Kalkhoff Endeavour 8 reviews ?

[Chess]

Hi all.
Looking for owner reviews on the above if anyone can post a link that would be great and much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Pale Rider]

Kalkhoff push bikes are quite rare in the UK, although they are a bigger player in the relatively tiny ebike market.

A similar bike may be branded Raleigh in the UK - both brands are owned by the same holding company.

Although the Raleigh name has been split over the years, so that's a story in itself but not important for this purpose.

I doubt you will find many reviews of the Kalkhoff in English, although there may be some on German language sites.

The bike you are considering is a typical German trekking bike, fully equipped, good quality, but all those bits and pieces - rack, prop stand, hub gear, dynamo, mudguards, sus fork - means it will be fairly heavy.

Trekking in German bikespeak equates to all day rides at modest pace with several stops, the bike is well suited to that type of ride.

Lots of similar style bikes available from Herr Rose.

https://www.rosebikes.com/products/bikes/trekking/tour/?order=aprice#anchor_products

http://www.kalkhoff-bikes.com/en/bikes/2017/bike//endeavour-8.html

 

[Chess]

Hi Pale Rider and many thanks for the comprehensive info.
I saw the bike at Edinburgh Bicycle co-op in Leeds.
It ticks my boxes as a reliable commuter and that's what I would be using it for on the rough surfaced/potholed roads of Huddersfield.
I'm a big fan of the hub gears for the advantages it gives on the road, and the belt drive to me is a bonus in terms of effiency and longevity. This with the addition of mudguards, rack, panniers, front suspension and dynamo lighting appears to me to be the ultimate commuter/do it all bike ?
I would appreciate your thoughts / recommendations now you know where and what I'm using it for.
I'm currently using a Boardman CX comp for my 16 mile a day(3days a week) commute to work and shopping on the way home.
I find the Sora gear train hard work and needs weekly attention, cleaning and indexing ect and yet the bike is only 4 months old and the ride itself hard and uncomfortable.
Interesting about the Raleigh / UK equivalents - any suggestions, links please.
Budget is a £1000 (the Kalkhoff coming in at 859)
https://www.edinburghbicycle.com/kalkhoff-endeavour-8-2017-mens.html

In the meantime, thanks for the info, look forward to more and I'll check out your links.
Cheers.
Dale.

 

[Pale Rider]

Cube - German again - make similar bikes.

Large range, of which the linked one is very similar spec to the Kalkhoff.

I would prefer the rigid fork on the Cube, the Suntour on the Kalkhoff is basic and adds weight but little else.

If you don't mind buying a bike in a box, Radon, as sold by the ever-reliable Bike Discount, may have something of interest.

The linked bike is a bit cheaper, although you lose the belt drive.

Chains on hub gear bikes tend to last well, they always run in perfect alignment, aren't scraped across a cassette, and run on full size teeth, as opposed to the odd shaped teeth which are on cassettes to aid shifting.

The chain runs a higher line than a derailer bike which means it picks up less road dirt.

All three bikes are good quality, if you like the Kalkhoff and it's available locally it may be your best choice.

https://www.cube.eu/uk/2017/trekking/travel/cube-travel-sl-blacknred-2017/

https://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/radon-urban-7.0-fe-584679/wg_id-6672

It appears Raleigh don't market this style of bike in the UK.

Edit: I think @subaqua may have a Radon and @Goggs has a similar Cube.

 

[JCroxton1]

My family and I bought a Kalkhoff for my grandad a few months ago. Not the Endeavour, but this Integrale I8. The build quality is absolutely second to none and I'd recommend the Kalkhoff brand to anyone.

 

[Elidee]

Hi all.
Looking for owner reviews on the above if anyone can post a link that would be great and much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Not sure if this is still relevant to you but I got one of these just before Christmas and my wife got one in the summer. We both used flat bar road bikes before but in all honesty, couldn't be happier with the switch.

First, any negatives... ok I'll be totally honest with you, the bike is a tiny bit heavier (but to lift the bike feels a lot heavier) than my old flat bar, it is also a wee bit harder work on the hills, harder work but manages, my wife does a crazy set of hill son her daily commute and feels the Kalkhoff endeavour 8 copes perfectly.

Positives, comfortable as all hell. I mean a pleasure to cycle, like being a kid again. I think the combination of the more upright position and the front suspension are improvements in ways I didn't think I needed an improvement. The internal gears and belt drive are for me the big winners, no more weekly maintenance schedule for keeping on top of the bikes. I rinse them off each weekend and that's it. You have to rinse at this time of year cause the winter salt/grit makes the belt squeak after a few days and it's really annoying. But a quick rinse sorts it.

I think if you like to go fast, this bike isn't for you. It's not slow, I still overtake plenty of folks, but I am about 2 to 3 minutes slower on my commute and I have noticed that I am having to build my leg strength up as it doesn't coast quite as easily as my old bike, so I am working more. But if you want a low maintenance commuter bike, I would recommend it.

The dynamo lights are a bonus, they are absolutely good enough for my commute on the paths, which aren't always well lit and I'm loving not having to charge lights all the time.