Have it your way: British firm creates customisable electric utility bike

A startup electric bike firm based in West Yorkshire called Shed Rides have designed a modular electric bike system with almost infinite customisation possibilities.

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The Shed One can be bought as a complete bike or you can opt for the Shed One Core (a frame, battery, motor and seat) and build your own machine around it.

Or you could get your hands on one of a limited run of ‘prequel’ models called the Shednought. Just ten will be built before the general release Shed One model manufacture begins.

The fully road legal bike uses a 5kW electric motor coupled with a 52v, 4kWh battery pack which translates into a 55mph top speed. The standard bike weighs 111kg, and range is up to 50 miles with the standard 42kg battery but you can get a higher-capacity battery if you like.

But the bike’s real party piece is that it can be easily modified to suit the owner’s very specific needs. “From the outset, we wanted to build a short-range utility motorcycle, with a 50mph+ top speed, that evolves the tradition of motorcyclists customising and maintaining their own motorcycles,” said Andy Trainor of Shed Rides.

“The Shed One is the perfect commuter or utility motorbike – easily adapted to your specific personal or business purpose. Whether you want total reliability, a transport solution that’s much kinder to the environment, or just enjoy fettling, because you can, this could well be your cup of tea.”

The bike’s running gear follows the global pit bike SDG standard so there’s a massive range of spares and upgrades ready to be explored. But it doesn’t end there as the bike’s steel strut frame is designed as a continuous attachment point for bolt on accessories. This means with a bit of imagination and welding you can fit almost anything from front or rear carriers and storage racks to trailers.

Along with the Shed One’s Lego Technic approach to physical customisation, you also get an electronic dashboard that runs on the Android app, Torque Pro, with Bluetooth communication from the Shednought’s accessories module, and there’s a range of 12v lighting and switchgear packages, too.

Potential ideas on the Shed Rides website include a refrigerated medical courier bike, a remote satellite communication beacon, a festival speaker rig and a remote tool powerstation for trades people.

Trainor added: “We want to encourage long term ownership and for it to be adaptable to a variety of uses. That’s how Shed One has been designed and built, and we’ll be travelling into the future with you every mile of the way.”

The Shednought is available now on a commission only basis from Shed Rides with prices starting at £10,000.