Category Defying E-Bike
When talking with Kolin about what kind of e-bike might suit him best we quickly realized he needed something that could do anything well. What kind of bike would that be? Gravel? XC hardtail? Flat-bar gravel? What does any of that even mean when it comes to a bike that can do most things well?
Whatever you call it, this is a fun bike, a bike designed to have adventures and go further faster, to ride with others at their speed, to explore without a car. This is an e-bike for Colorado, made in Colorado.
A Bosch Performance Line Speed motor lies at the center of this build, with a limited top speed of 28mph. No one needs that on a mountain bike, of course, but this is a bike to ride from home on the tarmac, to the dirt roads, and possibly grab a (legal) singletrack on the way. It’s a stellar night-ride bike too, with its motorcycle-level headlamp with high beams. The geometry makes this bike stable at speed with its weight low. It feels planted and very smooth. Like a luxury sports car, you don’t quite realize how fast you’re going until you look at the speedometer.
BOX components provides the gearing and it’s the perfect place to save some money on a custom build like this: strong, relatively light, and 9 speed with nearly the range of SRAM Eagle. 12 gears is too many for a bike like this, especially when using a proper single-click ebike shifter.
PNW’s Coast dropper post is a no-brainer providing both moderate suspension and the ability to adjust the saddle to riding conditions. Who needs a dropper on a bike that isn’t going to shred the gnar? Anyone who might want a little help getting on or off the bike, or standing flat-footed at stoplights.
The wheels are custom laced White Industries hubs to WTB rims and butted spokes. With a massive 200mm rotor up front, they still remain fairly light and very strong. Kolin reports that this bike coasts better than his previous mountain bike.
This custom steel e-bike weighs less than many off-the-shelf aluminum ones, coming in at 44 lbs—light enough to easily get on a hitch rack, and plenty light enough to pedal around without assistance if necessary.
It has bosses for attaching a rear rack, mounts for a stem-bag and mounts on the underside of the top tube. With a side-entry bottle cage on the seat tube this bike can carry two bottles even with the battery.
The Frame:
Frame: Purpose chosen butted 4130 steel
Full internal cable and wire routing (except for the taillight which competes with the dropper post)
Cerakote finish
Paragon Machine Works dropouts
HTA: 69
STA: 74
Chainstay length: 455mm
Reach: 420mm
Stack: 600mm
Fork: Rockshox Reba 100mm
Headset: Wolf Tooth Performance
Wheels: Custom laced White Industries with DT spokes on 27.5” WTB rims. Tubeless setup.
Tires: Teravail Rutland 27.5x2.1”
Seatpost: PNW Coast Suspension Dropper
Dropper Lever: Wolf Tooth Components
Motor: Bosch Performance Speed
Battery: Bosch Powerpack 500
Computer: Bosch Kiox
Crank: SRAM EX-1
Chainring: SRAM Bosch 38t
Derailleur, Shifter, Chain: BOX 3 Prime 9
Cassette: BOX 3 Prime 9 (11-50t)
Brakes: SRAM G2 RS
Rotors: SRAM Centerline 200 front 160 rear
Bars: Salsa Salt Flat
Stem: Whisky Parts
Grips and Saddle by Ergon
Pedals: RaceFace Chester flats
Headlight: Supernova M99 mini
Taillight: Supernova M99
Axial ebikes start at $5,000. Get in touch if you’d like your own!
