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Old 05-28-19, 07:00 PM
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cudak888 
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Originally Posted by cooperryder
Cool idea!Thanks for doing it.

A year or two ago a local news article indicated the Dallas area had more of these type bikes than any other area in the US if I recall correctly.

They were practically everywhere.

Yesterday, I saw this ad on the local Craigslist in the mid-cities area of Dallas - Ft. Worth
for the yellow Ofo bikes.
$65 for one bike with quantity discounts.
It indicates they are new.

Seller must have purchased a bunch of them to resell.

I think their were 5 or more companies competing here at the peak of the rental bike boom.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/bi...891291298.html

I found myself wondering if a quality inflatable tire would fit on those wheels.
Translate, cheap generator light system for one of my bikes.
My quess is it would require new rims and wheel rebuild.

I also would like to know what these bikes originally cost and what went wrong with their 'business model'.

Regarding the cost, a comparably equipped REI bikes, but with inflatable tires are over a grand, aren't they?

Also the tracking system intrigues me.
How big?
Where located on the bike?
Available to buy for individuals?
How much?
Transferrable to one of my bikes?

I'm visualizing a vintage mt bike with some of these parts.
Interesting. I thought ofo had worked out an agreement with a Dallas scrap dealer for most of the bikes already used.

The wheels are 24x1-3/8", so their use is pretty limited. Rims are probably hooked bead though; bet all you'd have to do is drill a hole for Schraders and install a pair of normal tires and tubes, if that size is OK for your needs.

I'm pretty sure these use 13g, not 14g spokes though. Might need to use spoke washers on the hub if you intend to re-use it. Still, the Panasonic 6V NRH012 hubs are nice, if you don't mind the threaded mount for a band brake. You can get a similar model in the States from Peter White Cycles, but otherwise, an in-the-box ofo is probably the easiest and cheapest way. Plus, if it is a 3-speed model, you probably get a Nexus 3-speed on the back in the bargain.

That seller shows two different ofo bikes. I believe the final US incarnation of them were the Kents, like mine. If that seller's examples do differ from mine, I'd actually be interested in one for $65, if it wouldn't cost that much to ShipBikes one over here.

I'd say $65 is a darn good price, at any rate.

The tracking system is ofo-proprietary on a 3G network, using their Titania board. The board has a Quectel UG96 chip w/IMEI on it. I highly doubt you can reprogram it for your own use. Someone posted a video of the lock's tear down on YouTube:


Fair warning: Though he denies it, I'm 100% sure the lock is off a stolen ofo - the lock loop has been angle-ground off. He covers the IMEI too before ripping off the label, which is in itself suspicious.

Mine no longer has the 3G guts in it - it's been modified slightly. The lock has been reassembled as it is part of the original look and purpose of the bike, which I'm trying to preserve.

-Kurt
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Last edited by cudak888; 05-28-19 at 07:06 PM.
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