Optibike M7 or R8

M7 Distance Commuter.JPG R8 All around.JPG Same motor/batteries. The difference I see from the specs here are in the suspension, wheels and the R8 has an internally geared rear hub. Minor (or not) things when compared to the price and builds of both bikes.
 
Yeah it is. I only know one guy who owns an Optibike. He has the Pioneer Allroad and loves it. I've heard mixed reviews from others about the other bikes. I plan on going to the Optibike shop here in Co. in the summer to test some out. Doubtful I'll buy anything as there are numerous similar spec'd e-bikes out there for a fraction of the cost.
 
Yeah it is. I only know one guy who owns an Optibike. He has the Pioneer Allroad and loves it. I've heard mixed reviews from others about the other bikes. I plan on going to the Optibike shop here in Co. in the summer to test some out. Doubtful I'll buy anything as there are numerous similar spec'd e-bikes out there for a fraction of the cost.
I've come to the conclusion that for the same amount of money, stealth bikes offer much more. Also, grace one.15 should be available next year. it's a very impressive bike
 
Oh man. You talk'n about the Stealth Bomber?!! That bike is SWEET. Although, I'm super interested in the Specialized Turbo X now.
 
Well. It's specked at 200-250w, but it's nominal out-put is at 750w which is the max for the States and being street legal. I like power too, but I'm worried about the bike doing most of the work for me, whereas I want to 75% of the work, with help on the hills.
 
Well. It's specked at 200-250w, but it's nominal out-put is at 750w which is the max for the States and being street legal. I like power too, but I'm worried about the bike doing most of the work for me, whereas I want to 75% of the work, with help on the hills.
That's a legitimate reason to like the specialized then!
 
Make sure to let us know what you end up getting and the reasons you why. I'm always interested in how people came to the decisions on the ebike they purchased.
 
Kaldeem you may be aware I saw power failures while demoing two separate Specialized bikes. Also don't be concerned with an e-bike motor doing too much of the work, you are still free to pump as many human watts into the cranks as you like (up to the cutoff speed), in fact there was a recent study showing most folks get the same workout as a standard bike but simply increase their average speed. These two points are related as I believe it was when I put too much of my own power towards propelling the Specialized bike that they both had failures requiring a full reset. BTW - For the budget of those bikes you could get a Bosch performance drive and unlock it, something to consider for the strong rider. -S
 
Thanks @Shea N Encinitas , what bikes come with the Boshe performance drive? My LBS only sells 3 Haibikes, pictured below. I understand that 350w is what a professional cyclist outputs, and while that is fantastic... I am still hesitant, and leaning towards the a 500w. I would love a Haibike, I want to go off road and explore, but I also need to commute an hour away (14 miles) and I'm just not sure if a full mountain bike will be beneficial for those purposes...?
When I finally get a e-bike. My commute will start at 5 miles one way, but when I transfer colleges, it will be 14 miles one way. Additionally I also weight 275 lbs. So I'm drastically sucking up power from the battery.

How is your Haibike holding up? and what's the commute distance you've gone?
Capture.JPG
 
Thanks @Shea N Encinitas , what bikes come with the Boshe performance drive? My LBS only sells 3 Haibikes, pictured below. I understand that 350w is what a professional cyclist outputs, and while that is fantastic... I am still hesitant, and leaning towards the a 500w. I would love a Haibike, I want to go off road and explore, but I also need to commute an hour away (14 miles) and I'm just not sure if a full mountain bike will be beneficial for those purposes...?
When I finally get a e-bike. My commute will start at 5 miles one way, but when I transfer colleges, it will be 14 miles one way. Additionally I also weight 275 lbs. So I'm drastically sucking up power from the battery.

How is your Haibike holding up? and what's the commute distance you've gone?View attachment 2739
They are pretty good, but you will get way more bike for your money with the M1 Spitzing.
 
Thanks @Shea N Encinitas , what bikes come with the Boshe performance drive? My LBS only sells 3 Haibikes, pictured below. I understand that 350w is what a professional cyclist outputs, and while that is fantastic... I am still hesitant, and leaning towards the a 500w. I would love a Haibike, I want to go off road and explore, but I also need to commute an hour away (14 miles) and I'm just not sure if a full mountain bike will be beneficial for those purposes...?
When I finally get a e-bike. My commute will start at 5 miles one way, but when I transfer colleges, it will be 14 miles one way. Additionally I also weight 275 lbs. So I'm drastically sucking up power from the battery.

