Verena’s e-bike
Only the third e-bike I have built, but super happy with how this one turned out! Verena is small of stature, and asked me to build her a bike to fit that she could use for errands and for towing the kiddie trailer.
Shimano offer 160mm crank arms for the STEPS mid-drive motor, which is a good length for this rider and allowed for lowering the bottom bracket to match – making it easier to get a foot down. I was able to design around 650B wheels without any compromises, with large volume tires for comfort on rough city streets.
A gently curved toptube gives good standover clearance. Paragon rocker dropouts with a custom split point for installing the Gates belt take care of tensioning duties. Gearing is provided by an 8spd Alfine hub, with mechanical shifting. Stopping is via hydraulic brakes. All the wiring and cables are integrated into the frame, including the lights that run from the downtube mounted battery.
Verena asked for a small front rack, so I created a custom unit that bolts onto bosses brazed onto each side of the headtube.
Colorworks took care of the paint, and the final complete weight as shown is 42lbs.