If you鈥檙e not familiar with sidehack racing鈥攁n esoteric and terrifying two-man sport鈥攊t鈥檚 worth . And though the sport is done on both motos and bicycles, we鈥檇 venture to bet that this one, created by Specialized for rally-car racer and D.C.聽Shoes co-founder聽Ken Block, is probably the only fat, electric sidehack on the planet.
This custom聽Frankenbike is a fusion of a 鈥擲pecialized鈥檚 4.6-inch-tired aluminum snow bike鈥攁nd the 鈥攖he company's聽speedy pedal-assist electric commuter. The passenger seat is a custom, mandrel-bent steel frame with aluminum platform and skid plates styled after a rally car. It runs on one of the 20-inch kids Fatboy wheels. And though braking duties are mostly taken care of with onboard eight-inch disc brakes, Specialized聽installed a handbrake on the sidecar styled identically to the one in Ken鈥檚 race car (right down to the Hoonigan logo machined handle) so that the co-driver can participate in the good rally-car fun.
The project, which involved two of Specialized鈥檚 best engineers and one of its finest paint-box masters, was 100 percent custom. But the company鈥檚 global PR manager, Sean Estes, says the company is considering a feasibility study on a limited run given the number of people who've聽asked where they could buy one.
And though Block has yet to race the bike鈥攈e uses it mostly for pit detail at rally events鈥攈is two huskies, Yuki and Bentley, have logged plenty of co-pilot practice.聽