Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Sheppard Jones Gasbike

Sheppard Jones Gasbike

Undoubtedly, this gasbike by Sheppard Jones will raise the same ire the e-bikes do when they appear on The Spoken, along with the same discussion as to whether they should appear here or on a motorcycle website.

However, underneath that 66cc engine is a beloved Worksman Cycles frame so it’s still a bicycle to me, albeit motorized. Sheppard performed an exceptional job of wrangling the engine into the frame, managing to retain the essential lines of the twin-top-tubed Worksman, and the result is a marvelous midpoint between art and engineering.

Sheppard’s Gasbike incorporates some impressive details, including a custom machined aluminum stovepipe intake for the CNS carburetor–an aftermarket option that significantly improves the engine’s breathing. The exhaust has been nitro plated, which will prevent the pipe from igniting Sheppard’s jeans (good for up to 1300°F) and the head, throttle, hub clamp and sprocket have been machined from billet aluminum. The engine’s hauled up by a coaster brake in the rear and a small drum unit on the front, which we trust will be sufficient. Biltwell bars, a spiral-sprung Brooks B33, Velo Orange mudflaps and a Wald front rack emphasize the Worksman Cycles’ old world aesthetic.

Sheppard Jones Gasbike
Sheppard Jones Gasbike
Sheppard Jones Gasbike
Sheppard Jones Gasbike