Kradl is intentionally shipped with only 5' of cable unspooled from the main unit in order to handle most installation scenarios. You will need to use a weight (such as a water bucket or dumbbell) to assist you to pull down the appropriate extra length of cable from the main unit until the harness just reaches the top tube of your bike. Please refer to the Setup video above.

If you are having trouble engaging lift-mode because there is slack in the main lifting cable (the harness hangs below the top tube of your bike), there are a couple of options to solve this. Refer to the adjust video above. For minor slack, push down on your bike while tilting it to the side until the cable becomes tight and you are able to engage lifting mode. If there is too much slack, then detach the harness from the bike, and instead wrap the excess cable around the top tube of the bike so there is no slack. Then firmly tilt your bike to the side to engage lift mode. Carefully raise the bike the necessary distance to correct the harness height, and then pull down to stop the ascent.

Make sure that the colored flag is visible at the top of the shift cord (string) by gently pulling the string. Then make sure that the main cable is under tension. There must be no remaining cable spooled in the EZ Coiler when attempting to lift. (Note that the EZ Coiler is not what will lift your bike. The EZ Coiler only spools up excess cable after you have disconnected your bike.) You need to push down firmly on your bike or tilt it to the side while pressing down firmly in order to pull 1/4" of cable down in order to release the lifting latch, and then you should be able to raise the bike. Refer to the Operate video above.

Kradl has a safety feature to prevent rapid or uncontrolled lifting. If the lifting stops suddenly, first check if the colored flag is still visible at the top of the shift cord. Then pull down the bike 1/4" to activate lift mode again, and slowly guide the bike upward.

If you have a light bike (< 25lbs) and you ordered our 40lb model instead of our 25lb model, then it requires an extra 15lbs+ of force to pull down to counteract the stronger 40lb internal spring. For fit adults, this usually is not a problem, but we try to advise matching your Kradl model as closely as possible to your bike's weight to avoid this situation. Especially for kids' bikes, if you want your kids to be able to retrieve them.

The 25lb Kradl has 12ft of cable travel for up to 14ft ceilings, and the 40lb Kradl has 10ft of cable travel for up to 12ft ceilings. If you have properly extended the cable the full amount using a weight (as described in the manual and Setup video), then your ceilings may be above the max height. Please contact us for a custom extension to support taller ceilings.

We offer a special mounting bracket with angle adjustments for sloped ceilings.

Please refer to our FAQ page for additional answers and tips.