Welcome to WorkCycles!

Like its sisters, the cult favorites Fr8 and Gr8, the Kr8 has a sitting position that is comfortably upright and shares WorkCycles’ special 'Adaptive Seat Tube’ geometry or AST. The handlebar reach and reactionship to the pedals actually vary accordingly with the height of the saddle. To state it simply; the Kr8 one-size-fis-all frame reliably fits riders from about 155cm to 200cm. Simply by adjusting the quick-release seat post you can share the Kr8 with your family.

It might look difficult to carry so much on two wheels, but actually the opposite is true; Bicycles (2-wheelers, that is) simply ride much more naturally and easily. This is why almost everybody begins riding a 2-wheeler as young as possible and never goes back to the tricycle. Tricycles are strange to ride and always remain so. Because they don’t lean through corners the handling is unnatural and tipping is common. For up to 80kg of cargo the Kr8 is simply better for most people than any tricycle. After a couple of moments adjustment to the steering characteristics you can’t understand why it ever seemed strange.

A Kr8 with roller brakes front & rear and an 8 speed hub weighs around 38 kg. This is quite normal and all two-wheeled Bakfiets, Cargobike, Long John type bikes weigh around this much if not more. The Kr8 carries its load very low, which actually makes it feel much lighter and easier to handle with cargo aboard than a standard format bicycle which has a much higher center of gravity. You’re far less likely to fall over with your cargo, and even in the unlikely event that you do, your cargo is low to the ground and surrounded by a tough wood and steel box. The steering geometry has been ingeniously developed to provide easy, neutral handling, both empty and loaded.

The Kr8 measures about 260cm end to end. The widest point is the brake lever tip to brake lever tip distance, between 60 and 70cm depending on the handlebar. The height depends on how high you have your handlebar, on average this is around 120cm.

After selecting which Kr8 setup suits your needs you can choose which color scheme you would like the bike to come in. It’s also possible to have the bike painted in a custom color that you choose yourself, build a bike with two different colors or have colored rims instead of black. There are costs involved in building a special order custom color bike.

Normal build time after ordering is around 8 weeks, it depends somewhat on your order. A standard color Kr8 with roller brakes and a Nexus 8 hub normally takes around 6 - 8 weeks to build. Whereas a Kr8 painted in a custom color, with a nameplate or electric assist would be around 8 - 10 weeks.

Our weight guidelines for the Kr8 are; 50kg on the rear carrier and around 80kg in the cargo box.

We offer various rear child seats for the Kr8, having a child sit on the back is not a problem. We don’t recommend that an adult sit on the back of the Kr8, not so much because of breaking or bending the carrier but that amount of weight behind the rear axle will have a negative affect on the handling.

When it comes to parking your bike, Amsterdam is crowded. Your bike often ends up sandwiched between other people's bikes. Long fenders are nice however in a city like Amsterdam flimsy rear fender stays have a habit of being damaged or broken by other bikes. The Kr8 was designed as a tough urban bicycle, the rear fender was intentionally made shorter so it wouldn’t need a rear fender stay and therefore be less prone to damage. Some customers riding electric assist Kr8s do experience water and mud flying up, this can be fixed by mounting a rubber mudflap.

Absolutely, all WorkCycles bicycles come complete with hub dynamo powered LED lighting front and rear, fenders or as they are also called 'mudguards', a double leg parking stand, a frame mounted rear wheel lock with two numbered keys and a bell.

Kr8 bikes normally come with large BMX platform style pedals. Made of steel and hardened plastic with small nobs, these robust pedals are great for comfort and grip. Cycling in sneakers and boots will be fine, they are not suitable for dress shoes with leather soles though. For riders who wear elegant shoes or high heels we offer a more traditional classic city bike pedal with rubber grip.

We offer Dutch style panniers from Clarijs. These simple, functional and waterproof panniers are hand made by our friends in Zeeland. They are made from European truck tarp material called Bisonyl. The size L (38 liter) panniers fit the Kr8 rear carrier nicely and come with an ‘ADR’ anti-theft ring that will let you run a cable or lock through the bridge of the panniers to secure them to your bike. There are plenty of companies making bicycle panniers, too many for us to keep track of. If you want to use your own panniers and already have something in mind, we recommend buying the bike first so you can check if your favored panniers will fit.

Non electric assist Kr8 bikes are built with the Shimano Nexus 8 or the Enviolo Cargo hub. The Nexus 8 has a wide range (307%) and suits the needs of our riders for most situations. It’s smooth running and tough. The super strong and smooth Enviolo (NuVinci) 380 by Fallbrook Technologies is an internally geared hub with a constantly variable transmission. This unique drivetrain actually has no steps at all between ratios. The range of ratios is also greater than the Shimano Nexus 8: 380% vs. 307% and you can adjust your gear while pedaling up a hill without a pause. Our electric assist Kr8 with the Bafang BBS02 mid drive motor is also built up with the Enviolo hub. The combination of extreme durability and variable transmission make it an ideal hub for the increased chain torque of mid-drive assist motors, more so than the Nexus 8. The Rohloff hub is very nice but has quite a price tag to it. It makes more sense to have a Rohloff hub on a serious touring bicycle.

