It pains me to write this article. A quality product is so much more than the sum of the parts yet at the same time a quality product needs to be made from quality parts, so sometimes we have to break apart the whole to see what it is made from.
In electric bikes, you have two choices: You can buy what is essentially a $100 Walmart quality bike with an electric motor and battery, which even if the electrical system is good quality- the whole design is bastardized by a cheap front fork, cheap or non existent rear shock, cheesy brakes, shoddy rims, cheap tires, etc. Or you can buy an electric bike outfitted with components that are designed and built with mountain bike racing in mind. Now, you may say, “ I don’t plan on racing or even riding off road!” Fair enough. Lets take a closer look at E-biking vs mountain bike racing vs cheap bike applications and you will see why good components are essential:
Speed:
Mountain bike racers routinely travel at 20-35 mph during races.
E-bikes travel at 20+ mph all the time (If you have a decent model)
Cheap Walmart quality bikes are designed to be ridden 8-15 mph. These components will not cut it at higher speeds. The brakes will not last, the rims cannot handle the abuse, and the cheap suspension will make your bike ride like a paint shaker.
Weight:
Downhill mountain bikes weigh in at over 50 lbs.
E bikes weigh 40-80 lbs (for the most part)
Cheap Walmart bikes weigh around 25 lbs. The brakes, suspension, wheels and frame are not designed to handle the extra weight on a day to day basis. They will not work as well as components designed to handle the weight of an electric bike.
Longevity of use:
Mountain bikers expect a return on their investment of several years.
Optibikes are warranted for a full year (3 years on the battery) with LIFETIME warranties on several components from the manufacturer.
Cheap Walmart bikes, like nearly everything else made in a certain Asian country are throw away products that have a built in expiration date when you will just go and buy another one just to have it in the landfill a few years from now.
Optibikes are built with the absolute best components in the cycling industry. Not because we think the most expensive stuff is cool but because it works. Really well. Fox Suspension, Avid Brakes, Mavic Wheels, Chris King Headsets, Thompson Stems and Seatposts, Schwalbe tires- these products are developed and tested by serious bikers who ride under conditions that are closer to E-biking than a cheap $100 bike with a motor attached. Take a good look at the parts that make up your next E-bike purchase and decide for yourself if you trust a $3 set of no-name rim brakes to stop you on your next descent.
You'll also receive a free download of The Electric Bike Book by Jim Turner.
