Who's Crazy enough to get an Optibike?

[MitchJi]

Hi,

I cannot maintain 25mph - unassisted - on my OPti. I have done a few no-pedal, ride-home commutes, where I only spinned the cranks to help shift gears. I averaged about 22-23mph in WARM weather, bike clothing, and using my aerobars. Basically, my battery sag is too much, so the average power is less, and is not enough to haul my 175lb weight that fast. If my battery was 39V+ and stiff for 12-14 ahrs, then I would see a constant 800-850W and see those speeds.

pls remember that when optibike was originally introduced the claim was made that it could do with 400 Watts thru the BB what it took a hubmotor 750W.

(still their slogan on opti t-shirts,"Twice the speed, half the power").

since then, the motor power level has been increased on almost on a yearly basis to try & keep their customers happy.
currently it has risen beyond the legal ebike limit, taking it to 850 Watts as the tiny BB motor has been stroked to within an inch of it's life with even oil cooling to help squeeze out 50 more Watts.

yet it's still not enuf!
what ever happened to that mythical gearing dividend so that no one is even remotely interested in buying the 600 Watt model (see above quote by Craig T.)

• 
  1. His post complains about the batteries, not lack of power.
  
  2. That claim seems accurate. Gary posted that his Cyclone with 2800 watts had better performance than his X-lyte DD hub with 4800 watts.

Not saying it a fast bike for the money, or even thats a good deal, just that your criticisms are not entirely accurate.

 

[sjacome]

just try to bild a ebike and get trough a CE standart certification. That cost as to reflect on the final product also.

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

1. His post complains about the batteries, not lack of power.

that's reely splittin hares.
last time i checked more volts equated to more power.
the 36V battery is part of the whole package, it is what it is.

but okay, if don't like that one here's another, see if u can split the atom.

I am happy with the load I can carry right now. Honestly, I would
like a more powerful motor to give me a higher average top speed. I
am spoiled now such that a good headwind frustrates me as my average
and top speed drops so much. I use my bike mostly to commute back and
forth from the hospital I work at. When I have a significant headwind
it can add 5 minutes to my ride. I know, I know, BFD! Nevertheless.
I would love to keep it up around 28-30 as much as possible. If I
could retrofit this bike to go faster I would definitely do it. When
the rumored 1000 watt motor comes out I am heading ASAP to CO for the
retrofit - if possible

2. That claim seems accurate. Gary posted that his Cyclone with 2800 watts had better performance than his X-lyte DD hub with 4800 watts.


Not saying it a fast bike for the money, or even thats a good deal, just that your criticisms are not entirely accurate.

it's the opti that's under the microscope, don't know what a cyclone or xlyte gots to do wit it??
just because it's true (sorta) for gary doesn't mean it will automatically translate to anything else.
if i were to split heirs on this then ur math isn't entirely accurate either.
half of 4800 is 2400, but what's a 15% gimme when u work for the government, right?
(cept the IRS of course).

optibike may (stress may) have twice the speed for the same power.
or reqiure half the power at the same speed.

but not the 4X slight of hand bull crap their slogan is trying to get away with.
it's not only inaccurate & misleading 2b sur,
but it's toeing the waters' edge of an outright lie if opti users own data is anything to go by.

20 Wh/mi on the opti vs 25 Wh/mi for a DD E+ @WOT/30 mph max is a 25% difference, not 2X or 4X.
is that 25% worth an extra $10k (price difference between an opti & e+) for a 30 mph ebike?
i'll stick by my 'inaccurate' criticism.

The E+ is powerful. I saw 1000-1200W steady on a fresh charge. But
running at 25 mph will only require 500W or so, as does the Opti, so
the efficiencies become very close...


Still, on a 10 mile, rolling hills race, E+ would keep with Opti on
the road.

The best measure is to hook up a CA to both and run at the same speeds
and same terrian. Accross mixed flat-hills-road surfaces, I am seeing
the following with the Optibike, 800li:
Summer:
20 whr/mi , typical effort, FAST
18 whr/mi, mod-hard effort, FAST
16 Whr/mi, mix eco-fast
14 whr/mi, typical ECO.
12 whr/mi, eco, mod-hard - best efficiency measured.

I've gotten similar numbers (on the E+). I can get 15 wh/mi without too much
effort, averaging 22-23 mph. I can get to 25wh/mi if I'm just going
as fast as I can.

 

[Ariane]

Hi Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh,

Well with this reviews i will never buy a Optibike we can do better for last price good to know thanks allot :wink:

Good day!
Black Arrow

 

[Lock]

Article about an Optibike rider in Maryland here:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/class...saves-energy-on-commute,0,986047.story?page=1

Craig Taber, marketing director for Optibike, said the bike is designed to deliver exercise as well as transportation.

