Kalkhoff Image 5.B Advance

You already make the trips an e-bike suits: to work and back, to the shops, to an appointment. The Kalkhoff Image 5.B Advance is a step-through city e-bike for making them by bike instead, with a Wave frame you step through, a Bosch Performance Line PX motor and an 800 Wh battery.

The chain is gone too. A Gates belt and an Enviolo stepless hub leave nothing to oil or adjust. Book a test ride at Dolomiti Electric Bikes, 1075-1087 Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe, or ring 03 9982 1440.

Kalkhoff Image 5.B Advance: made for everyday trips

The car trip you keep making, done by bike

In a Queensland study of e-bike owners, 58% said they would have driven to work without their e-bike, and 75% would have driven for the shopping. A Kalkhoff owner in the brand's Facebook group puts the job in one line:

"My Kalkhoff brings me to my work."

(a Kalkhoff owner, Facebook)

This bike asks little of you between rides: no chain to oil, a first service included, and ten years on the frame once you register it with Kalkhoff.

Step through, sit up, feet down at the lights

The Wave frame has no bar to swing a leg over. You step through and sit upright. A lever on the seatpost lowers the saddle at the lights so your feet reach the ground. Bosch walk assist, with Hill Hold on hill starts, moves the bike beside you when you are on foot.

In a 2019 study (Leger et al.), every female participant preferred a step-through frame.

The weekly shop rides home on the rack

The MIK HD rear rack is rated to 27 kg, and a reviewer points out that the rating also covers a child seat. The permissible total weight is 180 kg: bike, rider and load together.

Battery, range, motor and belt

800 Wh in the frame, so fewer charges between rides

The Bosch PowerTube battery sits integrated in the frame and releases with a key. That means fewer charges for the same riding, and room for a long day out on a rail trail.

How far will it go on a charge? Bosch estimates about 192 to 193 km in Eco, about 137 to 142 km in Tour, about 117 to 119 km in Sport and about 108 to 109 km in Turbo. Those figures assume 100 kg total weight, an 18 km/h average, 60 rpm, a mixed route with some inclines, mostly good asphalt, light breezes, summer weather and hybrid bike tyres, for the Performance Line PX with the PowerTube 800. Bosch says they are estimates that vary with the type of use and external influences. Kalkhoff quotes up to 160 km as its own claim. Taking it on a car? Check your rack's rated load against the bike's 33.62 kg (M) to 33.74 kg (L) including battery, and take the battery out before you lift it on.

The hill home stops deciding whether you ride

A Bosch Performance Line PX mid-drive, rated 250 W with assistance to 25 km/h and up to 90 Nm at the drive unit (Bosch's maximum), does the climbing with you, so the ride home is not something to dread. Riders comparing motors on the forums favour mid-drive for hills.

A belt and a stepless hub: no chain to oil

A Gates Carbon Drive CDX belt drives an Enviolo Trekking stepless hub. Kalkhoff describes it as a drive with no external chain and nothing to lubricate or adjust, and the gears change even while you are stopped.

From Kalkhoff's own channel, 2026: the new Level 5+ series, in German.

Service, warranty and who it suits

Looked after by the shop that sells it

We service every bike we sell in our Ivanhoe workshop, belt and hub included, and your first service at 300 km is included. The bike arrives from Kalkhoff assembled; we size you to it, set the saddle, bars and stem, and check it over before you ride away. Kalkhoff gives 10 years on the frame once registered, and 2 years cover the electronic parts.

Who this bike suits

• Best for riding to work in your work clothes, upright, on roads and bike paths.
• Best for the weekly shop and the chemist run, with a rack rated to 27 kg.
• Best for stepping on and off with your feet down at the lights.
• Best for a day on a rail trail, with 800 Wh in the frame.
• Best for a route with a hill on the way home, with a Bosch mid-drive.

It is made for sealed roads, bike paths and rail trails, and Kalkhoff classes it a City bike. For technical mountain-bike trails, an electric mountain bike is the better tool.

Questions people ask

Questions about the Image 5.B Advance

Is it worth paying more than a cheaper e-bike?

Ask what each bike needs from you after you buy it. This one has a belt and stepless hub with no chain to replace, a Bosch motor and battery, ten years on the frame once registered with Kalkhoff, and a first service included at our Ivanhoe workshop. Ride it and decide.

Is it too heavy for me to handle?

It weighs 33.62 kg (M) to 33.74 kg (L) with the battery. Walk assist moves it beside you on foot, and the step-through means you never lift a leg over it. It suits a garage, shed or ground floor; if every ride starts up a flight of stairs, a lighter bike will suit you better.

I've never heard of Kalkhoff. Is it any good?

Kalkhoff is a German bicycle maker, founded in 1919, and builds its e-bikes around Bosch systems with an in-house test centre. Its Trustpilot page rates it 4.5 out of 5 from 583 reviews.

Is the battery safe to charge at home?

It runs a Bosch PowerTube battery. Charge it only with the charger made for it, as Bosch and the Victorian Government both advise.

What if it gets stolen?

The battery locks into the frame with a key. Ask us about a tracker, a lock and e-bike insurance when you collect it.

Are electric bikes legal in Victoria?

Bosch publishes this motor at 250 W rated, with assistance to 25 km/h. Road rules are set by each state; Victoria's are on the Victoria Police e-bike page.

How much torque does it have?

Bosch rates the Performance Line PX drive unit at up to 90 Nm. The way to feel what that means on your hill is a test ride from the showroom.

Which Image 5+ is this one?

This is the Advance trim: a Gates belt with an Enviolo stepless hub and a Bosch Kiox 500 colour display. Other trims in the Image line use different hubs and displays, so ask us to put you on two of them back to back.

Image 5.B Advance specifications

The full specification

Identity

• Kalkhoff Image 5.B Advance, 2026 model year (Kalkhoff's model name: Image 5+ Advance), City e-bike

Motor and battery

• Bosch Performance Line PX mid-drive, 36 V, 250 W rated, assistance to 25 km/h
• Bosch PowerTube battery, 800 Wh, 36 V, 22.2 Ah, integrated in the frame
• Bosch Kiox 500 colour display with walk assist

Drivetrain and brakes

• Gates Carbon Drive CDX belt with Enviolo Trekking stepless hub
• Hydraulic disc brakes, 180 mm rotors front and rear

Frame and fit

• Kalkhoff Wave step-through frame, upright riding position
• Sizes M (48 cm frame, riders 160 to 186 cm) and L (53 cm frame, riders 174 to 191 cm)
• SR Suntour Mobie34 fork, 100 mm travel
• Aluminium seatpost, suspended, lowers with a lever
• Selle Royal Lookin Evo Stracciatella saddle
• Comfort Riser handlebar, Herrmans Nucore Town grips, adjustable Cockpit 2.0 stem

Wheels and tyres

• 29 inch wheels, Mach1 Trucky aluminium rims
• Schwalbe Green Marathon tyres, 55-622

Equipment

• MIK HD rear rack, 27 kg
• Front and rear aluminium mudguards, extra long, with splash guard
• Supernova Mini 2 front light and Trelock COB Line rear light with brake light, both LED
• Adjustable rear kickstand, comfort pedals, aluminium crankset

Weight and load

• 33.62 kg (M) to 33.74 kg (L) including battery
• Permissible total weight 180 kg

Colours

• Adamantsilver glossy, Diamondblack glossy

Book a test ride: ring 03 9982 1440 or visit us in Ivanhoe.