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Jim’s Blog

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What is Torque in an Electric Bike?

There has been a lot of discussion in the news lately about electric bikes and torque. For most people, the term "Torque" has little or no meaning. In this first of 3 articles on torque,   I will go over the basics of torque. In Part 2, I will discuss torque and how it relates to horsepower and then in the …
February 18, 2015
Jim's Blog

Stanford Life Lessons #1 How an Hour Changed My Life

Note (This is a  Life Lesson I learned while as a graduate Student at the Stanford University Mechanical Engineering Department. While at Stanford, I never dreamed of designing an electric bicycle, but all of these lessons have shaped the way I design the Optibike electric bike today.) Time is non linear. Sometimes  a day or week or even a year…
January 15, 2014
Jim's BlogOptibike News

Electric Bike Action Magazine Launches

It has finally happened! There is now a full paper magazine dedicated to electric bikes; Electric Bike Action.  The magazine is being published by Hi Torque Publications who publish Motocross Action and Mountain Bike Action.  This is another sign that e-bikes are now about to explode. Electric Bike Action editor Zapata Espinoza had this to tell me about the new…
December 12, 2013
Jim's Blog

Jamestown Flood Fundraiser Ride

On Sunday December 22nd, cyclists4Jamestown is having a fat tire fundraiser  ride up to Jamestown. Jamestown was hit hard by the September flood and the road is still not open. This is one of my favorite rides and also for  hundreds or thousands of other Boulder cyclists. Left Hand Canyon is one of my favorite  routes for testing our new…
December 9, 2013
Jim's Blog

A Brief History of Electric Bikes

Many people think electric bicycles are a new invention, but they are not. Read "A Brief History of Electric Bikes" exerted from my book  "The Electric Bike Book"  below and see  that the idea is actually very old, with the first electric bike dating to the 1890s. (more…)
November 28, 2013
Jim's BlogOptibike News

Sustainable Transportation Conference and The Future of E-Bikes

This past Friday I presented at the First Innovations in Sustainable Transportation Conference in Broomfield Colorado, presented by the Aster Foundation. My topic was Electric Bikes 2020. This was a very interesting conference, as it dealt with innovative ways of transportation  for the future. The main premise, is that the way were are doing things will not continue to work,…
October 16, 2013