Bjørn Enga

The Kranked series ran from 1998 to 2009 — eight films, each one a document of where freeride mountain biking was at that moment and a push toward where it was going next. Bjørn's genius was not just in finding the riders. It was in understanding that what they were doing in the forests of BC was genuinely new, genuinely exciting, and genuinely worth preserving on film.

He was also a talent incubator without ever trying to be one. The list of filmmakers who got their first real experience working on Kranked reads like a who's who of action sports cinema: Jamie Houssain (The Collective), Darcy Wittenburg (Anthill Films), Jorli Richter (Ride to the Hills), Mitch Cheek (SOLOS Productions). Bjørn gave them the camera and got out of the way. Derek Westerlund, a long-time collaborator, went on to found Freeride Entertainment and the New World Disorder series.

The final film, Kranked 8 — Revolve, ended with a segment featuring the Coastal Crew that has been watched 5.84 million times on YouTube. It won the People's Choice Award at the Banff Mountain Film Festival (2010). It was the perfect ending to a perfect series.

In 2012, three years after the final Kranked film, Bjørn Enga did what he always does: he saw something coming before anyone else and built it himself. He discovered electric bikes on mountain terrain and immediately understood that this was not a gimmick. It was a transformation. He spent the next thirteen years perfecting it.

The Kranked Hyperdrive is a mid-drive motor system that Bjørn designs and builds by hand in small batches in Canada. It is not a pedal-assist system in the conventional sense. It runs on a throttle — like a motorcycle — giving the rider total control over power delivery at any moment. Pedal with no power. Pedal with assist. Or just twist the throttle and ride it like a moto. The rider decides.

The V10 Hyperdrive demo bikes that Bjørn built were among the first high-performance electric mountain bikes in the world — not the low-wattage pedal-assist systems that the mainstream industry was producing, but genuine superbikes. Peak output of 3,500 watts. A power-to-weight ratio of 137 watts per kilogram versus the 33 w/kg of a standard e-MTB. Oil-bathed reduction gears engineered to run 24 hours a day for years. The early motors from 2015 are still working.

The modular design is the other thing that sets Kranked apart. The Hyperdrive can be installed on an existing bike in ten minutes and removed just as quickly. One bike, two uses. When you buy a new frame, the Hyperdrive comes with you. Bjørn hates planned obsolescence. He builds things to last.