Pedal assist bike recommendations for 5 foot female

[Dewey]

That's the way I'm leaning!

You have probably seen Court's recent review. At the Ebike Expo last year I test rode the Gazelle Arroyo which is similar to the Agattu, Bosch motor, Magura hydraulic rim brakes, front suspension fork, rear seatpost suspension, and I really liked it so it's great the Kalkhoff has the XS frame.

 

[Al P]

The B7 looks like a nice bike, but the motor is only 250 watts. That should be fine if you do not encounter any steep hills during your rides. If you do, you will most likely regret not getting a stronger motor.

 

[Deleted member 803]

I think I have come to that conclusion as well, but I've been looking for two weeks now and can't find a dealer near me in the western Chicago suburbs or anywhere except Bend, Oregon for that matter. I'm reasonable certain that is the right bike but I can't even find a Kalkhoff dealer. Can anyone help?

Kalkhoff is a poorly distributed brand and I'm not sure that they will continue to distribute in North America. Service is very important so I strongly suggest you buy a bike from a local dealer that offers quality support.

 

[Dewey]

The B7 looks like a nice bike, but the motor is only 250 watts. That should be fine if you do not encounter any steep hills during your rides. If you do, you will most likely regret not getting a stronger motor.

It's confusing that in Court's review the Agattu has the Bosch Active Line motor, while the dealer supplying the bike Propel's website lists the Performance Line motor. This week I sent an email to New Wheel in San Francisco to ask what Bosch motor is fitted to the 2017 Agattu's and I was told by them it is the Performance Line. The Kalkhoff website states North American Agattu's have the Performance Line motor. But I am still unsure given Court was riding an Agattu with the Active Line motor, and all the publicity photos are of the European version with the Active Line. I wonder if this is a mix up or if Propel had imported European spec Agattu's at the time of Court's visit. New Wheel are big promoters of Kalkhoff and it makes sense for San Francisco's hills for them to spec the Performance Line motor.

 

[Dewey]

Service is very important so I strongly suggest you buy a bike from a local dealer that offers quality support.

I think its good Kalkhoff have adopted the Bosch motor for the 2017 Agattu's because diagnostics and servicing should be possible at any shop with a Bosch certified technician. Bosch had a tent at last years Ebike Expo and I'm sure they'll be there next week in Chicago.

 

[Chris Nolte]

I can confirm that the both the Agattu B7 and B8 have the Performance Line motor in the US. The cover says Active line, but the motor is actually performance.

Also - I agree with you're sentiments about Bosch and I highly doubt Kalkhoff is going anywhere despite some comments above. They're owned by one of the largest bike groups in the world and they are investing heavily in this space. They are committed to working with quality shops and we're grateful to be one of their dealers.

 

[Chris Nolte]

The B7 looks like a nice bike, but the motor is only 250 watts. That should be fine if you do not encounter any steep hills during your rides. If you do, you will most likely regret not getting a stronger motor.

This is a common misconception. This motor is quite capable of handling even the largest of hills. It's really about hearing it properly. If you switch to a lower gear you can handle pretty much any hill you encounter.

 

[Bicyclista]

I agree with Chris Nolte regarding the hill-climbing capability of Bosch 250-watt motors. This is true of Yamaha motors and perhaps other brands as well. The truth is there does not seem to be a standard for motor ratings. Haibike refers to my Yamaha motor as a 250-watt motor. My dealer says it's a 500-watt motor. It's probably both, and it can certainly climb tough hills.

A standard would be something like, "A 250-watt motor is one that can deliver 250 watts continuously, for at least one hour without overheating, as long as its battery has a charge of no less than 20%." If there is such an industry standard, please quote the authority (such as International Standards Organization).

When my dealer says my Yamaha motor is a 500-watt motor, he means that the motor can deliver 500 watts for brief periods of time. Being a dealer, he takes the rosy view, from his perspective. How brief those periods of time is unstated. Is it 10 seconds? A minute? Five minutes or more? The answer is that it depends on the hill and you will soon find out when the motor overheats and shuts down.

 

[Dewey]

I can confirm that the both the Agattu B7 and B8 have the Performance Line motor in the US. The cover says Active line, but the motor is actually performance.

Thanks Chris. I've since also had an email from Kalkhoff's brand owner Pon stating that for the US market "the bike does come with a Performance Line Motor. There was a mistake at the factory -- an 'Active Line' plastic plate was accidentally placed over some of the Performance Line motors. We have since mailed the 'Performance Line' plastic cover out to dealers. All 2017 Kalkhoff Agattu bikes come with a Performance Line Motor."

 

[Al P]

My 250w motor will reach 500w at peak, but even when shifting down, I still have to apply considerable force to get up steep hills. Add to that high speed pedaling while going nowhere. This defeats the whole purpose for buying an ebike. My 500w bike has 750w peak power and climbs steep Adirondack hills with no problem. Even my wife's 350w motor climbs with ease. If it didn't, she would be clamoring for a new bike. I would never buy another bike with a 250w motor unless I lived in a place like southern Florida, where there are no steep hills.

