02-14-2007, 06:43 PM
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#2 (permalink)
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| | Re: electric bikes on centuries
"optibike" <craig@optibike.com> wrote in message
news:1171497893.254887.69650@p10g2000cwp.googlegro ups.com...
> On Jan 31, 12:04 pm, Bill Baka <b...@comcast.net> wrote:
>> OldGirl wrote:
>> > A couple of clarifications:
>>
>> > 1. There is a federal law that states that if a bicycle has an
>> > electric
>> > motor and is limited to a top speed of 20 mph, it is a considered a
>> > bicycle.
>> > This preempts the state laws. Some states have a broader definition,
>> > some
>> > require pedals some don't. But in all 50 states an electric bike
>> > limited to
>> > 20 mph is a bike.
>>
>> > 2. There is an electric bike currently capable of going 100 miles on a
>> > charge (if you count the main battery plus auxiliary batteries). The
>> > rider
>> > has to make a significant pedalling contribution for the charge to last
>> > that
>> > long, and fully loaded with auxiliary batteries it weighs about 75 lbs,
>> > but
>> > it does pretty much look like a mountain bike. Here is the link:
>> >http://www.optibike.com/
>>
>> I took a look and can say that the bike looks less than ideal. If it has
>> a motorized bottom bracket then there is no possibility for regenerative
>> braking, which is a big NO-NO in the electric world. They are also
>> making flaky claims like it was in a 103 mile ride, but (small print)
>> with a battery change.
>> The marketing guys are burying the truth in hype, as usual.
>> Bill Baka
>
> Hey Bill,
>
> I am glad to hear that more people are discussing Optibikes. I am the
> marketing guy, and the guy that rode the 103 miles in 4 hours; and we
> did not do a battery change. The new Optibikes weigh in at ~ 67 lbs
> and have a range of 50 miles or so. For this ride, I used a soon to be
> released Li-Poly prototype. BUT, for a full suspension mountain bike
> that can carry a non-cyclist along at Tour De France speeds, we are
> getting people on bikes that have not ridden in years. The event that
> I rode the 103 miles in was the 2006 Tour de Sol, a regulated event
> that does not allow battery swapping.
>
> A note on regen: We have found that by putting the motor in the
> Bottom Bracket, we keep the wheels light (a crucial step for any high-
> performance application) and we simply augment the most efficient
> means of transportation on the planet (the bicycle). A hub motor is
> wrong for many reasons (fixed gear ratio, heavy wheels, etc) So, my
> point is, that regen makes sense with a 1200 lb car where there is
> more force to regen with. With a 67 lb bike + rider, what you have to
> sacrifice to get back a few watts makes no sense at all.
>
> Our bike can cruise at nearly 35 mph, has climbed Pikes Peak, and has
> the absolute longest run time and range of any E-bike. Sure, E-bikes
> are not for everyone but for some people they provide a way to get out
> and have some good clean fun.
>
> Sure, there is the hype. But we are 100% honest in our claims and
> have made videos to prove it. We are fighting an uphill battle
> however because many other manufacturers are full of it.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Craig Weakley
> Marketing Director
> Optibike LLC
> 303.443.0932
> www.optibike.com
And it does not meet the Low Speed Electric Bicycle nor the NHTA. This
means that it's illegal in most states to be ridden since it's too fast for
the LSEB and doesn't have the proper safety and construction for a Motorized
Vehicle including the 49cc Motorized Bicycle laws.
In Colorado, the Optibike could only be operated on Private Property and not
on Public Property (this includes the roadways and sidewalks)
>
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