VIDEO: optibike test ride in SF

[d]

Craig from Optibike came to town yesterday, and Al (Nimbuzz) and I did test rides...

here's the video:

microphone was unfortunatly non-functional so you can either:
- turn volume down for silent (microphone was non functional)
- turn volume up for musical accompaniment

VIDEO: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6685866866123116049
Slightly Higher Quality QUICKTIME Version: http://tinyurl.com/yv9aeb

<embed width="400px" height="326px" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-6685866866123116049&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed>

 

[d]

...

 

[xyster]

We're you guys able to score any performance spec's?

Is this 400W or 600W model? Is the controller the speed-limited model or the unrestricted model?

 

[d]

we measured the optibike on flat ground with full pedaling at 27mph

my xlyte5304 72V will do 35-40mph, no pedaling

 

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...

 

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craig did a wheelie with motor only in granny gear

 

[knoxie]

Thanks D

The opti is a nice bike it looks good and handles good, 27mph is quick enough for anyone, my USPD does that all day long on 48V, the thing I like about the optibike is it looks like a normal bike, so you rode it then whats your review?

Cheers

P

 

[d]

knoxie,

unlike my crystalyte, the optibike would handle very well off-road... it has full suspension and disc brakes. it also has total freewheeling, no motor resistance. it might also be fairly efficient although i haven't yet seen numbers to prove it. it does seem a bit noisier than crystalyte. you do need to shift gears one at a time while you are accelerating, otherwise the acceleration gets jerky. it requires balance between pedaling, gear-shifting, and throttle vs crystalyte where you can get away with just throttle. it has considerable lower acceleration and top speed than I am used to, although we are talking 36V vs 72V. 27mph measured max on opti vs 40 mph max flat ground on xlyte

If I wanted a true electric "mountain" bike... the optibike would be a great choice, however. And it is a turn-key solution that doesn't require assembly like a kit bike like crystalyte.

when its all said and done it is probably the best looking electric bike I've seen.

 

[knoxie]

Hi D

Thanks for that, this was something I was trying to get through to Randy Draper, handling has a lot to do with it, the opti looks and certainly sounds like it handles nicely.

I also like a bike that free wheels as well so it would suit me for sure, I hope they keep the development up on the bikes and keep on pushing, in many ways they are like the Lotus Tesla of the electric bike world! ha ha.

Nice

Knoxie

 

[lemmiwinks]

Nice video Devin. IMO 27mph is plenty quick (though it's human nature to want to go faster) and quite impressive on 36V. Looks like the Optibike is a good turn-key solution for those who have the cash.

 

[knoxie]

I Knew I had seen that pesky opti bike somewhere before :wink:

Knoxie

http://tinyurl.com/29sc8h

 

[joystix2]

I would have to agree with lemmiwinks, Its a nice bike for people with the "CASH". Most people can't afford that kind of price tag. For $8k you can build 3 or 4 Puma's with Lithiums. But if you sold stock in the late 90's then you definitely can afford one of these.

 

[EbikeMaui]

A decent short clip.I noticed while the dude was pedaling the bike has stability issues.The great handeling and efficient power of my Huffy is not to be ignored for the price AND performance.The ease of shifting both the motor and pedal cadence with a click under full 1600 watts of power is always smooth (on the fly or stoped)).. Try popen wheelies at 15 MPH with just a twist of REAL power without pedaling or jerking on the bars.I also can imagine how noisy the motor reduction in on the mid mount (crank Drive)Optibike gear motor. Dont fool yourself with a prety picture.Any bike can look prety lol.

http://tinyurl.com/2z7dhj

Where is all this Optibikes great off road performance? Let's see there 18 min video with a 2150 feet elevation climb with a 2000 ft rise on the dirt using 6 ah for the whole trip.

http://tinyurl.com/3ad8g2
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=859894