I live in NC near Pisgah Forest and the Blue Ridge Pkwy. Needless to say it is very hilly here. I am looking for an E-Bike primarily for the roads with some light use on groomed trails. I have done much research and have narrowed it down to the Riese & Muller Homage w/ the E14 Rohloff and belt drive and the new Optibike R8C which will be configured as a Class 3. I can find many opinions of the Homage but very little from current Optibike owners or former owners. Jim Turner from Optibike has been very helpful and accommodating with my questions. The same is true of Propel on the Riese & Muller. There are no local dealers for R&M anywhere near me. I was hoping to find someone with familiarity of both brands but no luck so far.
The R8C will have a 750 Watt motor and 160NM of torque, Rohloff hub but not electronic or belt driven. The R8C also has a throttle to 20MPH and pedal assist to 28MPH. I have no doubt about the Optibike being able to climb anything but the motor seems considerably louder than the Bosch on the Homage and the shifting not as smooth. Also with the exception of the suspension everything on the Optibike is proprietary including the battery. Not real crazy about having to control a throttle as well.
Has anyone owned or currently owned an Optibike that could comment on them. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
The R8C will have a 750 Watt motor and 160NM of torque, Rohloff hub but not electronic or belt driven. The R8C also has a throttle to 20MPH and pedal assist to 28MPH. I have no doubt about the Optibike being able to climb anything but the motor seems considerably louder than the Bosch on the Homage and the shifting not as smooth. Also with the exception of the suspension everything on the Optibike is proprietary including the battery. Not real crazy about having to control a throttle as well.
Has anyone owned or currently owned an Optibike that could comment on them. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
