Kalkhoff Entice 5.B Move

The Kalkhoff Entice 5.B Move is a step-through electric bike with no top tube at all, for riders who stop at every red light, café and lock-up. You step through the frame instead of swinging a leg over. Both feet go flat on the ground. Kalkhoff rate it for 180 kg of bike, rider and luggage together.

A Bosch Performance Line CX motor, running from an 800 Wh battery, adds to your own pedalling. The MIK HD rear rack takes up to 27 kg of shopping. And when something needs looking at, you bring it back to us: we service every one we sell in our own workshop at 1075-1087 Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe.

Kalkhoff Entice 5.B Move: who it suits

From the head tube, a single deep down tube drops to the bottom bracket, and the space above it is open. There's nothing to clear. If you carry bags or a basket on the MIK HD rack, your foot won't kick them on the way on.

It suits these rides

• A stop-start commute where you're on and off the bike at every set of lights
• Shopping, chemist and station trips that used to need the car, with up to 27 kg on the rear rack
• A commute with one steep hill you stopped riding
• Getting back on a bike once swinging a leg over the saddle started to hurt
• Weekend loops with a partner who rides at a different pace
• Rides in work clothes, with full-length mudguards and a guard over the chain
• Riding home after dark, with a brake light at the back and reflective tyre sidewalls
• Holiday trips with the bike on a car rack rated for e-bike weight

It isn't the right bike if

• You want to ride mountain-bike single track. This is an upright bike with a 120 mm fork.
• You need to lift it often. It weighs 30 to 31 kg, battery included.

Two checks before you book a ride

• Can you step through comfortably? Match your height to one of the four sizes below, covering riders from 150 to 196 cm.
• Where will it live? It weighs 30 to 31 kg, battery included, so plan a spot at home you can wheel it into.

What size and colour can I get?

Kalkhoff size the step-through by your height:

• S, 43 cm frame, for riders 150 to 166 cm
• M, 48 cm frame, for riders 160 to 186 cm
• L, 53 cm frame, for riders 174 to 191 cm
• XL, 58 cm frame, for riders 187 to 196 cm

You sit upright. The Cockpit 2.0 stem adjusts handlebar height and angle, so you can set the bars to suit your reach.

It comes in moonstone grey matt, the one colour sold in Australia.

Rack, motor, gears, brakes and display

The rear rack is a MIK HD carrier with a slotted top plate for clip-on MIK baskets and bags, and a lower rail for panniers. Load it to the rating engraved on the rack and no more. The rear light sits on the back of the rack, the LED headlight on the handlebars. Both run from the main battery, with a reserve that keeps them lit for a while after the motor's help runs out.

The Bosch Performance Line CX sits low in the middle of the bike and only helps while you pedal. The harder you push, the more it adds, so the steep street home becomes part of the ride again. Switch it off, or run the battery flat, and it rides like an ordinary bike.

The Shimano Cues nine-speed gears pair a 42-tooth chainring with an 11-46 cassette at the back. The biggest rear sprocket has 46 teeth, more than four times the smallest, and it's the one for climbing. Ease off the pedals for a moment as you change gear. The shift goes through cleaner and the chain lasts longer.

The Tektro T6040 four-piston hydraulic disc brakes use a larger 203 mm rotor at the front and a 180 mm rotor at the back. Discs stop almost as well in the wet as in the dry, though your tyres still grip less. New pads bed in over the first few firm stops. After a ride, give the discs half an hour before you touch them.

Kalkhoff's manual notes that in Australia the front brake usually sits on the right-hand lever. We go over which lever does what at handover.

For the rough bridge on your regular loop, it has 57 mm (29 x 2.25 in) Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres, a 120 mm SR Suntour Mobie34 fork, a suspension seat post and Ergon GS10 grips.

The Bosch Purion 200 display sits by your left grip. It shows your speed, the motor's help, battery charge and the time, and once we set it, the date your next service is due. It pairs with Bosch's free eBike Flow app over Bluetooth, where you can change which screens it shows.

The display runs in 15 languages, in metric or imperial. Walk assist moves the bike along at walking pace while you push it. If the display's own small battery runs low, it tops up over USB-C.

After you've paid: service and warranty

Then comes the part after you've paid. Dolomiti Electric Bikes was Australia's first dedicated electric bike retailer, and riders rate the shop 4.9 on Google.

