New Charger GH NuVinci - replaces Kalkhoff Integrale

[Carl M.]

Hi R&M forum
Had someone decide that they needed my 11 month old Integrale more than I did!. So I guess the positive take away was an opportunity for a change. Mr Google became my best friend when looking for my new ride ( and still is as I wait for my new wheels) . Thanks to all for your inputs into the Riese and Müller forum as its feeding me with product information and keeping me satisfied for now. Please keep the updates coming.

 

[erider_61]

Sorry to hear your bike was stolen. Do you mind sharing some details. Where, was it day or night? What type of locks were you using? Did you have an alarm or insurance?

 

[Carl M.]

@erided_61 Thanks for your commiserations. It was actually locked in the garage at home. The missus and I left home on the Monday early morning and returned home on the Friday night. Pressed the remote to open the garage door and as I was reversing into the garage I could see that there was a clear space where there shouldn't be!.

Sure enough, my Integrale with Di2 Shift was gone. He/She/They must have been in a hurry because that's all they took ( apart from the panniers and my helmet which was on the bike). My other ebike, a Kalkhoff Agattu which was parked on the opposite side of the garage was not taken. Nor was my toolbox or anything from the shelves that I could see.

Police were good and came around the same night to look around, but there was no obvious sign of entry. The bike wasn't locked as I was home. Fortunately for me insurance was good about it.
So next is the horse bolted and stable door closing. Addition of another sensor in the garage linked to the house alarm and cameras installed with a 4 TB recorder.
Photo of my missing bike attached.
So if you're in Western Australia and see this bike on the roads please send me a message. I've put it on BikeVault as recommended by Insurance as well.

 

[Chris Nolte]

Carl, considering you have insurance I think you might actually be better off. Kalkhoff started pulling away from the Impulse motor here in the US and eventually pulled out altogether. The Bosch system is much more reliable in my experience.

 

[Carl M.]

Hi Chris, thanks for the info on Kalkhoff. Certainly reassures me that I’ve made the right decision, even though the Integrale was trouble free in the short time I owned it.
BTW- Thanks for all the investment in the Riese and Müller reviews you’ve done with Court. Those, along with Kelly from Citrus Cycles helped me in my decision making. If you had a Showroom here, I would have purchased from yourself,,

 

[Chris Nolte]

My pleasure Carl! I definitely think you’re going to be happy with your R&M. Let me know if I can ever help with something.

 

[Carl M.]

Update from my Dealer: great news, My bike has cleared customs and should be with him next week. So not long to wait now. If all goes to plan, the Ortlieb panniers I’ve ordered will arrive at the same time.

 

[Carl M.]

The long awaited Charger finally landed on my doorstep last week Thursday. This forum, Mr Google and a patient dealer ( I had so many questions after soaking up the information from this site) helped me with my choice. A fair bit of patience was needed so that I didn’t just throw my leg over and go for a ride.
Whilst the battery was being charged to full capacity, it gave me a chance to read the manuals that came with the bike. Finally got out on the road and then a downpour, so just 3 kilometres later, I turned around and headed home.
Barely had a chance to get into the Cobi display options and get used to the Nuvinci. I’ll put some information on the COBI.Bike and thoughts on the ride of the Charger after a ride on the upcoming week end for those interested. For now this is just after delivery and as I left it in the garage.

 

[Chris Nolte]

Congratulations! It sure is stunning! Enjoy the many adventures ahead of you. Please continue to share your experience as I know it helps me and many others.

Also - not too many people have COBI here in the states so it would be great to hear more about your experience. I anticipate we will see more in the future but for now Bosch is going through the complex safety testing on the system to make sure it meets all requirements for the US.

 

[bombadero]

Congrats! Traded a Kalkhoff Tasman Classic for an R&M Homage GT Nuvinci and it has been night and day. We live in a very hilly area, and the Impulse motors burned out several times. The Bosch system, otoh, has been bullet-proof. I love the elegance and ease of the Nuvinci system. Ours still uses a chain because we need the extra torque for the hills, but I had a chance to try the belt drive on a Delight 25 and love how whisper smooth and quiet it is. Even with a chain, though, there's none of the clunking around one usually has to do with derailleurs.