Ditch the car - Orbea Keram SUV e-cargo bike

On the quest for the ultimate car replacement I stumbled upon a Orbea Keram SUV.   

It's a twist on the eMTB hardtail from Orbea, which racks which immediately reminded of another bigfoot of the bike world, the Trek 1120 - the bikepacking cousin of the Stache 29+ which is also sadly no more.

Back to the Keram SUV - it's powered by a Bosch CX motor, which has nothing to do with Cyclocross, but is super smooth, which lots of torque and very quiet.

The battery is covered by a hard plastic sheath, making access easy if you ever wanted to remove / replace it.   

I ditched the front rack for a few reasons - it sits really high, I'd love to know why.  It makes the cable routing a bigger mess than necessary, and I just can't think what items you'd possibly carry out front with some much RACK in the BACK.

A front and rear light is integrated.  The stock light was a Lezyne E-bike 300/500lm bulky thing.  It did have a USB charging port, but that's where the positives lie.  The on/off was toggled from the Bosch controller, the 2 modes toggle from a seperate switch adding another unnecessary cable to a cluttered cockpit.    Madness!

I swapped it for 1000lm Lezyne Macro trail light with has 4 power modes and 2 flashing modes, is sleek and discreet.  Awesome!

Like the last Tonka build, I added a dropper.  Makes loaded dismount easy, and opens it up to two people of different sizes sharing 'the car'.

The heavy Johnny Watts tyres went sailing for the Maxxis Ikon set up TUBELESS because who runs tubes in this day and age!  The Ikon's are well suited to on and off-road, light weight and with no fender interference.

Full fenders are a must for any commuter, and the Keram has high quality steel covers front and rear. 

As a dedicated MTB, you'd be left wanting with the Suntour 100mm XCR (Air Spring) fork.  As the bike is intended, it takes the small bumps out of any commute and is perfect, especially san decals.

Shimano Deore XT handles the shifting, and the wide range means you can climb (LOADED) up just about anything.  Shimano brakes do exactly what they need to - including enough power for nose wheelies.

I caught up with some mates at Farm Vigano, and naturally locked it up.  I've had an ABUS Bordo for years - but not one with a SIREN!  As I fumbled in the dark, the movement set off a beep - beep which increased in tempo and then into a full blown scream to the amusement of guests dining in the moonlight.

About the only thing it's missing is a Quad Lock for your phone!

It's definitely a NICE BIKE.

Boring But Necessary