The Kr8 is generally purchased with the intention of using it as a family transport bicycle, it is especially suited to families with very young children. The Kr8, unless otherwise specified, is always built up with the fold-away kiddy bench inside the cargo box. The bench comes complete with two 3-point harness seat belts and is suitable for children of 9 months and older. The bench flips up so when you need to use the bike purely for cargo purposes you have more space. For those of you who already own a Kr8 and need some more seating for the kids, or want to know more on which additional seats work best, here is our Kr8 child seat guide:
Kr8 Kiddy Bench: one or two children from 9 months onwards.
Kr8 Second Bench: one or two children from 9 months onwards, the Second Bench can be quickly removed when not needed, second bench is available in black.
Kr8L Maxi Cosi Holder: The Kr8L is a maxi cosi holder that mounts in the base of the Kr8’s box so you can carry a child under 9 months, Kr8L is available in black with a multicolored cushion
Kr8L Double Maxi Cosi Holder: yes it’s possible, every now and then we get asked to install one (local customers only)

Rear Seats
Qibbel Rear Seat: for a child of 9 months to 6 years, 3 point harness belt, seat is available in dark grey with black cushion
Qibbel Air: (lighter version of the Qibbel rear seat) for a child of 9 months to 6 years, 3 point harness belt, seat is available in black
Qibbel Jr: for a child of 4+ years, seat is available in dark grey, we sell the Qibbel Jr complete with a seat belt and WorkCycles own strong frame mounted foot pegs
Fr8 Single Seat: 5+ years, complete with backrest, Ventisit cushion and strong frame mounted foot pegs. No seatbelt - as from this age it’s not necessary, the strong foot pegs help with the kid’s sitting safely on the bike

Foot Guards
Foot guards are necessary for the Qibbel Jr and the Fr8 Single Seat. The Qibbel Rear Seat and Qibbel Air come with built-in foot guards.

Panniers (and kid’s seats)
We offer a specially made set of panniers the Q-LU, which are designed to be used with the long rear carrier and the Qibbel Rear Seat or Qibbel Jr. The LU panniers can be used with a Fr8 long rear carrier and the Fr8 Single Seat. The Qibbel Air is not compatible with panniers. The standard rear carrier gives you the option of size L panniers or a rear child seat.

Brooks traditional leather bicycle saddles are great but need to be looked after. Treat the topside with Proofide every 6-12 months and keep the underside dry. If possible store the bike in a dry place between rides so that the leather can dry out naturally. Use a waterproof saddle cover when the bike is parked outside in bad weather and remove the saddle cover when you ride the bike. Tension the leather when necessary, if the leather is touching the saddle rail it needs to be tightened. We sell a complete saddle care kit, including; waterproof saddle cover, a sachet of Brooks saddle proofide and a leather tensioning tool.

The Kr8 comes with good all-round Schwalbe balloon tires that offer comfort and stability. The have a reflective sidewall strip and an anti-puncture protection belt.

The majority of customers rely on their local bike shop for their maintenance needs. A few customers have experience in looking after bikes and have a garage full of tools in order to do so. About a month after purchasing one of our bikes it should be checked over. Maintenance is highly dependent on how much you ride the bike and whether it sleeps in or outdoors. If you are riding your bike everyday in all weather conditions or it lives outdoors than on average it should receive a full tune-up at least once or twice a year. General maintenance guidelines include:

Monthly:
- air in tires

Half year intervals:
- tension chain
- check brakes and gears
- check headsets
- check steering joints

Year intervals:
- replace chain
- check/clean contacts for lighting
- lubricate brake cables to avoid freezing

Two year intervals:
- replace rear cog
- open and lubricate rear hub
- replace rear, maybe front tires
- replace some headset parts
If the bike isn't being used so intensively and/or stored indoors you can probably double or even triple these intervals.

Fixing a flat tire
It is usually not at all necessary to replace the inner tube to replace a flat tire. You just put the bike on it's stand, pull the left side of the tire open, patch the tube and put it back together. You can keep patching the tube until there is either no more room for patches or there is another reason to take the wheel out. Then when replacing a tire or opening the hub for service you replace the tube at the same time.

Gears
Nexus 8 (and 4, 5 and 7) speed cable adjustment:
Assuming the cable is gliding smoothly and not kinked or anything the adjustment for the Nexus 8 hub is very straightforward.
- make sure that both ends of the cable housing are sitting properly in their respective receptacles at the shifter and hub
- set the shifter to fourth gear
- just to the right of the cog on the rear hub is an indicator with a pair of yellow lines. The two lines should be aligned when in fourth gear.
- if they're not aligned tighten or loosen the barrel adjuster as need

Replacement parts for your bike can be purchased in the Parts section of our webshop. If you need help or need a part that isn’t listed in the parts shop please email us. WorkCycles parts are specifically for WorkCycles bicycles.

