In this interview, 50cycles tells Pedelecs about their history, Kalkhoff technology and announce their expansion plans for 2014.
How did you start?
50cycles started back in 2003 when we launched a tiny one-page website selling the Honda Step Compo electric bike, which was the most sophisticated folding electric bike back then. The very first of them is still in our possession, up in Loughborough. We imported them from Japan in fairly small numbers but soon found there was real demand for them. Early customers included a Paparazzo photographer in London, a private pilot who wanted something to get from his plane to the terminal building and a Buddhist monk in Thailand who literally gave us his blessing! Seems to have worked so far.
Where are you now?
We’re doing well now, with three showrooms and thousands of electric bikes sold. We settled on the Kalkhoff brand about seven years ago as they were clearly determined to take command of the electric bike market in Europe, which is how we feel it’s turned out. They’re the only manufacturer offering hub motors, the Bosch system as well as their own Impulse motor system, which they’ve developed into something that offers market-leading power, performance and range. We wouldn’t want to be selling, or riding, any other brand. Well, apart from the Focus brand maybe, but they’re made in the same factory!
Our headquarters are in Loughborough, which is where my brother Scott and I, who own the company, both come from. We also have a great showroom in Hampton Wick (we were previously in a quaint little shop on Richmond Hill, but ran out of space) and a recently-opened showroom and hire centre in Shoreham-by-Sea in Sussex.
Plans are afoot to open a very large showroom in the centre of Bristol later this Spring. The Bristol opening is particularly exciting as we’ve always had many customers in that area, and many more who want to try a bike, but who live in Devon, Cornwall or South Wales, miles away from our other showrooms. Bristol is going to be big for us and Kalkhoff.
Why have you opened in Shoreham-by-Sea?
I’ve been visiting Shoreham regularly with my son over the past couple of years, it’s always struck me as a really friendly, interesting, busy town with plenty of nice pubs and restaurants, really good fish and chips and some great cycle routes in and out of town.
It’s also an up-and-coming sort of place. The new Adur Ferry Bridge opened at the end of last year which links up cycling and pedestrian routes brilliantly and looks fantastic. The stretch of coast between Shoreham and Brighton is set for redevelopment too. The place is thronged with cyclists and day-trippers every weekend and it’s easier to access and park in than nearby Brighton. A likely looking shop became available and we were able to move in pretty quickly. We’ve recruited Charlie to run the Shoreham showroom, he’s a serious cyclist but knows his stuff when it comes to electric bikes. He also knows the best routes around there too, whether you want an easy ride along the seafront to Brighton or Worthing or some more testing terrain up in the South Downs.
We have a wide range of Kalkhoff bikes there at the moment and there are a few bikes which you can hire for the day. If you hire a bike and end up buying one from us, we’ll deduct the cost of hire from your order. Free test rides are also available of course, that’s the 50cycles way!
What are you excited about this season?
Apart from the new showroom openings, the big developments this year are the launch of our new website, the introduction of Kalkhoff’s Impulse 2.0 system and the full suspension, all-terrain Focus Thron series.
The latest version of the 50cycles.com website launched back in the middle of February and feedback from visitors and customers suggests it’s presenting the bikes more clearly, is easier to use and quicker to load. There’s a blog on there too which we’ll be working to keep fresh as the season goes on.
On the Impulse 2.0… the Bosch pedelec system has been popular over the past year with numerous bike brands hopping on board with their motors and batteries over the past couple of years. One of our Pro Connects is fitted with the Bosch Performance system, it’s the best-priced on the market too. But… when you compare the Bosch and Impulse 2.0 systems side by side, it’s the Kalkhoff system that comes out on top in terms of range, battery life, torque and sophistication, I’ll cover that in more detail in another article on Pedelecs coming soon. In the meantime this video gives a taster:
We’ve also been dabbling in Focus bikes for a few years now as they’re a sister brand of Kalkhoff, made in the same factory to the same standard and sharing their electric bike technology. This year their design team came up with something special in the shape of the brutally effective Thron full suspension all-terrain bikes. All the components and groupsets are top notch and the Thron picked up a prestigious ExtraEnergy award last month as the best bike in the Sport Offroad Pedelec. The Endeavour S11, which uses the same motor and battery technology picked up the Sport Commuter title as well, so it was a good day for the Kalkhoff/Focus stable.
What are you most proud of?
Looking back over the past decade of selling electric bikes, there have definitely been some memorable achievements:
- Selling the first Lithium ion-powered vehicle of any kind in the UK, the Panasonic WiLL folding electric bike, back in 2004
- Winning the first electric bike championship race at the Tour de Presteigne in 2006
- Competing in the world’s first all-electric 24 hour motocross event in California
- Being named Kalkhoff distributor of the year
- Supplying electric bikes to the Glastonbury Festival organisers
- Most of all, hearing from customers who tell us it’s the best thing they’ve ever bought, that they enjoyed dealing with us and that we’ve changed their lives for the better.
What does the future hold for 50cycles?
We’re into our second decade now and, especially in recent weeks, the demand for our bikes has moved into a higher gear. We’ll continue to open new showrooms in key locations and bring the very best of Europe’s electric bikes to UK customers at excellent prices, with service and support to match. We’ll never tire of riding and enjoying electric bikes.
Our thanks to Tim Snaith for this interview.
Where to buy
Kalkhoff electric bikes are available online on their 50cycles website as well as through their local dealerships where you can demo and buy in these locations:
–50cycles Bristol
–50cycles London
–50cycles Loughborough
–50cycles Shoreham-by-Sea