The first service is at 300 km in our workshop. After that, a service every 6 to 9 months suits daily riding, or once a year for weekend riding. Kalkhoff give the frame a 10-year warranty for the first owner, once you register the bike on their website within eight weeks of buying it. Battery capacity fading with age is normal wear, not a defect.

Kalkhoff also require the seat post to be replaced on a set schedule, whether or not you can see any damage. Ask us about the interval at your first service. At handover we take you through the display, the battery, charging, the brakes and a short ride together.

Questions people ask

What should I check so I don't buy the wrong ebike?

Check three things: the frame suits your body, the bike's weight (30 to 31 kg here) suits where it will live, and someone nearby can service it. Kalkhoff publish a height range for all four sizes of this one, covering riders from 150 to 196 cm. The service counter is ours, at 1075-1087 Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe.

How far will an ebike go on one charge?

It depends on your assist level, your hills, your load and the weather. Kalkhoff name twelve things that change it, including headwind, temperature, tyre pressure and the battery's age, and say no exact figure is possible. This bike carries a Bosch PowerTube 800 Wh battery. Bosch's online Range Assistant lets you enter your own route, load and riding to see what to expect. Five lights on the battery show its charge in steps of about 20 per cent, and you can top it up at any level.

How should I charge and store the battery at home?

Never leave it charging unattended. Charge it on the bike through the charging socket, closing the flap afterwards, from household 220 to 240 V power. For long storage keep it at 30 to 60 per cent charge, ideally at 10 to 20 °C, in a dry room with a smoke alarm and away from anything flammable. Kalkhoff suggest a fireproof bag or box where needed. In winter keep the battery indoors and put it back just before you ride. Clean it with a soft damp cloth, never a hose.

What are the signs a battery is failing?

Stop charging it and bring it to us if it:

• won't charge on a working charger
• has charge lights that flash oddly or stay dark on the charger
• takes much longer to charge without giving more range
• shows battery errors on the display, or a warning in the eBike Flow app
• gets unusually hot while charging or riding
• looks swollen or warped
• doesn't respond when you switch it on or off, or shows nothing on its own lights

Kalkhoff say a faulty battery must never be charged and must not be kept at home.

How much weight can this ebike carry?

Kalkhoff rate it for 180 kg all-up, and that counts the bike, you, any passenger and your luggage together. Take the bike's own 30 to 31 kg off and about 149 to 150 kg is left for you and everything you carry, with no more than 27 kg of that on the rear rack.

Can I put a child seat on the back of this ebike?

Kalkhoff allow child seats only on MIK HD carriers rated 27 kg, and only seats with a MIK HD fitting. Kalkhoff list this bike's carrier as one. Kalkhoff rule out child seats on the handlebars and on front carriers, and say seats should be tested to EN 14344. If the carrier carries a sticker telling you to use an extra belt, strap the seat to the seat tube as well. A carrier marked "NO CHILD SEAT!" takes no seat at all. Bring the seat you have in mind and we'll check it against Kalkhoff's rule with you.

How do I take a step-through ebike on a car rack?

The frame has no top tube. Kalkhoff's rule is a rack rated for e-bike weight, holding the bike by the seat post and never the frame, with the battery taken off, any bags removed and a rain cover over the motor. Ask us how the battery comes out on this frame before your trip. Buses, trains and airlines set their own rules, so check with them first. You can drive an undamaged battery around yourself. Sending one by courier or air needs dangerous-goods packing.

How do I lock a step-through with a thick frame?

The battery cover locks with its own key. Lock the bike to something solid, even for a quick stop, and take the key with you.

I haven't heard of Kalkhoff. Who makes it?

Kalkhoff is a German bicycle maker founded in Cloppenburg in 1919 and part of the Derby Cycle group since 1989. The company is Kalkhoff Werke GmbH, based in Emstek, Germany. The parts on this bike come from Bosch, Shimano, Tektro, Schwalbe, SR Suntour, Ergon and Selle Royal.

How do I look after it?

Clean it with a soft damp cloth or a soft brush, never a hose or a pressure cleaner, and keep fuels like diesel off the motor. Before each ride, check the tyres, the brakes, the lights and that nothing is loose. Keep it in a dry room that isn't too warm.

Book a test ride at our Ivanhoe showroom, 1075-1087 Heidelberg Road, and bring the hill you stopped riding.