RIDE PLUS BATTERY/RACK 2009: Ride+ was at the time Trek's best in class electric assist system. E-Bikes are a big deal in the EU and Trek's first generation of Ride+ systems was due for an overhaul. Our goals: Reduce cost, increase ease of use, and bring it up to speed visually with the Diamant line of bikes.
I spent a bit over a month at Trek's office in the Netherlands working with Joe Lintl - an exceptional bike designer from whom I learned a lot about their European approach to design and product development.
Credit goes to Joe Lintl on the detail here. He fine-tuned the design my initial design of the lens and made it the sweetest part of the whole package. The guy is awesome when it comes to making sure the details are there.
Early concepts - less a focus on styling and more focus on rethinking how it would be manufactured and mounted to the rack.
Final CAD concept - The lens had to increase in size, so the lock mechanism had to moved to the side due to space requirements. We added a nice rubber cover to the top to add protection, texture, and cover up the the screws!
