Kudos Cycles
Kudos Cycles have only recently come onto the scene, and
they are making quite a good name for themselves already.
They feature cruisers and other styles, and each bike has
battery and frame warranties for two years. The charger and
controller are warranted for one year.
Kudos Cycles |
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The Tourer is a popular Kudos cycle. The Nexus-8 bike of
Tourer design has hub gearing. The reviewers feel that the
bikes show an interesting conflagration of influences. Where
the handlebars and alloy frame harken back to mountain bikes,
the wider saddle, frame lock and chaincase reminded the reviewers
of Dutch town bikes. The bike is advertised to be useful for
"long range touring", and it will give you this
performance. But some people who have ridden this electric
bike at length feel that it actually looks just like a commuter
bicycle. But most people like the overall look.
Kudos eschews suspension seat posts and forks, and goes with
rigid pieces instead. This was not a problem for reviewers.
They feel that the rigidity makes for better handling and
less maintenance.
The Tourer saddle is supportive and wide, and the tires have
reflective sidewalls for safety. There is also a lock mounted
on the frame for the rear wheel, and elastics for luggage,
which reviewers found handy.
Riser handlebars work well but round rubber hand grips tend
to squirm under your palm, instead of locking onto the bars.
The round hand grip shape isn't as comfortable to hold as
other shapes.
Lean Forward ...
The position of a rider sitting naturally on the Tourer is
leaned forward, which is more comfortable for longer rides.
It makes the line more aerodynamic and makes climbing hills
a little easier.
The Bafang motor fits onto the front wheel, and it is joined
to the bike with a connector located behind the fork. The
different wires, for brakes, lights, etc., are held neatly
together in heat-shrink tubing, but it wasn't as sturdy as
some riders would like.
Riders appreciated the tidy battery pack, seated from a metal
guide rail to the rack, where it locks into place. The lithium-ion
phosphate battery packs are not exactly cutting edge, but
they have a good track record for safety. This battery type
outlasts some of the others on the market now, as well. The
charging socket will display underneath the fold-out handle,
allowing you to charge the battery pack whether it's on or
off the bike.
Levels of Power ...
The control unit of the handlebar gives you five different
power levels, and a display that shows you battery level,
distance and speed. There is also a handy backlight, in case
you ride at night.
The chain drive is protected from grit and dirt and concealed
by the plastic chaincase. This case does come apart fairly
easily, to remove the rear wheel or to perform maintenance.
The chaincase will also remove the risk of getting grease
on your pants, or getting your pants caught within the chain.
This is a very helpful piece.
The brakes work in any weather, even though they don't seem
especially powerful. The mudguards and LED lighting found
front and back are valuable for comfort and safety. The noise
of the engine is a normal humming, but riders on the whole
did not find it very annoying at all, and you can't hear it
much over the noise of traffic.
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