It’s actually the extra long version of the Hebie Chainglider fitted over a regular bicycle chain. The Chainglider works very well as an alternative to our standard chain case. If you convert your Kr8 to electric assist with a Bafang BBS02 motor our regular chain case will no longer fit and you’ll need the extra long version of the Chainglider, available in the parts section of our webshop.

European customers can order Kr8 bicycles with electric assist. We build two electric assist versions, one is with the Bafang BBS02 mid drive motor, 612Wh li-ion battery, Enviolo cargo hub and Magura MT5 eStop hydraulic disc brakes. The other is with a Neodrives Z20 rear wheel motor, 612Wh li-ion battery, 10- speed derailleur and Magura MT5 eStop hydraulic disc brakes.
Overseas customers can order a Kr8 with the 48V version of the Bafang BBS02 mid drive motor, but without the battery and charger. E-bike batteries are classed as dangerous goods and are not permitted on passenger aircraft. We rely on passenger aircraft to deliver direct orders to our overseas customers. Suitable batteries for the Bafang motor can be easily ordered locally or online, we can let you know which one to purchase.

If you are buying a new Kr8 with the intention that you might want to convert to electric assist later on you’ll want to order the bike with a suitable spec. The base spec that we recommend for a future conversion is SSGE, which is Magura hydraulic disc brakes and the Enviolo internally geared hub.

We receive lots of questions from customers looking to retrofit their bike with electric assist. So let's start at the start, do you need an e-bike ? What kind of weight are you carrying ? What kind of terrain are you riding ? If it’s short rides on relatively flat terrain you will probably be just fine without electric assist. For long rides with heavy cargo (or children), a company delivery bike or for crossing hilly terrain the electric assist can make all the difference. We recommend having a conversion done by an experienced mechanic. Customers in the Netherlands can have their Kr8 converted at our workshop in Amsterdam. For Kr8 owners around the world, a local bike shop with experience in converting bikes or a bike shop that sells cargo and family bicycles is the best place to have a motor installed. All Kr8 bicycles can be converted to electric assist, however there is more to converting a bike to electric assist than just adding a motor. The majority of Kr8 bicycles around the world have a Nexus 8 hub with roller brakes front and rear. With that in mind here are some guidelines on conversion.

Hub Gears
A powerful mid drive motor creates a higher level of torque on the chain. This in turn puts more stress on the hub and can result in poorer gear shifting, depending on which motor you use. If you experience problems in shifting gear as a direct result of upgrading the bike to mid drive electric assist you can always switch from a Nexus 8 to an Enviolo hub. Because of it’s variable transmission design and extreme durability the Enviolo hub is highly suited to mid drive electric assist bicycles. We can ship you a Fr8 rear wheel with an Enviolo hub built in.
Brakes
If you are using your Kr8 as a family bike or cargo hauler and you are adding a powerful electric assist motor then you may very well need more braking power than the roller brakes can supply. We sell the parts to convert your Kr8 to disc brakes. Some people add a front disc brake, others convert both front and rear brakes. We like the Magura MT5 hydraulic disc brakes, conversion to Shimano disc brakes is also possible but we just sell the Magura brakes. If you are converting to electric assist primarily for the support, not for the added speed and you don’t plan on carrying heavy cargo on children then the roller brakes will most likely be fine.
Motor
There are front wheel motors, rear wheel motors and mid drive (crank assist) motors on the market. One of the advantages of retro fitting a mid drive motor is the simplicity. It lets you keep the front and rear wheels as they are; the hub dynamo in your front wheel the powers your lights and your gears inside the rear hub. Front wheel or rear wheel motors involve more work in rebuilding the bike. The most commonly used conversion kit for the Kr8 is the Bafang BBS02. The battery for the Bafang motor is quite large and the most logical place for mounting the battery is the unused space under the kiddy bench.
Drivetrain
Installing a mid drive motor means you are altering your current drivetrain, this involves removing the cranks, bottom bracket and chain case. Kr8 bicycles have a 68mm BSA (British) thread bottom bracket. Mid drive systems come with their own cranks and chainrings which are part of the motor. If you install a Bafang BBS02 our regular chain case will no longer fit and you’ll need to mount the extra long version of the Hebie Chainglider. The extra long Chainglider consists of a front part for either 38T, 42T or 44T size chainrings and a rear part for Nexus or Enviolo hubs. The maximum recommended chain width is 9mm. When you use a Chainglider you'll need to lubricate the chain well and clean the inside of the Chainglider from time to time. We recommend Squirt chain lube, which is a paraffin based chain wax.

For customers who own a WorkCycles bicycle we can ship bicycle parts worldwide. However e-bike batteries are classed as dangerous goods and are not permitted on passenger aircraft. We rely on passenger aircraft to deliver direct orders to our overseas customers, so we can’t ship ‘conversion kits’. However you will be able to get the motor, battery & other parts locally or online.

The general answer is no. Every now and then we have one for sale at our retail location in Amsterdam, which we would sell to local customer. We don’t ship secondhand bikes. 99% of the time we don’t have secondhand bicycles for sale. The buying and selling of secondhand WorkCycles bicycles is permitted in our facebook group.