What size Kalkhoff step thru

mastanlem

Pedelecer
May 4, 2007
60
0
Hi I am thinking of getting a Kalkhoff Agutta step thru. I am a female (large) 5ft 6inch with an inside leg of 29/30 inches.

Thanks Marina
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,488
30,803
I'm 5' 6" and my inside leg is just under 29 inches. The 53 cm Agattu step-through was too high for me, the 49 cm would have been just about ok with sprung seatpost in place, so that should be alright for you with your slightly longer inside leg. If you like placing your foot flat on the ground when stationary and sitting on the saddle, it might still be a touch too high though, I'm happy with just toes down.
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tangent

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 7, 2010
299
0
Hi Marina,

if you are interested, Wiggle.com have a special offer on 49cm framed Technium Privilege here:

Technium cycling Products At Wiggle - cycle

From what I have learned, this is the same as the Agattu, just different branding. I have ordered one, due to arrive tomorrow or Tuesday and will post my opinions.
 
C

Cyclezee

Guest
Hi Marina,

if you are interested, Wiggle.com have a special offer on 49cm framed Technium Privilege here:

Technium cycling Products At Wiggle - cycle

From what I have learned, this is the same as the Agattu, just different branding. I have ordered one, due to arrive tomorrow or Tuesday and will post my opinions.
Well spotted Tangent, that is a very good deal;) My only reservation is will Wiggle provide the same excellent level of support and a 2 year warranty as 50cycles do with Kalkhoff?

J:) hn
 
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allen-uk

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 1, 2010
909
25
Blimey, I must have very short legs! I was 5'11'' with an inside leg of 29" (I'm now 5'10", which is apparently normal when you get old. Everything shrinks. Yes, everything...).

So, either I've got very short legs or you've got long ones.


Allen.
 

Old Timer

Esteemed Pedelecer
Dec 5, 2009
1,279
12
I'm 5' 6" and my inside leg is just under 29 inches. The 53 cm Agattu step-through was too high for me, the 49 cm would have been just about ok with sprung seatpost in place, so that should be alright for you with your slightly longer inside leg. If you like placing your foot flat on the ground when stationary and sitting on the saddle, it might still be a touch too high though, I'm happy with just toes down.
.
Tony

When you read the advice on sheldons pages and the fact that somewhere he says that if you can comfortably touch the ground when on the saddle then your saddle is too low! well, when you consider that on our E bikes we aint exactly punching along, I have slightly lowered my saddle to make for easier control when stopping plus to get just that slightly lower position and keep the weight off of the wrists. I don`t feel any problems with my knees so will see how it goes.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,488
30,803
Tony

When you read the advice on sheldons pages and the fact that somewhere he says that if you can comfortably touch the ground when on the saddle then your saddle is too low!
He's absolutely right of course, but that's fine for someone riding on the open road for protracted periods as most sport and leisure cyclists do. It's a different matter for utility cycling in urban conditions where there's frequent stops for lights etc. Then at least a toe down is more convenient to save constantly getting on and off the saddle.
.
 

lemmy

Esteemed Pedelecer
I'm 5'8" with 31" inside leg. My Kalkoff Tasman has the 53cm frame. With the sprung seat post set in the lowest position, I can just touch my toes onto the ground.

I agree with Flecc that in urban conditions it is necessary to be able to do so. You cannot always find a kerb to put the foot down, entering a roundabout, for example and in urban conditions you will spend almost as much time sitting with a toe on the ground as moving forward. Sliding off the saddle would be most inconvenient.

I reckon that replacing the sprung post with an unsprung one would lower the seat by about 2", making it suitable for someone with an inside leg of 29".
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,488
30,803
I reckon that replacing the sprung post with an unsprung one would lower the seat by about 2", making it suitable for someone with an inside leg of 29".
When I tested the Agattu it was a 53 cm one, far too big for my somewhat under 29" inner leg, so I had to put in a rigid post which just about enabled me to cope. A 49 cm would have been better though.
.
 

tangent

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 7, 2010
299
0
Well spotted Tangent, that is a very good deal;) My only reservation is will Wiggle provide the same excellent level of support and a 2 year warranty as 50cycles do with Kalkhoff?

