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All-road/trail commuter: Surly Krampus GMAC build

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon USA

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My daily 15 mile commute consists of asphalt, gravel, mud, pot holes, a toll bridge(free for bikes!) and a couple of steep climbs, sometimes with very high winds and rain. Along with occasional side tracks exploring old forest roads and trails. I wanted to put together my first Ebike to do everything well and to be a fast and fun daily ride. As well as taking away any excuses I may to drive to work.

I started with a bike that was already very enjoyable to ride and added excellent drivetrain components. The GMAC 10T, Phaserunner, Cycle Analyst, ERider torque sensing bottom bracket, Tripwire and lighting came from Grin. Along with comfortable hand bars, grips, big cushy tires, some left over batteries from cheap e-bikes of past and a “custom” crankset, cassette and derailleur setup it’s now a joy to ride.

It’s taken a lot of tinkering, experimenting, research, zip ties, lots of questions for a knowledgeable friend and great help from Grin’s excellent customers service team to get my first DIY ebike project built. I am very satisfied with the outcome. The bike is happy at 3-30 mile per hour and will get 40 miles of range if I keep my pace reasonable.