There's quality and then there's Kalkhoff quality

Kalkhoff's electric bicycles are produced at the Derby Cycle plant in Cloppenburg, to the west of Bremen in Germany.

This truly state-of-the-art plant produces more than 2,500 bicycles of all types every day, making Derby the largest cycle manufacturer in Europe.

Every bike that leaves the plant is a result of the the latest computer aided design, testing, manufacturing and quality assurance techniques.

50cycles had an opportunity to tour the plant in February 2008 and we were most impressed by the scale and quality of the operation.

There are a number of techniques that really set these bikes apart from many others on the market, notably their strict testing regime and powder coating painting technology. Every bike produced in Europe has to meet certain quality and testing requirements and there are higher specific requirements in Germany (DIN certification). Kalkhoff bikes meet Derby's own super-strict DCW (Derby Cycle Werk) standard. For example, this means around double the number of hours on their testing simulators than is required under DIN law. Handlebars, forks, frames, pedals, kick stands and more are all individually tested on custom-built machines.

This level of quality and attention to detail is simply not available to any other bicycle manufacturer, electric or otherwise. The scale and efficiency of their operation means we can offer great value. Owning a Kalkhoff bike means buying into one of the most impressive manufacturing operations anywhere.

Battery pack performance

An electric bike needs a good battery to be an effective vehicle. Kalkhoff electric bikes are built around the tried-and-tested Panasonic Lithium Manganese battery pack and pedelec motor combination.

50cycles first imported bikes based on this system as early as 2004 and we were impressed by their lightness and reliability from the start. The latest version found in our Kalkhoff bikes boasts greater battery life and more powerful performance.