"You're encouraged to pedal all the time," he said. "You're pedaling the same as a regular bike, only going a lot faster."

Taber said the Boulder-based company has sold about 600 bikes since it was founded in 2005 — operating out of a garage until it moved into its current manufacturing facility. But he said Optibike believes it can ramp up its production 10-fold over the next year to 18 months without sacrificing the quality that fetches prices from $6,000 to $13,000 per bike — all sold directly by the company and not through a dealer network.

tks
LocK

 

[USAEBIKECO]

They recently changed the "made in usa" title to "handbuilt in usa" because there is no way to make an ebike without some foreign parts.

 

[Lock]

They recently changed the "made in usa" title to "handbuilt in usa" because there is no way to make an ebike without some foreign parts.

Understand. AFAIK nobuddy has manufactured bike tires in North America for many years for example.

Tks
Lock

 

[Toorbough ULL-Zeveigh]

he said Optibike believes it can ramp up its production 10-fold over the next year to 18 months without sacrificing the quality that fetches prices from $6,000 to $13,000 per bike — all sold directly by the company and not through a dealer network.

i'm gonna go out on a limb & predict that most of that 10-fold increase will be demand for the cheapest model now that the opti has been hacked.
for almost half the price u can exceed their most expensive toppo-da-line ob-1.
all it takes is an extra thousand bucks or so to throw in some generic chinese Li instead of the $3000 made in america LiCo plus a Lyen controller.

Optibike USV 500W from http://optibike.com/optibike-usv.html
72V Infineon Brushless Controllers (LYEN's Edition): Sensorless 12 FET 72V Infineon BL Controller(no regen)EC124310L from http://www24.brinkster.com/lyen/beta/
four 38.4 volt 10 AH Batteries connected in series & parallel to form one 76.8 volt 20 AH pack from http://us.itselectric.ca/38V_Lithium_Phosphate_10Ah_battery_pack_LiFEPO4_p/38.4v-lithium-phosphate-10ah.htm
stats: top speed on the flats about 36 mph no pedaling, can only manage 7th gear or the motor stalls. with a bit of pedal assist to keep the motor spinning at high speed, can reach speeds as high as 44 plus mph. on a slight down grade at 8th gear, got it as fast as 48 mph. fastest steep downhill run at full throttle at 9th gear and pedaling = about 62 mph.

range at full throttle is about 32 miles with the 76.8 volt 20 AH pack. it's no longer limited by the stock controller that forces you to conserve energy and pulse the motor on & off. suprisingly the motor is holding up to the continuous power runs, even up hills at continuous throttle. motor gets hot but has not broken down yet. so far about 400 miles on the odometer.

is that the sound of sphincters puckering i hear reverberating thru out the colorado rockies?



their marketing director now has a bit of a problem on his hands.
optibike will either have to drastically slash the price of their top end models (the smart decision) if not discontinue them entirely when demand for them dries up.
or (more likely) discontinue the USV (dumb move) to nip this in the bud in order to maintain their prestige & protect their considerable profit margin.
there's gonna be a lot of upset ob-1 owners who paid top dollar believing they bot a ferrari just to get blown away by a souped up fiat.

but the genie will be out of the bottle as awareness grows that u don't even have to spend the 6 grand for their usv model.
not when more performance can be had for a lot less money going with something else even if it's just a cyclone kit, there's a lot more to choose from now days.
i think optibike has seen the handwriting on the wall that they need to meet that competition by ramping up production, a dramatic shift from their previous mindset 'we're not interesting in building a lot of bikes'.
i hope they also realize that the price will have to be cut drastically if they have any intention of surviving.
the good times of cashing in on gnu-bees naiveté is drawing to a close.

 

[mdd0127]

It sounds like it would be fun to strap a better controller and batteries on the cheap model but it also sounds like the motor may not live long. I think the Optibike is overpriced for what it is....but not by so much. Sure, you can put something together for less, but what's your time worth? Also, reliability is definitely an issue here. They may not have the best performing product or best value for the money but it is well engineered and reliable. That goes out the window when you start bolting high performance goodies to stock parts.

Also, we can't make enough e-bikes for everyone to have an awesome one at a great price. It isn't going to happen. People are starting to realize that things have a long term cost and constantly borrowing money only makes everyone slaves. If you want a nice, high performance, offroad ebike, made by people that care about their jobs and the environment, it would be a good idea to start saving up. Breaking ground with new technology is only going to get more and more expensive but it's worth it.

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

It sounds like it would be fun to strap a better controller and batteries on the cheap model but it also sounds like the motor may not live long. I think the Optibike is overpriced for what it is....but not by so much. Sure, you can put something together for less, but what's your time worth? Also, reliability is definitely an issue here. They may not have the best performing product or best value for the money but it is well engineered and reliable. That goes out the window when you start bolting high performance goodies to stock parts.

