A beautiful forest, a wolf, and Little Red Riding Hood. Eva Jacobs’ hand-painted Snoek velomobile is certainly an eye-catcher. But behind its unusual appearance is also a story of cycling, environmental activism, and some interesting technical modifications.
Eva Jacobs is well known in the Dutch velomobile community. She is married to Allert Jacobs, co-owner of Velomobiel.nl, and studied industrial design. She is also a passionate cyclist who enjoys both velomobiles and traditional upright bikes. Her long-distance cycling experience includes numerous brevets and the legendary Paris–Brest–Paris in 2023, which we covered in our article The Party Called Paris–Brest–Paris. Beyond cycling, Eva is actively involved in environmental issues, particularly climate change.
A Forest, a Wolf, and a Fairy Tale
Eva’s latest Snoek velomobile features an elaborate, hand-painted forest scene. “I love forests,” Eva says. She points out an interesting difference: while approximately 37–39% of Europe is covered by forests, the Netherlands has only around 11% forest cover.
Among the trees, Eva painted a wolf. Wolves have returned to the Netherlands after being absent for more than a century, but their presence remains controversial. While conservationists welcome their return, livestock farmers are concerned about attacks on farm animals, and some residents worry about public safety. Knowing that wolves are a sensitive subject in the Netherlands, Eva also added Little Red Riding Hood to the scene, bringing a touch of fairy-tale humor to the artwork.
Cycling for Climate Awareness
Eva’s environmental activism also extends to her cycling activities. She has participated six times in the Climate Classic, an event organized by Cycling 4 Climate. The approximately 375 km / 233-mile route runs from the south to the north of the Netherlands, following a hypothetical future coastline that illustrates the potential impact of severe sea-level rise.
Large parts of the Netherlands are vulnerable to rising sea levels, making climate change a particularly relevant issue for the country. The event uses cycling to raise awareness of this long-term threat.
More Than Just a Custom Paint Job
Eva’s new Snoek was not built simply to get a different appearance. There were also practical reasons for replacing her previous velomobile. Her first Snoek had relatively narrow front wheel wells, limiting the steering angle and resulting in a large turning radius. Later production models received more spacious wheel wells, and Eva wanted this improvement on her new machine.
She also modified the front of the velomobile to improve ground clearance. Both her previous and current Snoek have the rear end mounted slightly higher to improve forward visibility for her relatively short stature. However, this setup brings the front underside closer to the road, making it more likely to scrape on speed bumps. To solve the problem, Eva raised the nose of her new Snoek by approximately 2 cm / 0.8 inches.
A Personal Project From Start to Finish
Eva carried out almost all the construction work herself. Allert Jacobs handled the spray painting and helped with assembly, particularly the rear swingarm. The result is a unique Velomobiel.nl Snoek that combines practical technical improvements with an extraordinary hand-painted exterior.
It is also a wonderful example of how a velomobile can become something more personal than a standard production vehicle.
And if you look carefully, you might just spot Little Red Riding Hood hiding somewhere among the trees.
Watch Eva’s beautiful Snoek in this YouTube Short.
