Optibike 3 Months Review (short)

[Tex]

Hullo folks!

quick review of the optibike 850lxi machine:

factory modified with 200watt / 850 Watt switch and running 700/35c wheels.

very, very impressive machine. More speed than my old 500watt bionx on the higher gears with the low end torque of my 350watt bionx (electronically limited to 200watts now) even at 200watts because one can drive through the lower gears

The bottom bracket based motor arrangement gives less of a moped feel than the Bionx and a more natural peddling feel.

flecc's long time obsevation about the advantages of mid drives are dead on

other than that a really rolls royce quality (the car, not the jet engine) piece of kit and as fast as buggery.

i can easily get 80 K on mixed terrain (quite a few hills in my part of sydney) on full throttle with moderate pedaling input and the odd bust of 850watt to blow of the roadies trying to draft me

the joy of ownership almost compensating for humiliating loss to you pommies in the Ashes.

Bionx 350 and Brompton Nano feeling a little neglected!

35 degrees here today. off to the BEACH tomorrow!

 

[Tex]

forgot pic:
My Optibike | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[banbury frank]

Brilliant $9990 Us About £ 6,500

Come on Guys Order now

I forgot the Deliver from the states and the duty and vat so nearer £ 8,000

Frank

 

[Tex]

now, now don't troll. i didn't say go buy one for value. + id rather prefer fast bikes than fast cars.

 

[overthehill]

Fantastic machine

 

[Streethawk]

Awesome machine, although it does look like it needs 26" wheels and fatter tyres, the chunky frame and skinny wheels just dont quite suit each other. However. this sort of machine, even at such huge cost, really drives the technology forward.

I for one am very pleased to see bikes like this exist.

 

[stevebills]

35 degrees here today. off to the BEACH tomorrow!

Well it's 10 degrees with 23 mph winds in Manchester!
Theres no jobs about, the country is bancrupt with massive cut backs taking place over 3 years and yes we are very jealous!
The only thing we have to look forward to is the Jeremy Kile show and old age!

 

[indalo]

You can add me to the ranks of those who think it's a gorgeous-looking machine. I baulk at the price however as it's dearer than most of the car's I've bought over the last 45 years!

Indalo

 

[Streethawk]

Well it's 10 degrees with 23 mph winds in Manchester!
Theres no jobs about, the country is bancrupt with massive cut backs taking place over 3 years and yes we are very jealous!
The only thing we have to look forward to is the Jeremy Kile show and old age!

Yep, i'm in Bury and the wind is howling today! Luckily i'm off work all week, normally i work on the 7th floor of a city centre tower and the high wind up there makes the windows wobble.

 

[flecc]

Well it's 10 degrees with 23 mph winds in Manchester!

Don't be fooled by the forum name Tex, he's in Australia and they are having more than their fair share of climactic dramas currently!

Luckily for him I think he's out of the way of much of it where he lives in New South Wales.
.

 

[eddieo]

simply superb looking machine......agree about the skinny wheels though

 

[stevebills]

Hi Flecc!! the Guru of Pedelecs whats you opinion on the optibike 850r? is it that good? or over priced? or could a guy like yourself build a better bike with 10k?

 

[banbury frank]

Same price But this is a motor bike Goes like stink

Motorcycles : Zero Motorcycles, Electric Motorcycle and Electric Dirt Bike Company


Which one would you BUY If you had that Much to spend


Frank

 

[Tim]

Had the pleasure of riding the Zero S around London and taking the company's Zero MX offroad a few times back in 2009. The MX even made an appearance at Presteigne in 2009 but it was sadly disqualified from the main race.

Great fun but even with a massive battery, range was impractically low for the sort of use you'd want to put it to. I believe they sell well in the US thanks to generous federal subsidies. Not so well over here.

 

[banbury frank]

Nice

Talking about Nice things to have

Westfield Sportscars - News - The World First Hybrid Westfield Racing Car


It Runs on Headway 16 ah cells 40160S

You can get the in packs for E bikes Not cheap

Frank

 

[Streethawk]

Isnt the Third Element eSpire a similar price too? I think i'd go for one of those if i had that sort of cash sitting spare.

 

[tillson]

Interesting review. Thanks

35 degrees here today. off to the BEACH tomorrow!

This is just a total shot in the dark, a random guess. On Sunday, will you, by any chance, be barbecuing a Kangaroo and drinking tins if larger?

 

[HarryB]

I think it looks great even with the skinny wheels (that I like) but I am confused - is it actually legal to use in Australia? You say it has a switch so presumably the limiting is not valid? Well it wouldn't be here. At around the £3500 price it could be a good buy for somebody (like me) who hates washing bicyles.

 

[flecc]

Hi Flecc!! the Guru of Pedelecs whats you opinion on the optibike 850r? is it that good? or over priced? or could a guy like yourself build a better bike with 10k?

Depends, since it was originally designed as a very high powered machine well beyond what is allowed in the UK. That of course made it a bit of a moped rather than an e-bike.

Therefore fine in the US states which allow that power (not all do) and other places where it can be used but even then mainly as a fun bike and style statement. For utility purposes like shopping and commuting it's very limited, no carrier for luggage, panniers, toolkit, pump etc, no lights, hopelessly inadequate front mudguard, and correcting any of those points could ruin the style. With that sort of power on tap it probably isn't too good for getting exercise either. There are lower powered version settings and Tex has said his LXi is set to their legal power limit which should still perform well with the drive through the gears system

The price doesn't worry me, it's stayed about the same for a long time while many other e-bikes are catching up fast. Mainstream Kalkhoff now reaching well over £3k, BikeTec Flyer THX around £5k now and their X bike much higher yet, plus some others getting stratospheric.

So not for my universal use in the UK, but bundles of fun as a second e-bike in the right place.
.

 

[Tex]

Good morning from sunny NSW.

Thanks for you comments.

This bicycle replaced a car. So I've no qualms about the cost. One less car. One slightly healthier old bloke.

Flecc: yes we escaped the weather. But at one stage they estimated 1/3 of the continent was flood effected. Imagine if one overlayed that map on Europe!

Re UK weather: as a regular visitor I empathize. But again, you have The Ashes back to comfort you.