incline up or down), wind speed and direction etc. It is fast! I have hit 30 mph on it.

 

[Over50]

Sorry to resurrect this thread: but since I am considering purchasing a belt drive Kalkhoff, I'd be curious to hear any comments you have on the Impulse motor. Noise levels? Problems? How many miles have you put on it? I watched Court's video and he gives a really good overview of the system. I'm wondering how it has stood up with time and use?

 

[Anil Coumar]

The impulse motor is excellent. It is almost inaudible most of the time. What I like best is the right combination of power to go fast AND climb hills. I don't know the exact miles I put on it because I reset the display a couple of times. The belt tends to occasionally slip and it makes an awful noise when it does that. It went away after I took the bike in and they adjusted the torque on the belt, which I think is crucial for the belt to work properly. I am also thinking of upgrading my wife's bike (iZip Path Plus) to the Kalkhoff step through model. I have not a single regret buying this bike and still love how it is performing. My daily commute is 5 miles each direction with all the hills of Seattle in between. I am also overweight at 206 lbs - no problem for the bike.

 

[Over50]

The impulse motor is excellent. It is almost inaudible most of the time. What I like best is the right combination of power ...

Thanks for the response. There are several things that attract me to the Kalkhoff but owner reviews on the Impulse system have been hard to come by. And some of the info floating around the forums and internet hasn't all been positive (but it is dated as well). Its one thing to review a system or bike when it is new but the reviews one or more years into ownership are extremely valuable.

 

[SCbiker]

Hello,

watching your thread over the last year ... just bit the "belt" (um... er... bullet) and pickup my Adventura speed tarpez tomorrow. Looking forward to putting a little
time on it ... learning about and getting it dialed in / fit to me. Built a small carry rack so I can transport / travel with it with a little more security inside my vehicle.

ride safe, B.

 

[TrevorB]

The impulse motor is excellent. It is almost inaudible most of the time. What I like best is the right combination of power to go fast AND climb hills. I don't know the exact miles I put on it because I reset the display a couple of times. The belt tends to occasionally slip and it makes an awful noise when it does that. It went away after I took the bike in and they adjusted the torque on the belt, which I think is crucial for the belt to work properly. I am also thinking of upgrading my wife's bike (iZip Path Plus) to the Kalkhoff step through model. I have not a single regret buying this bike and still love how it is performing. My daily commute is 5 miles each direction with all the hills of Seattle in between. I am also overweight at 206 lbs - no problem for the bike.

 

[TrevorB]

The impulse motor is excellent. It is almost inaudible most of the time. What I like best is the right combination of power to go fast AND climb hills. I don't know the exact miles I put on it because I reset the display a couple of times. The belt tends to occasionally slip and it makes an awful noise when it does that. It went away after I took the bike in and they adjusted the torque on the belt, which I think is crucial for the belt to work properly. I am also thinking of upgrading my wife's bike (iZip Path Plus) to the Kalkhoff step through model. I have not a single regret buying this bike and still love how it is performing. My daily commute is 5 miles each direction with all the hills of Seattle in between. I am also overweight at 206 lbs - no problem for the bike.

If your wife izip is shimano Steps, the standard gearing maybe a bit high for steeper hills. I changed my wife's chain wheel from 44T to 38T, made huge difference on steep hills. Switching from 11-34 to 11-36 when cassette comes up for replacement is also worth considering.