Ollie Custom Electric Cargo Bike

Custom cargo electric bike with Shimano Steps electric motor and Di2 gears. Automatic shifting with Nexus 5 speed gear hub.

At the time of building this was the most complex bike project (and that includes Concours de Machines bikes) i have built. I did use a genuine Bakfiets as an inspiration and to copy some ideas. The bak is identical in order to use genuine Bakfiets accessories (such as rain tent cover, etc.).

I am a big fan of the Di2 ecosystem so making a fully integrated e-bike with Shimano Steps components was the natural choice. Di2 Nexus 5 speed hub has automatic shift mode; it automatically shifts down to an easy starting gear when stopped (at a traffic light). I used the thickest bike tubing i had available (30×0.9mm and 32×0.9mm, though probably should have used even thicker). 45x45x2mm square tubing for the main frame, 22×0.9 chainstays and 16×0.9mm seat stays. Stainless 20x2mm square tubing for the bak rails and the stand. The front light uses the housing/reflector of an old Busch Muller dynamo light, with custom much more efficient circuit. Gates Belt drive compatible Paragon Rocker dropouts, though the Hebbie chainglider seems to work just fine.

It’s impressive how (ebike) technology has made everything integrated; lights at the flick of a switch and simple and easy controls.

While not in the pictures the frame required an extra brace between the diagonal and seat tubes. The MT200 2 piston brakes were not giving enough power so they were replaced with MT420 4-piston calipers. Also the e5000 (40Nm max) motor did not provide enough torque/power when carrying 2 children, so I replaced it with an ep8 (80Nm max as well as custom assistance profile).