Written on December 3, 2008 – 10:36 am | by Maria Mihale |


People are lazy, here in my country, when it comes to exercising. They all are, from little kids to adults, and they tend to develop a strange fear regarding all sorts of sports activities. This isn’t something we should brag about, but let’s face it, showing some interest in this area won’t hurt anyone, of this I’m sure.

Therefore, the 2009 Optibike OB1 is an electric mountain bike that should please everyone: those who, urged by the strong belief that only by exercising we can reach a healthy life, plead for daily sports program, and those who understand the importance of such a requirement, but don’t have the time and the energy in order to make it happen.

The 2009 Optibike OB1 is created by the award-winning electric bike designer Jim Turner, whose 2008 version, exhibited at the California Academy of Sciences museum, was claimed to be “The future of transportation”. The previous version was built in a limited edition, consisting of just 24 bikes per year, and sold out rapidly, in only a couple of months.



The OB1 is based on ground-breaking technologies, the most advanced available in a Light Electric vehicle, as a matter of fact. The 2009 bike consists of components made of ultralight carbon fiber. This lithium-ion battery-powered bicycle is equipped with a built-in GPS, so that wherever your two-wheeled device might take you, you will always know where you are going. There’s also a fully integrated PDA which is meant to keep track of the vehicle’s performance, including the performance of the patented Motorized Bottom Bracket (MBB).

For all of you out there who don’t bother to move your bones under any circumstances, the two hour battery life should be enough, at least for having a short walk to the shop around the corner. However, if the battery gets depleted, remember you have two legs and two pedals that might help you keep the bicycle moving.

If you’re interested in having one of these electric mountain bikes for yourself, you should hurry up, because there are only 24 for the next year, and they are already on sale, starting November 5. Not to mention the fact that 4 of them were sold in the first 2 days. Another thing: check your bank account before becoming too enthusiastic. The 13,000 price might bring you down a peg or two.

(Source: Dvice)