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01 Cover2.indd 1 11/03/2011 11:46
01 Cover3.indd 3 12/06/2011 10:22
ON ON TEST: Ezee Bicycles Torq
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Issue 5 www.electricbikemag.co.uki
Seven electric reviews!l
E-bikes in Europel
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ON TEST: Kalkhoff C11 Impulse Falco E-motor drive system Conv-E kitl
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01 Cover3.indd 1 30/08/2012 08:47
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Issue 4 Electric Bike 1

+ON TEST
The Falco drive system has
been under development for
some years by an international
consortium including, for
the UK, electric bike and
handcycle company Team
Hybrid, who are also handling
European distribution. In
anticipation of the system’s
imminent commercial launch
they kindly brought two bikes
fitted with pre-production
Falco systems to York, where I
and fellow journalist Richard
Peace had the opportunity
to try them out. Sadly the
day of our test ride dawned
with torrential rain, and with
just a few short breaks this
continued for much of the day.
Falco
E-motor drive system
The system consists of motor (can
be front or rear, with or without
disk brake mounts), 36V, 9Ah
battery pack (carrier mounted) and
a removable control console which
communicates wirelessly with the
other two main components. There’s
also a control unit within easy
reach of your left hand. All of these
were fitted for our test ride to two
Montague folding mountain bikes.
One of the attractive aspects of
the Falco system is that it minimises
complication: wireless communication
means that there’s no need for cables
to run between the handlebars and
the rear of the bike. This does mean
that the handlebar controls need
their own battery, and of course a
single power cable is still needed
between battery and motor. The
motor, incidentally, claims extra
smoothness and efficiency from
its apparently unique ‘five phase’
design, while the battery boasts
a sophisticated management and
protection system, plus a ‘fast charge’
capability (under three hours).
18 Electric Bike Issue 5

ON TEST: Falco E-motor ON TEST: drive Ezee system Torq
The display console
is waterproof and
removable, and the large
LCD display shows ride
information clearly. As
the unit is connected
wirelessly to the motor
no cabling is needed
along the bike frame.
The motor can be
configured for front or
rear wheel use, with or
without disk brakes.
Production casings will
have a smarter finish
than the bare metal of
these prototypes, and
will also incorporate the
torque sensor function.
The original idea was that all of the
necessary sensors would be built into
the rear wheel: a strain gauge on the
rear axle would detect when the rider
was pedalling (from chain tension)
and speed could be deduced from the
wheel’s rotation. This would allow a
torque-sensor type drive (it measures
your effort and adds to it) as well as the
more usual rotation sensing type (drive
kicks in at your chosen level once the
system knows you are pedalling).
Sadly, technical difficulties with
the torque sensing system meant that
our bikes had been equipped with
separate pedal rotation sensors on the
cranks, and they could only operate
in that mode. Power would kick in
after around one stroke of the pedals.
As we go to press, however, we’ve
just heard that the first full torque
sensor-equipped units have been
delivered to Team Hybrid.
The control console on the
handlebars offers an excellent
(backlight-equipped) display of all
of the usual ride parameters such as
speed and battery status, and there
are also plenty of configuration
options, more than we have space
to describe here. Power assist can
be set to no fewer than nine ‘assist’
levels and also nine ‘fitness’ modes in
which the motor acts as a generator
and brake: you’d have to be seriously
masochistic to pedal around like this
in my view, but each to their own!
The resistance available is impressive
– I needed a low gear to pedal against
it. This’ll also be activated as a
‘security mode’ if anyone attempts to
ride the bike without the console.
Power levels are impressive: at the
highest level the bike would scoot
forward smoothly and in near silence.
The same motor can be used at higher
power levels too, say Falco – it’s
regulated electronically to comply
with the EU regulations.
Hill-climbing is a particular
challenge for direct drive motors, but
it coped well with the best slopes we
could find (on the York university
campus). Only on a ‘torture test’, with
me pedalling as little as possible and
with the bike moving very slowly on
a steep section did I get it to falter:
the motor cut out and couldn’t be
restarted. Shortly after, the same
thing happened to the second bike.
Later investigation by Team Hybrid
showed that fuses in both battery
packs had blown. Subsequent changes
to the battery management software
should ensure that this won’t occur
in the production product: in such
situations the control system should
limit the current draw. In any case,
no diagnosis could be made in the
pouring rain so we cut the test short
and retired indoors.
There are some very promising
aspects to the Falco system; perhaps
the wireless control console is the
feature that most sets it apart from
other drives. I was also most impressed
by the regenerative braking: the
resistance level available seems higher
than any I’ve tried to date, certainly
sufficient, if combined with a suitable
brake lever control, to handle a good
proportion of typical braking as you
ride. Some sort of instantaneous
control would be better for this than
tapping on the console buttons.
The much-vaunted five-phase motor
did seem to do the job, but it’s beyond
my legs to make any sort of judgement
as to whether its claims of extra
efficiency or smoothness are justified.
It was disappointing that the
pre-production motors we tried
didn’t have the torque sensing
functionality: I’d love to try the new
units with it in place. At that point
it’ll be the long-awaited first (I’m
fairly sure) system that could work
either as a ‘rotation sensor’ or ’torque
sensor’ drive as the user prefers.
I’m not all that concerned about
the glitches we encountered in our
tests – that’s the nature of preproduction
samples. By the time
you read this several month’s worth
of further development and testing
should have sorted all such snags out.
Indeed, as we go to press Team Hybrid
have confirmed that production units
will be on sale shortly, with prices
for full kits starting at around £1150.
That’s very competitive compared
to other sophisticated direct drive
systems such as BionX. Motor and
console will also, they say, be
available for purchase separately, and
they can then used with suitable
third party battery packs.
We’ll try to get hold of the finished
item for a more definitive (and less
wet) test soon! Bikes with the system
fitted as original equipment will
likely be available for 2013.
Peter Eland
Available from: Team Hybrid. 01329 832
068 or see www.teamhybridebikes.co.uk
Issue 5 Electric Bike 19