Polygon Kalosi Lanes Review

Published: March 31, 2024

I recently bought a Polygon Kalosi Lanes e-bike. These are some of my thoughts on it. I am no expert. I hope this may be useful.

TLDR

Pros

Good value for money
Light sturdy frame
Good battery
Simple display
Easy shifting of gears
Relatively easy to pedal with no assistance

Cons

Motor may be underpowered for some users. (Higher torque motors are more expensive)
Assembly instructions could be clearer

Overview

There isn't much information on the Polygon Kalosi Lanes e-bike. Polygon is based in Indonesia and sell good quality mountain bikes at affordable prices. They started in 1985 and are based in Sidoarjo in eastern Java near Surabaya.

The Kalosi Lanes frame is a hardtail mountain bike frame but don't expect to do jumps or chase mountain goats in the wild. The bike is made for urban commuting with some other recreational use. You could use it on rail trails roads and forestry trails.

The assembly process was relatively straightforward but the instructions could have been clearer. It would have been helpful just to have had an instructions sheet for that particular model. This would assist people with little or no knowledge and make things a little bit clearer. Fortunately there was a helpful video on the bikes online site which demonstrated how to put the bike together. Video wasn't explicitly for that particular model but most of it applied.

The one thing that caught me out was connecting up the bike computer. The cables clicked in quite nicely, but when i turned it on nothing happened. I double checked the cables but they seem fine. After a quick Google, I worked out the problem was probably a flat battery. I put the battery on charge for an hour and tested the start up. Lo and behold everything worked! Resumed the charging for a few more hours until the battery was fully charged before taking the bike out on its maiden journey.

The frame made from aluminium which makes it light by e-bike standards. It weighs just under 20kg. The frame is sturdy and quite well made. The wheels are 27.5 inch with 2 1/2 inch wide tyres. They will get you into most places you want to go. The handlebars and grips are quite comfortable. It also has front forks with around 100mm of travel.

The seat itself seems a little hard at first. However I think the issue is more I am a bit soft. I've adjusted it and will see how it goes. It's early days.

The 10 speed gear shift is a breeze to operate. The shift is 2 levers for shifting up and down. There's one cog at the front. The rear wheel has 10 columns. So you can take advantage of the gearing to get uphill. Brakes hydraulic disc brakes making them very good at stopping.

The electrical components consist of a simple bike computer which shows speed, support mode and battery charge. That's all you really need. However if you do want more information you can scroll through to the menu and get things like range and odometer etc. You can also connect via Bluetooth to your phone or bicycle computer. You can also the bike connect up the Shimano app for more data and fine tuning of motor output.

The battery is 504 Watt Shimano battery which seems to deliver enough power and range. I've only had the bike a couple of days and some taste of about in mostly urban riding with a mixture of echo normal and hi support modes will stop. I've done around 60km and the battery is sitting at just over 50%. I'll need to test it under some other conditions such as hills, wind and slightly rougher tracks before casting a final verdict. It looks promising.

The motor is a 250W Shimano steps E5000 According to the documentation, it delivers a torque of around 40Nm. This is at the lower end of output and some people may find this not enough for their needs. If you want a motor that produces more torque then you just going to have to increase your budget. The motor is whisper quiet and I did notice that it made up hills so much easier. They say e-bikes are like riding on the flat and I'd say that's quite true.

Thoughts

Overall, the Kalosi is an excellent choice for entry level e-biking for the urban commuter who wants a dash of adventure. I got mine for around $2500. It is good value and even at the fully listed price of around $3000 represents good value when compared to other bikes with similar specs.

I find the bike handles really well. It's a pleasure to ride. The motor is very quiet. The bike is light and easy to pedal without assistance. I've mainly been using eco and changing up to normal and high when needed. The bike seems to have plenty of range but I haven't fully loaded it up yet. I've only done a few short trips around the city.

I have a couple of rail trail and camping adventures planned. Let's see how it goes.

Links

Manufacturer and shop

Meta data

Tagged in: posts e-bikes reviews