This project started because I needed a bike to get to school, but I did not want to build or buy something ordinary.
While looking for ideas, I came across a small custom bike that used Volkswagen Beetle fenders as part of the body. I also wanted a project I could finish during my two-week Christmas break, so I decided to build my own version.
I started with a small children’s bicycle frame and two steel Beetle fenders. I cut and combined the fenders to create the body, then fabricated the structure needed to bring everything together. There was no CAD model or detailed plan. Most of the design happened directly in the workshop through cutting, fitting, welding, reshaping, and adjusting parts until everything worked.
Before this project, I had never welded. I learned MIG welding as I went and used the build to practise metal fabrication, tube bending, bodywork, and painting. My first welds were slow and messy, which meant a lot of extra grinding and finishing, but they improved noticeably by the time the bike was finished.
The result was a small electric bike that looked completely different from anything I could have bought. What was supposed to be a two-week project ended up becoming something I still use regularly.
I estimate that I have ridden it for a lot of kilometres with very little maintenance. More than anything, this project taught me that not every build needs to begin with a detailed model or analysis. Sometimes the best way to learn is to start making something and let the design develop as you go.
