diff --git a/kallithea/controllers/pullrequests.py b/kallithea/controllers/pullrequests.py
--- a/kallithea/controllers/pullrequests.py
+++ b/kallithea/controllers/pullrequests.py
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ def _get_reviewer(user_id):
 class PullrequestsController(BaseRepoController):
 
     def _get_repo_refs(self, repo, rev=None, branch=None, branch_rev=None):
-        """return a structure with repo's interesting changesets, suitable for
+        """return a structure with scm repo's interesting changesets, suitable for
         the selectors in pullrequest.html
 
         rev: a revision that must be in the list somehow and selected by default
@@ -154,13 +154,14 @@ class PullrequestsController(BaseRepoCon
 
         # prio 4: tip revision
         if not selected:
-            if h.is_hg(repo):
+            if repo.alias == 'hg':
                 if tipbranch:
                     selected = 'branch:%s:%s' % (tipbranch, tiprev)
                 else:
                     selected = 'tag:null:' + repo.EMPTY_CHANGESET
                     tags.append((selected, 'null'))
             else:  # Git
+                assert repo.alias == 'git'
                 if not repo.branches:
                     selected = ''  # doesn't make sense, but better than nothing
                 elif 'master' in repo.branches:
diff --git a/kallithea/lib/helpers.py b/kallithea/lib/helpers.py
--- a/kallithea/lib/helpers.py
+++ b/kallithea/lib/helpers.py
@@ -374,26 +374,6 @@ def show_id(cs):
         return raw_id
 
 
-def is_git(repository):
-    if hasattr(repository, 'alias'):
-        _type = repository.alias
-    elif hasattr(repository, 'repo_type'):
-        _type = repository.repo_type
-    else:
-        _type = repository
-    return _type == 'git'
-
-
-def is_hg(repository):
-    if hasattr(repository, 'alias'):
-        _type = repository.alias
-    elif hasattr(repository, 'repo_type'):
-        _type = repository.repo_type
-    else:
-        _type = repository
-    return _type == 'hg'
-
-
 @cache_region('long_term', 'user_attr_or_none')
 def user_attr_or_none(author, show_attr):
     """Try to match email part of VCS committer string with a local user and return show_attr
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/changeset/changeset_range.html b/kallithea/templates/changeset/changeset_range.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/changeset/changeset_range.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/changeset/changeset_range.html
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ ${self.repo_context_bar('changelog')}
                 %if len(cs.parents)>1:
                 <span class="label label-merge">${_('Merge')}</span>
                 %endif
-                %if h.is_hg(c.db_repo_scm_instance):
+                %if c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias == 'hg':
                   %for book in cs.bookmarks:
                   <span class="label label-bookmark" title="${_('Bookmark %s') % book}">
                      ${h.link_to(book,h.url('changeset_home',repo_name=c.cs_repo.repo_name,revision=cs.raw_id))}
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/changeset/patch_changeset.html b/kallithea/templates/changeset/patch_changeset.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/changeset/patch_changeset.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/changeset/patch_changeset.html
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-%if h.is_hg(c.db_repo_scm_instance):
+%if c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias == 'hg':
 # ${c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias.upper()} changeset patch
 # User ${c.changeset.author |n}
 # Date ${c.changeset.date}
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 ${c.parent_tmpl}
 ${c.changeset.message |n}
 
-%elif h.is_git(c.db_repo_scm_instance):
+%elif c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias == 'git':
 From ${c.changeset.raw_id} ${c.changeset.date}
 From: ${c.changeset.author |n}
 Date: ${c.changeset.date}
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/pullrequests/pullrequest_show.html b/kallithea/templates/pullrequests/pullrequest_show.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/pullrequests/pullrequest_show.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/pullrequests/pullrequest_show.html
@@ -105,9 +105,9 @@ ${self.repo_context_bar('showpullrequest
             %if c.cs_ranges:
               <div>
                ## TODO: use cs_ranges[-1] or org_ref_parts[1] in both cases?
-               %if h.is_hg(c.pull_request.org_repo):
+               %if c.pull_request.org_repo.repo_type == 'hg':
                  <span>hg pull ${c.pull_request.org_repo.clone_url(clone_uri_tmpl=c.clone_uri_tmpl)} -r ${c.cs_ranges[-1].short_id}</span>
-               %elif h.is_git(c.pull_request.org_repo):
+               %elif c.pull_request.org_repo.repo_type == 'git':
                  <span>git pull ${c.pull_request.org_repo.clone_url(clone_uri_tmpl=c.clone_uri_tmpl)} ${c.pull_request.org_ref_parts[1]}</span>
                %endif
               </div>
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/summary/summary.html b/kallithea/templates/summary/summary.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/summary/summary.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/summary/summary.html
@@ -203,12 +203,12 @@ ${self.repo_context_bar('summary')}
 ${c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias} clone ${c.clone_repo_url}
 ${c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias} add README # add first file
 ${c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias} commit -m "Initial" # commit with message
-${c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias} push ${'origin master' if h.is_git(c.db_repo_scm_instance) else ''} # push changes back
+${c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias} push ${'origin master' if c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias == 'git' else ''} # push changes back
                 </pre>
 
                 <h4>${_('Existing repository?')}</h4>
                 <pre>
-                %if h.is_git(c.db_repo_scm_instance):
+                %if c.db_repo_scm_instance.alias == 'git':
 git remote add origin ${c.clone_repo_url}
 git push -u origin master
                 %else: