Green Machine
100 kW
Funny you mention that turner...That Turner Rfx has the new 16lb crystallite i mentioned on its rear now...sweet as all hell...the bmc 1000w I took off of it went on my friends mini velo who is now touring around with it in japan...the bmc was not reliable enough for an off road monster...perfect for a 20 inch wheeled cruiser...different strokes like you said.
The turner now Does 45mph at 72 volts...its finally the offroad monster it always deserved to be. It will climb any peek an opti can...but you best wear full faced helmet. :wink: The thing is wicked fast...actually feels like a motorycle more than a bicycle..and weighs just 5 more pounds than my opti did.
Amazing how much a $130 motor can "change the game". Its funny i was fearing this motor would make my optibike nearly obsolete....now no need to fear no more....although i still lose sleep over the usa manufacturing bit.... With this motor on the market all ebike manufacturers will be forced to pump up their speeds to survive. I warned opti this over on the optiforums and enraged the opti loyalists...they like their optis safe and sane.
I like the chain line on this bike...it only has two speeds built into the schlump planetary crankset...very low and very high...motor has so much power no need for a rear derailler...so was able to go with a white industries free wheel on the back...now it makes this awesome clicking noise when it coasts.
By the way the gearing is so high with that sclump you can still pedal assist at 45mph.
Needless to say I am having a lot of fun riding off road lately....
So bringing it back to point...to build an offroad monster like that green bike with all the fancy trimmins (did you notice reomote controlled seat post :| ) using a used craigslist mtb these days would cost around 2.5k and a days labor...to compare this bike to an opti 12k bike is sick...its almost not fair yeah like way out of the ballpark...but you ride the two bikes and it would take a very rare person to say "I prefer the optibike"....the arguments for the optibike are very slim. You would have to say something like "i will kill myself on this green bike"...but you can always use the cycle analyst to dummie it down to opti speeds. Or another great thing about the opti is weight balance...but how much do you need great balance going 20mph? Or what percentage of optibike owners bomb down steep downhills and need perfect balance?
Ok forget all performance numbers which would be really sick.....lets just consider "subtle" intangibles that "weigh" in the green bikes favor..... For one imagine the green bike is completely silent...it is easier to ride (no shifting to get up to speed), it looks like a bad ass mtb not a space cruiser, it has regenerative braking (!!), it is cheap and easy to maintain....it rides like a freaking dream...you actually forget you have a motor it is so quiet and nice...it has room for 6 10ah 48volt packs in the back...oh oh it has 6 inches of suspension meaning you could jump it off 20 foot drops if you had the balls and the know how (i dont but 6 inches feels cushy going off curbs).
I think it comes down to who has the information available to build a bike like the crystallite green bike...i think many of us are lucky to have found endless sphere....you know without ES i bet way less than half as many truly great ebikes would exist...and opti would be the go to option for those that want quality "performance". I bet the opti leadership is reading this and bouncing off their desks right now..and cursing the very thought of Endless Sphere.....what competition would opti have if it wasnt for the sphere? Remarkable when you think about it.
The turner now Does 45mph at 72 volts...its finally the offroad monster it always deserved to be. It will climb any peek an opti can...but you best wear full faced helmet. :wink: The thing is wicked fast...actually feels like a motorycle more than a bicycle..and weighs just 5 more pounds than my opti did.
Amazing how much a $130 motor can "change the game". Its funny i was fearing this motor would make my optibike nearly obsolete....now no need to fear no more....although i still lose sleep over the usa manufacturing bit.... With this motor on the market all ebike manufacturers will be forced to pump up their speeds to survive. I warned opti this over on the optiforums and enraged the opti loyalists...they like their optis safe and sane.
I like the chain line on this bike...it only has two speeds built into the schlump planetary crankset...very low and very high...motor has so much power no need for a rear derailler...so was able to go with a white industries free wheel on the back...now it makes this awesome clicking noise when it coasts.
Needless to say I am having a lot of fun riding off road lately....
So bringing it back to point...to build an offroad monster like that green bike with all the fancy trimmins (did you notice reomote controlled seat post :| ) using a used craigslist mtb these days would cost around 2.5k and a days labor...to compare this bike to an opti 12k bike is sick...its almost not fair yeah like way out of the ballpark...but you ride the two bikes and it would take a very rare person to say "I prefer the optibike"....the arguments for the optibike are very slim. You would have to say something like "i will kill myself on this green bike"...but you can always use the cycle analyst to dummie it down to opti speeds. Or another great thing about the opti is weight balance...but how much do you need great balance going 20mph? Or what percentage of optibike owners bomb down steep downhills and need perfect balance?
Ok forget all performance numbers which would be really sick.....lets just consider "subtle" intangibles that "weigh" in the green bikes favor..... For one imagine the green bike is completely silent...it is easier to ride (no shifting to get up to speed), it looks like a bad ass mtb not a space cruiser, it has regenerative braking (!!), it is cheap and easy to maintain....it rides like a freaking dream...you actually forget you have a motor it is so quiet and nice...it has room for 6 10ah 48volt packs in the back...oh oh it has 6 inches of suspension meaning you could jump it off 20 foot drops if you had the balls and the know how (i dont but 6 inches feels cushy going off curbs).
I think it comes down to who has the information available to build a bike like the crystallite green bike...i think many of us are lucky to have found endless sphere....you know without ES i bet way less than half as many truly great ebikes would exist...and opti would be the go to option for those that want quality "performance". I bet the opti leadership is reading this and bouncing off their desks right now..and cursing the very thought of Endless Sphere.....what competition would opti have if it wasnt for the sphere? Remarkable when you think about it.