If you think that thing electric bicycle not a ‘real’ motorcycle, look away now. But if you love classic BMX bikes and believe electric powertrains make for fun ways to introduce newbies to motorcycles, read on.
On the surface, the ‘Chiller’ is a simple pedal-assist electric bike with a retro look—but there’s more to the story than that. It’s the work of ChillFab, a side project of the custom workshop Butcher Garage, and it’s just one of a series of electric and gas-powered bikes already planned. It obeys two Chiller prototypes which the team built a few years ago, with a few important changes.
The first iteration of the Electric Chiller used an electric hub motor, with bicycle pedals serving only as footrests and not street legal. But the bike uses a true pedal assist system—meaning it’s classified as a bicycle in most countries and doesn’t require a license to operate.
Arseniy Chekar, founder of ChillFab, explains: “This is a response to the huge demand for a legal vehicle on the road. “Many people want a bike for their daily commute in addition to our ‘off the road’ petrol and electric versions. The concept of this model was to create a cool urban luxury yacht and give our customers the choice between a bicycle, an electric scooter and a powered monster. gasoline.”
If you’re seeing shades of the iconic Raleigh Chopper in the Chiller’s frame design, it’s by design. ChillFab actually reached out to the original design company that created the Chopper, Ogle Noor, to get their input. “Invaluable comments from head of design, Herman Tandberg, helped create a unique car with a classic design and high-end components of the present,” says Arseniy.
ChillFab welded the frame out of the aluminum tube, then sanded the welds for a seamless finish. Parts such as the head tube and the engine mount ‘case’ are cast alloy parts. And in case you were wondering, the design can be adapted to run on gasoline engines and belt drives.
For this model’s powertrain, ChillFab has a complete Bosch setup. Bosch is a major player in the e-bike world, offering industry-reputable products such as Trek, Cannondale, KTM and Scott.
The chiller uses the company’s ‘Performance Series’ pedal assist motor, with a possible maximum torque output of 85 Nm. It fits a 500 Wh ‘PowerPack’ battery and Bosch’s ‘SmartphoneGrip’ mounting system, which turns the driver’s smartphone into a fully-featured dashboard. These modern components are so well integrated into the classic design of the bike that there is no feeling of entanglement.
The rest of the part specs are standard bike fare. The crank and chain are from Race Face, while the BMX pedals are from Odyssey. Shifting is by an eight-speed Shimano Alfine inner gear hub, with hydraulic Shimano disc brakes slowing the 26F/24R wheels.
In the cockpit, the Colt Bikes headset sits between the rigid front fork and cruiser-style custom bars. The controls are limited to the brake lever, one gear lever and one small controller for the Bosch system.
The chiller also scores well in finishing. The frame is painted in shimmering scales, with genuine leather covering the custom saddle. We’re digging up the ‘Chiller’ logos on the top tube and on the boot ‘pan’ behind the saddle.
It’s a beautiful machine, and we easily chose it as a short-range funnel. But if you absolutely must burn fossil fuels, perhaps ChillFab’s next project will interest you.
The crew has already begun work on the next Chiller model, which has an ICE engine, a spring-loaded front end and, believe it or not, fenders. When it’s done, they’ll be able to offer the Chiller with pedal assist, all-electric or all-gasoline, with various customization options (such as spring-loaded forks).
We’ll take one of them, please.
ChillFab | butcher garage | Image of Alexander Dymov
