FAQ
1.What is a pedelec?
2.What are the laws in Ireland regarding pedelecs?
3. Do I need a driving license, insurance or road tax?
4.How fast can I go on the Kalkhoff electric bicycle?
5. Can I climb hills with this bike?
6. What happens when I use the brakes under powered assistance?
7. How far can I go on a single charge?
8. How can I tell when the battery is low?
9. Do I have to wait for the battery to empty before I charge it?
10. What does it cost to charge the battery?
11. You use Lithium batteries. Are they safe?
12. What gears do you use?
13. What is the frame made of and will it corrode?
14. Are spares available?
15.I consider the Kalkhoff electric bikes to be expensive, how can I justify the cost?
16.Are the Kalhoff electric bikes light enough to be lifted unaided?
17. Will I feel embarrassed riding this bike around?
18. What is your relationship with the manufacturer of your bikes?
19.I have made my mind up, how do I buy the Kalkhoff electric bike?
1. What is a pedelec?
A pedelec is an electrically propelled bicycle. These are bicycles with electric motors and batteries too small to drive them without pedaling. Pedelec stands for Pedal Electric Cycle. While pedaling the cyclist gets additional power from the electric drive system.
The control of the motor output of a pedelec is linked to the riders pedaling contribution by means of a movement or power sensor. The electric motor is activated as soon as the cyclist starts to pedal and deactivated as soon as the cyclist stops pedaling.
Therefore the pedelec is not a mechanically propelled vehicle, as the electric power assists the pedaling effort and is not a source of propulsion in its own right.
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2. What are the laws in Ireland regarding pedelecs?
The motor must not have a continuous motor rating of more than 250W output. The power assisted speed must not exceed 25kmph (15mph), i.e. the power is cut off once the 25kph is reached.
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3. Do I need a driving license, insurance or road tax?
No. A pedelec is not regarded as a mechanically propelled vehicle and so none of these are required.
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4. How fast can I go on the Kalkhoff electric bicycle?
The motor provides assistance up to 25kmph (about 15.5mph). Once at this speed the gears can be used to go much faster but you will not be power assisted.
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5. Can I climb hills with this bike?
With the Kalkhoff electric bike, you’ll have no worries taking on hills. A simple pedal assist will get you up most hills. The Kalkhoff effectively flattens hills and increases your average journey time.
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6. What happens when I use the brakes under powered assistance?
Braking acts in the same way as if you were on a regular push bike, there is no difference. The pedelec system will only ever bring you to 25Kph, a speed deemed very safe for stopping distances on a bicycle. Should you wish to go any faster on the bike you are now propelling the bike entirely on your own effort as the motor is not activated by law. In these circumstances you can use you judgement, for example in urban areas, always allow for the unexpected. The braking systems on all the kalkhoff bikes are considered to be among the best and have all been fully tested both in German and Ireland before being dispatched to the customer.
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7. How far can I go on a single charge?
The Agattu for example will carry you up to 80km on a full charge, depending on terrain, use of the motor and cyclist weight.
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8. How can I tell when the battery is low?
There are two indicators that you can use to determine the battery status. The first is the controller on the bike, and is the most useful indicator, particularly when you are cycling. This has three LED’s which show Full, Half, and Lo status. When the low light indicator starts flashing then the battery is low and you can expect a further of 7k to 10K pedal assist before it is empty. The second indicator is a panel of 5 LED’s on the Battery itself, and is useful to know the status of your battery during charging, since the battery is removed from the bike for charging. It acts in the same way as the bike controller in that the Lo LED, in this case the 5th LED, will flash when the battery is low. You will not notice much of a drop in performance when the low LED’s flash and when the battery is completely empty the bike will just behave like a normal bicycle with no pedal assist. You cannot damage the battery by cycling on a Lo status.
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9. Do I have to wait for the battery to empty before I charge it?
While it is ideal to wait until the battery is empty before recharging it can be recharged at any stage without any impact to performance. Battery life can be prolonged if you wait until the battery is low before recharging, since the lifetime of the battery is a function of the number of charge & discharge cycles.
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10. What does it cost to charge the battery?
A full charge of the battery will consume about 0.5 kwh of electricity, working out to be 1 kwh for 100 km of travel distance. 1 kwh will cost you about 15 to 20 cent … so each charge will cost you about 8 cent.
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11. You use Lithium batteries. Are they safe?
Yes. Kalkhoff electric bikes have power packs that use Lithium Manganese batteries. These are different from the standard Lithium ion batteries that have a Cobalt cathode. Batteries with a Cobalt cathode are prone to thermal runaway, i.e. explosion and fire.
Manganese, unlike Cobalt, is a safe and more environmentally benign cathode material. When buying a Lithium powered electric bike from someone else ask about battery safety. If they cannot guarantee that they use Lithium Manganese then don’t buy it.
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12. What gears do you use?
The Agattu model is fitted with the excellent Shimano Nexus gears. You can shift up and down the gear range at a complete standstill, something which is very useful when you have to stop for a red light and then take off quickly.
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13. What is the frame made of and will it corrode?
Kalkhoff electric bikes are built around a durable but lightweight corrosion-resistant aluminium alloy frame. Many cheap electric bikes still use heavier steel frames that are prone to rust.
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14. Are spares available?
Yes, Circuit Cycles hold a complete range of spares. Spare batteries and tyres can be ordered directly through the website.
15. I consider the Kalkhoff electric bikes to be expensive, how can I justify the cost?
Have a look at the cost comparison for the Kalkhoff Agattu with other modes of transport on our ‘Why choose an electric bike?’ page. There are so many benefits not just money saving ones. Kalkhoff bikes are German made bikes, they are the Audi/BMW of the electric bike world, you know you are getting a top quality product!
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16. Are the Kalhoff electric bikes light enough to be lifted unaided?
Yes. A lot of electric bikes come with heavy steel frames and old-fashioned lead acid batteries which can make them difficult for one person to handle. Not so with Kalkhoff, Kalkhoff bikes are built around alloy frames and use lighter battery technology.
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17. Will I feel embarrassed riding this bike around?
Most definitely not. Kalkhoff electric bikes are built with style and elegance in mind. The battery and motor blend in with the rest of the bike so much so that to most people it will appear that you are on a regular bike.
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18. What is your relationship with the manufacturer of your bikes?
Kalkhoff electric bikes are manufactured by Derby Cycles at their factory in Cloppenburg, Germany.
Circuit Cycles are the exclusive distributors of Kalkhoff electric bikes in the Republic of Ireland.
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19. I have made my mind up, how do I buy the Kalkhoff electric bike?
Each of our bikes has its own page where you can check the specifications. Click on the ‘Add To Cart’ button and proceed to the checkout area. We accept payment by debit or credit card and use Paypal’s well known and widely used secure payments system. Alternatively you can pay for the bike by cheque, bank draft or money transfer.
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