D's hub motored ebike totally blew away the Optibike on performance (the Optibike test rider loved it) but it blew up after a few weeks. In Dec 2008 D' started working on an RC powered version:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=7992

I'm pretty sure he has spent more than the price of an Optibike, plus at least three years and he still doesn't have a functional off road ebike (I hope its getting close). I'm sure when he gets it right it will be massively better than the Optibike...

 

[PRW]

just saw this on Craigslist.... https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/bik/d/optibike-ob1-electric/6659464385.html

 

[Hillhater]

Is there a prize for resurecting the oldest thread ?
This has to be a contender :lol:

 

[markz]

just saw this on Craigslist.... https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/bik/d/optibike-ob1-electric/6659464385.html

Jim Turner has released the successor of his award-winning bike that landed in the California Academy of Science museum. The 2009 Optibike OB1 ($13,000) signature model is the worlds fastest production electric bike. This OB1 is fitted with carbon fiber handlebars, brakes, derailleur, chainring and cable ferrules. It runs on a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery that holds 850 watts of coninious power and can reach a top speed of 30 mph

Electric Bike, Bicycle, Mountain Bike, Optibike, Limited Edition

 

[LockH]

American Firm Launches Next Generation Performance Electric Bike
("Optibike, Americas oldest manufacturer of electric bikes, announced the release of it's next generation high performance R15C. The R15C is a game changer."):
https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/457...hes-next-generation-performance-electric-bike

Starts:

PAONIA, CO, USA, August 7, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Optibike, Americas oldest manufacturer of electric bikes, announced the release of it's next generation high performance R15C. The R15C is a high performance electric bicycle. It is the first electric bike in the world to feature a full carbon fiber frame, swingarm and battery case, which all seamlessly blend into a fantastic design that is part art and pure performance.

Featuring a biggest in class 1.5KWH battery, the R15C is the longest range electric bike available with full carbon frame.

W/pictures... including:

 

[BoomerChomsi]

O well this product is same commercial trick like Tesla, I phone etc...
Many people believes these trick...

 

[LockH]

"this product is same commercial trick"... Sorry? Please explain?

 

[BoomerChomsi]

Just a example: let people believe you will buy a exclusive product asking a very high price.
While real price is kinda......

In Fashion world they do all the time this trick...

 

[LockH]

^^ Hehe... O.K. Understand... though in human history "new stuff" has tended to be "more expensive"... then to get "affordable" as sales volumes increase. ("Volume" cutting "fixed" costs per unit.)

The fact that Optibike are still in business since 2010 might suggest that following the "bleeding edge" of tech price-wise can be legitimate.

 

[billvon]

>Who's Crazy enough to get an Optibike?

Me! I'd definitely buy a used one for $800 or so. It's a very nice bike.

 

[wturber]

The fact that Optibike are still in business since 2010 might suggest that following the "bleeding edge" of tech price-wise can be legitimate.

Yes. And let's not forget that Apple recently passed the $1 Trillion in capitalization mark. They are the "biggest" company ever. I'm not a big fan of Apple products, but maybe this "fashion" trick has some merit when it comes to a company's bottom line.

In the end, it is not the value that a company delivers that matters. It is the value that the customers perceives that they have received that matters.

 

[LockH]

Hehe... ^^ "In the end, it is not the value that a company delivers that matters. It is the value that the customers perceives that they have received that matters."... Watt he said.

 

[fechter]

I heard those things were pretty loud compared to most Ebikes.

 

[billvon]

I heard those things were pretty loud compared to most Ebikes.

Yes, surprisingly. It was the one thing I didn't like about it. It sounds like they used a bunch of straight cut metal gears to do the reduction; it whines pretty loudly.

 

[LockH]

I heard those things were pretty loud compared to most Ebikes.

Hehe... Compared to most "urban traffic" ? :wink: (`Spent weeks in a motel room feet from a "major urbam artery"... Used to turn on the "TV" just to drown out the noise of "traffic".) :wink:

 

[7tronics]

Who's crazy enough? We are, on our second in fact!

We, my family who do Light EV Tech training, now have our 2nd Optibike. First a 2007 Model 600 which has the original NiMH 36v battery pack. With special care and cycling of the NiMH battery, it is doing very well. 70-75% of original capacity according to measurement with a West Mountain Radio CBA.

Now a refurbished 2014 Optibike Helia, which seems to be a rebadged R8 with wider seat, Li pack, quieter motor gears, and more compact for a shorter rider. This has Li battery pack and an external Li pack, which can also be attached to the Model 600. We will post more on our experiences. I like having a throttle on this mid-drive, and relish the full suspension for even modestly bumpy trail rides!

Our project with the Helia and Model 600 is to add a Veltop Urban and gain experience riding it compared with our Organic Transit ELF.