 

[Chris Nolte]

I'm not sure what motor you have on your bike or your wife's bike, but I suspect it's not a Bosch motor. The Bosch system is able to generate considerable torque despite its lower power rating. Part of this is by using their internal reduction gear which allows the motor to spin at much a higher RPM than most similar motors do even under heavy loads or steep hills.

 

[Linda Baer]

Just came back from the Ebike expo. I had a blast! I was surprised at the number of bikes that fit me. Though the following bikes fit me, I eliminated them for various reasons one izip, two Raleigh bikes, gazelle, trek Neko, bulls cross lite, and the Electra townie (so comfortable!). I did like the trek lift+, smart motion Ecity, and the bulls lacuna evo E8. They did not have a Kalkhoff Agutta B7 but I did discover that the Bosch high performance motor that comes with it is amazing! Comments on my final four are welcome. You guys have been a big help in my search for a bike. Your time and expertise is much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Just came back from the Ebike expo. I had a blast! I was surprised at the number of bikes that fit me. Though the following bikes fit me, I eliminated them for various reasons one izip, two Raleigh bikes, gazelle, trek Neko, bulls cross lite, and the Electra townie (so comfortable!). I did like the trek lift+, smart motion Ecity, and the bulls lacuna evo E8. They did not have a Kalkhoff Agutta B7 but I did discover that the Bosch high performance motor that comes with it is amazing! Comments on my final four are welcome. You guys have been a big help in my search for a bike. Your time and expertise is much appreciated. Thank you!

Townie Go
Lacuba EVO E8
Crosslite-E with the new Bosch CX motor.

All great bikes. Glad the bike expo was useful.

Since kozy's carry a lot of the bikes you mentioned, you should visit them.

 

[WilliamT]

I would also check out bikes from Juiced Bicycles.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

The Ocean Current step though would fit you. It has a 22" stand over height and similar to the Townie Go.
With the 21 ah battery, you shouldn't have any problems getting 80-100 miles depending on the assist level.

 

[Lost]

This looks like a bit of fun: (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[San Diego Fly Rides]

We've been loving the Wave frame models from Bulls. Check out the Bulls Cross Lite E and the Bulls Lacuba Evo E8. Super easy to mount and dismount and very much in the upright position. Go for the Lacuba if you're looking for the longest battery life. Brose batteries go forever.

 

[Linda Baer]

We've been loving the Wave frame models from Bulls. Check out the Bulls Cross Lite E and the Bulls Lacuba Evo E8. Super easy to mount and dismount and very much in the upright position. Go for the Lacuba if you're looking for the longest battery life. Brose batteries go forever.

I did super like the lacuba, but it's a bit pricey. I'm planning to get the Kalkhoff Agutta B7 in a couple weeks. I think I have done my research and decided it has all the bells and whistles at an affordable price...and it fits me. Thanks so much everyone for your feedback!

 

[Linda Baer]

Well, it finally happened. After waiting several weeks for my new bike to come from Germany, I am a proud owner of a Kalkhoff Agutta B7! After adjusting the handle bars and switching out the seat post, it fits perfect. It's at least ten pounds lighter than my current Ebike. And, the battery life is crazy long because we paid extra for the larger battery pack. I rode 22 miles this weekend mostly on the turbo and sport mode and it said it still had a 50 mile range left to go! It seemed to have used only about 20%ish of the battery capacity with the 22 miles. There is no question that the Bosch performance motor is something pretty special. It definitely has some zip but I still felt as if I was in control of the bike. So many nice bells and whistles on this bike. Thanks to all for helping me come to a great conclusion of my bike search story. And, thanks to Derek at Northtowne Cyclery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for your great patience with fitting me with the perfect solution. It was worth the wait and definitely worth the 7 hour round trip to get the bike.

 

[Alex M]

Most important is that you like it, this is what we buy them for.

As to the crazy range or something special about motor performance... people who have this motor could tell more, but I would say - yes and no. Here is why.

Range gauge is rarely accurate, it estimates the remaining mileage based on how you rode the last mile or what PAS mode you're in at the moment.
22+50=72 miles total - maybe, if you ride it the same way as you did the last mile, but the battery should not be used up to zero, so realistically it will be less.

Long range isn't really a result of motor features, in this case. With 250W motor and 500WH (?) battery it can be long, but this will be mostly "your" range, not the battery's, i.e. you have to work hard. PAS Turbo and Sport in this controller is about the same as PAS 2 out of 5 on 500W motor, or the lowest possible setting of throttle (that is, if Bosch had a throttle). Hard to compare, depends on speed and terrain as well.

Ok, now to my hiding place before Bosch owners start throwing stones