J:) hn
Wiggle are a large and respected company. I personally know of people who have purchased bikes (non-electric) through them and they have had very good support. I have bought bits and pieces off them for a few years and have never had a problem.

I forgot to ask about the warranty, but assumed it would be just 1 year. I am prepared to take the risk on a 1 year guarantee though because

1) I trust the quality of the product and expect any major problems to reveal themselves within the first year.
2) I am prepared to do most maintenance myself, having gained a lot of experience through a very similar bike (Giant Lafree).
3) I will save the cost of the whole bike in 1 year on London tube fares.
4) I save £479 over the price of a step through Agattu;)

I am not knocking 50Cycles in any way, but £479 is a very big discount.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,488
30,803
I think the Panasonic unit and battery have a two year warranty anyway, regardless of bike make or supplier, the warranty applying through the supplier.
.
 

tangent

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 7, 2010
299
0
I think the Panasonic unit and battery have a two year warranty anyway, regardless of bike make or supplier, the warranty applying through the supplier.
.
Thanks - useful to know.

What is the best way to treat a new Lithium Manganese battery? e.g. is it best to go through a few full charge/discharge cycles before I resort to daily top-ups?
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,488
30,803
After the initial charge, definitely a minimum of one full discharge to start with, taking it all the way down to the fast flashing LED stage. This correctly registers the meter zero so that subsequent content and capacity checks give an accurate result.

To get a fuller story about this subject in my website, use this link.

The index for all subjects in my Panasonic support site is on this link.
.
 

mastanlem

Pedelecer
May 4, 2007
60
0
Wiggle are a large and respected company. I personally know of people who have purchased bikes (non-electric) through them and they have had very good support. I have bought bits and pieces off them for a few years and have never had a problem.

I forgot to ask about the warranty, but assumed it would be just 1 year. I am prepared to take the risk on a 1 year guarantee though because

1) I trust the quality of the product and expect any major problems to reveal themselves within the first year.
2) I am prepared to do most maintenance myself, having gained a lot of experience through a very similar bike (Giant Lafree).
3) I will save the cost of the whole bike in 1 year on London tube fares.
4) I save £479 over the price of a step through Agattu;)

I am not knocking 50Cycles in any way, but £479 is a very big discount.
You got yours just in time as the price has now shot up to £1705.25

Marina
 

tangent

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 7, 2010
299
0
Actually it seems to have gone to £1795. At this price I would have gone to 50 Cycles! I thought the prices might rise which is one of the reasons I went for a new bike now. I would not be surprised to see VAT at 20% in a few weeks either.

No bike yet, hopefully arriving tomorrow.
 
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mastanlem

Pedelecer
May 4, 2007
60
0
Actually it seems to have gone to £1795. At this price I would have gone to 50 Cycles! I thought the prices might rise which is one of the reasons I went for a new bike now. I would not be surprised to see VAT at 20% in a few weeks either.

No bike yet, hopefully arriving tomorrow.
Sorry quoted the price that I get with discount having previousy purchased from them.

At this price then I will probably look at the Raleigh Dover as there is a stockist in town.

marina
 

tangent

Esteemed Pedelecer
Mar 7, 2010
299
0
My Technium Privilege has arrived. Still unpacking and assembling, but one disappointment is that the bike is 7 speed instead of eight speed! I have an email from wiggle confirming that the bike contains an 8 speed hub as well. I am not impressed by this. As the price is now £1795 instead of the £1167 I paid my advice is DO NOT BUY THIS BIKE. The 50 Cycles Agattu is £150 cheaper and has a better spec. Another annoyance is that the manual is entirely in German.

Other than these irritaions, the bike came very well packaged with reasonably clear English assembly instructions and a set of tools.

One point I have noticed is that the saddle seems too high to me on the lowest setting, even though my inside leg measurement is 31". I will just replace the seatpost if it turns out to be too high. I do not really care about the suspension, but this might upset some buyers.
 
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