02-15-2007, 12:38 PM
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#3 (permalink)
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| | Re: electric bikes on centuries
optibike wrote:
> On Jan 31, 12:04 pm, Bill Baka <b...@comcast.net> wrote:
>> 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.
I am glad to see someone from the factory chipping in and clarifying.
What seems to have been ignored by everyone is the fact that a lot of
electrical bikes out there are still using Centuries old Lead-Acid
batteries. They are soon to be history due to lead content, as are
NiCads. NiMh are the cheapest new tech way to go, but Lithium-Polymers
are the dominant (if expensive) way to go right now.
>
> 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.
Does that mean that the rider is forced to pedal or is there a free
wheel built into your bottom bracket??
>
> 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.
If you have climbed Pikes Peak, then doesn't regen make sense for
mountain rides? Coming back down that road even sitting upright for wind
resistance can be a bit more life threatening than using A; brakes, of
B; regen.
>
> 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.
I am with you most of the way, in particular the gearing issue. However,
just as with A/C induction motors that may run at 3600, 1800, 1200, or
even 900 RPM as a matter of phases (or divisions of 60 Hz) why not a DC
motor with electronics to control it, or even an A/C motor with an
electronic control? I'm an engineer, so I think it can be done, but I
have never been in marketing so I don't know if you could push that, or
what the added cost would be.
Good luck,
Bill Baka
>
> Cheers,
>
> Craig Weakley
> Marketing Director
> Optibike LLC
> 303.443.0932
> www.optibike.com
>
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