Green Machine
100 kW
So in case anyone else on the group owns an optibike or thinking about buying one, i am starting here an optibike thread...for owners and people curious about the bike. Are there any owners out there? I know one guy here on the sphere converted his opti to 72 volts and made a screamer...is that bike still around?
I posted my complete review here: http://www.electricbike.com/optibike-850r-ride-and-review/
i got a deal on a local otpibike 850r that i just could not pass up. I already own a number of high end bmc hub motor bikes.
Specs for 850r:
Latest greatest optibike
850 watt mid drive motor
Rohloff 14 speed hub connected to mid drive. Motor and rider have 14 speeds.
22ah battery pack (honest 35 mile to 60 mile range) depending on riding style (on flat terrain)
30mph top speed while pedaling
super high end componentry the highlight being fox talas 36 and fox float in rear...6 inches of travel.
I was in love with the bike from the first time i saw it at a SF museum exhibit and always wanted one but price point was way to large for me.
I got such a great deal on the bike i am pretty sure i can sale it down the road for close to what i bought it for if i end up not riding it in the future. For nothing else it is really interesting to see how it stacks up to my bmc builds which i always thought were close to opti performance and build quality.
So for my optibike review i will list the following advantages and disadvantages of the optibike over my high end bmc hub drive bikes:
So compared to the bmc the optibike has striking advantages and disadvantages...and for me the bmc works better for my kind of riding. But that is just initial impression because i have only been on 3 major optibike rides.
Advantages
Great super steep hill clmber...great for mountain off road trails usually unaccessible with any ebike i know about. I will challenge anyone on this thing for rugged steep grade trail for miles....this bike makes mincemeat of ebike smoking trails.
Tight compact balanced build perfect for jumping and rough riding...no jingling jankiness here.
Nice looking bike
Rugged and durable construction..may be the most rugged ebike i know. Great for adventure rides in middle of nowhere.
REAL support from a factory with really good people running the show...lots of people will need this and opti offers really good support.
Great efficiency (but not off the charts efficiency)...i would estimate its a little more efficient than bmc...but with bmc you can carry more batteries.
Oneness with motor...you pedal with the motor...and the motor needs your help when getting to speed etc...so i feel i tend to exercise more on this bike than on a bmc.
Disadvantages
Expensive
Loud (impossible to be stealth)
Underpowered (the bmc totally outperforms it on everything but really steep climbs)
too much shifting (you really have to involve yourself in the shifting process while riding)
Upgrades (ie batteries) are proprietary and expensive
If i did more steep single track mountain riding and climbing and i was proud to be an ebiker i would love the optibike. But since i way rather to appear as a cylclist than an ev guy....i prefer the BMC.
Throw the cost into the equation and the bmc really starts to win the battle.....you could build a hell of a bmc build with 6k...amazing frame, amazing components, 3 10ah lipo battery packs, super bright lights, etc etc.....and you would still be at half the price of an opti. Even when considering labour from a pro builder like Ilia at ebikes-sf to build it...bmc's are just a magic carpet ride...especially given a quality platform...on a walmart bike forget about comparing to optibike.
Ok so if you guys are interested i will continue to test and post real data here. I plan to take the opti on some gnarly single track rides that i would never attempt on my bmc...we shall see if i become a opti convert.
I posted my complete review here: http://www.electricbike.com/optibike-850r-ride-and-review/
i got a deal on a local otpibike 850r that i just could not pass up. I already own a number of high end bmc hub motor bikes.
Specs for 850r:
Latest greatest optibike
850 watt mid drive motor
Rohloff 14 speed hub connected to mid drive. Motor and rider have 14 speeds.
22ah battery pack (honest 35 mile to 60 mile range) depending on riding style (on flat terrain)
30mph top speed while pedaling
super high end componentry the highlight being fox talas 36 and fox float in rear...6 inches of travel.
I was in love with the bike from the first time i saw it at a SF museum exhibit and always wanted one but price point was way to large for me.
I got such a great deal on the bike i am pretty sure i can sale it down the road for close to what i bought it for if i end up not riding it in the future. For nothing else it is really interesting to see how it stacks up to my bmc builds which i always thought were close to opti performance and build quality.
So for my optibike review i will list the following advantages and disadvantages of the optibike over my high end bmc hub drive bikes:
So compared to the bmc the optibike has striking advantages and disadvantages...and for me the bmc works better for my kind of riding. But that is just initial impression because i have only been on 3 major optibike rides.
Advantages
Great super steep hill clmber...great for mountain off road trails usually unaccessible with any ebike i know about. I will challenge anyone on this thing for rugged steep grade trail for miles....this bike makes mincemeat of ebike smoking trails.
Tight compact balanced build perfect for jumping and rough riding...no jingling jankiness here.
Nice looking bike
Rugged and durable construction..may be the most rugged ebike i know. Great for adventure rides in middle of nowhere.
REAL support from a factory with really good people running the show...lots of people will need this and opti offers really good support.
Great efficiency (but not off the charts efficiency)...i would estimate its a little more efficient than bmc...but with bmc you can carry more batteries.
Oneness with motor...you pedal with the motor...and the motor needs your help when getting to speed etc...so i feel i tend to exercise more on this bike than on a bmc.
Disadvantages
Expensive
Loud (impossible to be stealth)
Underpowered (the bmc totally outperforms it on everything but really steep climbs)
too much shifting (you really have to involve yourself in the shifting process while riding)
Upgrades (ie batteries) are proprietary and expensive
If i did more steep single track mountain riding and climbing and i was proud to be an ebiker i would love the optibike. But since i way rather to appear as a cylclist than an ev guy....i prefer the BMC.
Throw the cost into the equation and the bmc really starts to win the battle.....you could build a hell of a bmc build with 6k...amazing frame, amazing components, 3 10ah lipo battery packs, super bright lights, etc etc.....and you would still be at half the price of an opti. Even when considering labour from a pro builder like Ilia at ebikes-sf to build it...bmc's are just a magic carpet ride...especially given a quality platform...on a walmart bike forget about comparing to optibike.
Ok so if you guys are interested i will continue to test and post real data here. I plan to take the opti on some gnarly single track rides that i would never attempt on my bmc...we shall see if i become a opti convert.