Kalkhoff USA Donates Ebike to City of Portland

Mayor Sam Adams and the new Kalkhoff Agattu

On Thursday, October 28, Green Light Bicycles, the US distributor of Kalkhoff electric and traditional bikes, donated one of their Agattu ebikes to Mayor Sam Adam's office. Included in the donation were some additional accessories, including a bag for the handlebars, a ulock to supplement the built-in rear wheel lock, and a complementary bag of their custom coffee roast, “e-spresso”.

When considering which model to donate, Kalkhoff USA asked for feedback from the staff on the other ebike in the Mayor's office, a Sanyo Eneloop. The Agattu was selected because it's a bit larger than the Eneloop, has a bit more speed, and finally, staff requested a step-through frame. It's a comprehensively equipped ebike, with dynamo-driven front and rear lights, the aforementioned rear wheel lock, and an integrated bell in the brake lever, something I missed in my original review. It retails for $2,499.

The city's new Agattu ebike.

Following brief remarks, Mayor Adams took the Agattu for an inaugural spin around the plaza in front of city hall. Todd Seres, from Kalkhoff USA, helped staff members familiarize themselves with the operation and use of the new ebike. They seemed enthusiastic about ebikes, and reported often using them to ride to meetings – an additional one will increase the options available for them. I suggested they add ebikes to the city's Women on Bikes curriculum, as well. Do you have any other ideas for ways the city (and Metro, who offers ebikes in their motor pool as well) or other organizations could use ebikes as shared vehicles?