Originally Posted by
Mabman
still I doubt the 400, unless way more pedaling is done than motor, has the battery to pull off 100 miles unless they carry more than one which raises weight level and compromises handling.
Optibike took top honors (along side one other entrant) in the 2006 Tour del Sol, by traveling 104 miles in less than for hours. See how far you can get on any other general purpose upright ebike. Yes, it had an extra Li-ion pack, but that's an impressive ride for any ebike. Regarding handling, several Opti owners prefer to carry their external battery in a backpack.
The mpg is secondary really because there are alternative ways to gain energy
Really! Again, how far can you go on your e-bike? Wouldn't you like more range? Increasing efficiency is like adding extra battery capacity. Even though Optibike puts large batteries in their bikes, the high efficiency (mpg) makes a big contribution toward the vehicle's range. Efficiency also allows motors to be smaller and run cooler. There is a lot more to efficiency than being green (though that's important, too).
How about we skip Pikes Peak, it has been done already, how about the Triple Bypass? Or a motor assist RAAM?
And you point is??? Optibike's long distance capability is hard to equal, and I don't know of anything remotely as fun that can go the distance. Regarding the triple bypass, only geared ebikes need apply, ruling out almost everything you could reasonably build at home. And, alas, I am not optimistic about the possibility of a fully electric RAAM capable bike in the forseeable future.
For the greater good though they should be setting a better example in regards to current regs or have a strong lobbying effort going on to make the regs different.
Oh please. They sell a completely legal product and make no claims about the legal use of the high powered models. Enforcement of e-bike laws strongly depends on the jurisdiction. In Boulder, Co, for example, it is illegal to ride any motorized bikes (including those meeting the CPSC requirements) on trail, yet their bicycle coordinator encourages people to ride those trails with the motor off. The Optibike 800Li has a 250 watt mode that would comply with CPSC requirement if it were always on, and I believe there is a very strong possibility that my bike would be treated by local law enforcement as a compliant ebike if I rode in that mode. Frankly, however, there are times when 25mph is the worst of both worlds - too fast to safely ride hugging the curb or next to parked cars (especially if other bikes are present) and too slow to keep up with traffic - so I'm often glad for the extra power and don't lose any sleep over the fine points of law.
By the way, I have served on the board of a non-profit that contemplated lobbying. I think I have a pretty good idea of the effort involved in advocacy and lobbying, and I don't think you have the slightest idea of the work required to mount a "strong lobbying effort". The suggestion that a tiny company struggling to finish their product has the resources to mount an actual lobbying campaign is, in my opinion, laughable.