You could also get an electric lawn mower, leaf blower, and trimmer??? What's your point?
All I know is people who have high end Optibikes love them (not many used ones for sale). I would test ride one but I am afraid I would like it. Of course I can't see me paying for an St2 either. I have a free phone ap and battery pack which covers most of the St1 to St2 upgrades...
Everyone's value proposition is different. Currently I max out at $2,500. Who knows if I test ride an R11HD? I may buy one. The Stromer test ride did not change my value proposition.
I test rode the R8HD last year and I had spoken to Neal couple of times by then. The components seemed top notch. Rohloff, FOX shocks, nice grips, pedals, wheels etc. I really wanted to know what this is all about.
Here is a video from my ride:
https://goo.gl/photos/jXSZGtibzUGz93JK8
First of all, the frame design leans towards motorbike. My biggest gripe was the lack of pedal assist!
They had an excellent bike in 2009 and they have carried the same design for over 6 years. That to me, says something. It's not like they are charging you $2K!
Turner's brother has close connections with FOX and it's a no-brainer for them to use those shocks but the electronics seemed really archaic. I mean the cockpit is so old that only Betty White would like it. So much talk about MBB but they never released any info about it. Bosch, BH, Specialized, Stromer they all have shared ample info regarding their drive train but I don't get to read anything about MBB.
Here is a pic from Bosch
Tom's question is very relevant. They say Li-ion battery but I'm pretty sure Allroad's battery is not like rest of their bikes. Also, Li-cobalt has several variances in itself. Except the Battery (3 years) and Frame (5 years), their warranty is nothing exceptional for the price (rest all 1 year)
NOISE!! Holy cow.... it's a real nuisance. Check the video link and if you're on a trail with this bike, it will simply attract unnecessary attention. Let them charge $14K but smooth pedal assist, clean cockpit and reduced noise is really what many customers demand. Did I say you can't test ride these bikes! It's hard to find a dealer who has 4 or 5 Optibike's in his shop.
My distaste for Opti comes from these three things:
- Lack of pedal assist
- Noise
- Old design
and of course the price! As I said, they had an excellent bike for the year 2009 but it is not acceptable if they don't adapt to market's demands.