How is your Haibike holding up? and what's the commute distance you've gone?View attachment 2739
I'm not sure how the haibike will do for you, not very much power!!
 
I understand that 350w is what a professional cyclist outputs, and while that is fantastic... I am still hesitant, and leaning towards the a 500w.
You can't really compare a 350w geared mid drive to a 500w direct hub drive in simple terms because the mid drive is geared providing more torque, while the direct drive shines once up to speed. Maybe that is why the 60nm spec is so common when talking Bosch. Regarding the M1 Spitzing, $8,500 is quite a bit more than $4,600 (2014) or even $5,200 (2015) haibike FS models. Although both brands have quite a few offerings at various prices (your dealer should order anything you want IMO). As far as your 14 mile round trip, totally doable in tour mode, I've done that much with 800 feet of climbing many, many times. Then when I got a 2nd battery I started doing 30 miles in unlocked turbo mode (swapping batteries with two bars remaining) and repeat that distance almost daily (heading out after this). My Haibike FS RX is holding up great. I did have to tighten a few suspension pivots after 3,000 miles but would keep an eye on any bike getting that much use. Obviously I'm not here to sell bikes, but I sure don't want to see anyone I've befriended end up with a problematic bike. -Best, -Shea
 
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You can't really compare a 350w geared mid drive to a 500w direct hub drive in simple terms because the mid drive is geared providing more torque, while the direct drive shines once up to speed. Maybe that is why the 60nm spec is so common when talking Bosch. Regarding the M1 Spitzing, $8,500 is quite a bit more than $4,600 (2014) or even $5,200 (2015) haibike FS models. Although both brands have quite a few offerings at various prices (your dealer should order anything you want IMO). As far as your 14 mile round trip, totally doable in tour mode, I've done that much with 800 feet of climbing many, many times. Then when I got a 2nd battery I started doing 30 miles in unlocked turbo mode (swapping batteries with two bars remaining) and repeat that distance almost daily (heading out after this). My Haibike FS RX is holding up great. I did have to tighten a few suspension pivots after 3,000 miles but would keep an eye on any bike getting that much use. Obviously I'm not here to sell bikes, but I sure don't want to see anyone I've befriended end up with a problematic bike. -Best, -Shea
The M1 is more expensive, but it is built to last like a car. They use an extremely efficient motor which won't burn out over time. They also use batteries that are the newest technology so they last way mor cycles. The motor also cuts off when shifting to protect the gears. also, when in max pedal assist, the motor outputs 550% your torque. that is very substantial.
 
So @Shea N Encinitas you commute with your Hai? Are you still using the stock knobby tires or did you go to hybrid style tire?
Okay, I think I'm starting to see this a little better. So in terms, the mid-drive provides more torque consistently at each gear ratio? While the DD excels at top speeds?
I could go with a Hybrid tire, on a Haibike and I do like the mid-drives, but I'm not crazy about the battery placement. I like the stealthy look of the Stormers and Specialized.
I just need to go to the eLBS and ride some damn bikes!!!

@Racingkyle I'm glad your set on the M1, but a ton of other bikes cut power to the motor when shifting. Boshe, Bionx, Yamaha... etc. It's not new tech, it's underused tech. Besides, (I'll have to try to find the article) I read that a full carbon electric bike is a bad idea because of the torque and some other techinical jargen I can't remember. Having carbon parts is okay, to lighten an ebike, but not have 1/2 or more of the bike full carbon.
Anyways, go buy it and let us know how it is. If it's worth the 10k and how it rides and all that good stuff. ;) You'd be the first on ERB to own one.
 
So you commute with your Hai?
Well no because I work at home, but whenever I'm not working I'm riding, usually 30 miles 7 days a week, sometimes a bit more sometimes a bit less.

Are you still using the stock knobby tires or did you go to hybrid style tire?
I went hybrid pretty quickly as I spend 90% of my ride on the road. I chose the WTB BeeLine 2.2's, but be advised that can pick up and toss gravel at you, my roads are almost always clean.

Okay, I think I'm starting to see this a little better. So in terms, the mid-drive provides more torque consistently at each gear ratio?
To confirm that would be in denial of the basic premise, torque happens off the line, in higher gear ratios you are up to speed where the DD begins to shine. Although I do leave the gates in high-ish gears and double tap shift when in turbo mode, torque is best experienced in lower gears, like a tractor pull.

Hope this helps. BTW Had a guy draft me for 7 miles yesterday, peak 33 avg 28 - I told him good job and he asked where is the dog! -S
 
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