Originally Posted by
Mabman
Actually [the CPSC controls what can be ridden on the streets] in the case of electric bicycles.
States set their own vehicle laws, and, while IANAL, I have looked at some of them and can't find any reference (direct or indirect) to the CPSC regs. Maybe you can provide one, but simply providing a link to those regs is not evidence that they have any bearing on what I can ride in Colorado. Some states (California, for example) have requirement that plainly disagree with those CPSC standards.
Colorado appears to have some generous regulations regarding light weight vehicles but in order for you to qualify you would need a full compliment of lights including turn signals as an electric motorcycle.
You might be right. I based my claim on a discussion with a the owner of a local gas engine bicycle assist shop.
That is 2.125 ah per mile which times 82 = 174.25 mpg. Nowhere close to 2000 mpg.
That's not quite right. 2.125 Ah per mile works out to 85 Wh/mile (since the bike has a 40V battery) or, equivalently, (1/0.085) mile/kWh. If we agree that 1 gallon of gas = 82.049kWh, my mileage equivalence is (82/0.085) = 970 mpg.
I believe the folks at Optibike pulled a fast one when they issued a press release that talks about selling the only 2000mpg hybrid vehicle in the US, and then discussed the best selling 800Li. They were referring to different bikes - the 400 model should get the claimed 2000mpg, whie the 800Li is their best selling model.
Fair enough that their 400w model meets the regs. But $5k is alot of scratch for something that you can get for alot cheaper that has similar performance as has been said here before.
You can go faster with a 72 volt Crystalyte 5xxx, but you'll have a much heavier bike with a 23 pound wheel that is far less efficient at low speeds. If that's what you want, I'm happy for you. Really. No other option I know of has anything close to the acceleration of my Optibike, the overall efficiency, the great handling, etc. I asked Jeremy how far up Pike's peak his best bike would make it. How far will yours?
Seriously, I'd like to know what bike you would put up against an Optibike that will get similar performance. It is hard to find peers if you limit yourself to one dimension of performance, but if you consider cruising, hill climbing, acceleration and handling together it is hard to find anything remotely comparable.
And it seems like they are trying to push the performance end with their current marketing anyway. But it seems to be working, cheesy leds and all.
I live near enough the factory to have visited them several times and met many of the characters who work there. The company is run by a mechanical engineer whose focus is on the drivetrain and mechanics of the bikes. Marketing, user interface, and growth have clearly been neglected, but they really do build a great product and support their customers. I agree with the general tone of your criticism and have written to the company expressing my opinion in no uncertain terms.