Monthly Archives: February 2012

You lost how much? Wow.

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Wow. We just got this report from one of our customers, Bob.

Way to go Bob!!

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On January 19, 2011, I weighed in at Dr. S’s office at 270 pounds fully clothed. I was on a list of medications for high blood pressure and diabetes. I had finally weened myself off of prescription pain medication for back pain at that time. I had a shiny new Optibike and had started forming a great support team (you guys!) Even with all the medication, my blood pressure that day was 146/86. My resting heart rate was 70. Dr. S gave me a goal to lose 40 pounds or more in the next 12 months.

On February 22, 2012, I weighed in at Dr. S’s office at 189 pounds fully clothed. My blood pressure was 126/82 with no medication. My resting heart rate was 52. I had lost 81 pounds in 13 months. For at least six months, I have been off all medications for high blood pressure and diabetes. Last year, Dr. S announced to me that I was no longer diabetic.

Optibike Owner Bob B, after 1 year of a "lifestyle adjustment"

I had some challenges, mostly related to hemorrhoids, which had been aggravated by being in such bad shape and my initial attempts at riding the bike. After three rounds of banding that did not successfully take care of the problems, I scheduled surgery just before Thanksgiving in my quest to become, as John R. reminded me, a “perfect asshole.” The past few months have been a struggle, with a longer recovery than I anticipated and very little exercise (not a good formula for weight loss.) Prior to that surgery in November, I had lost 87 pounds but my body seemed to be giving me some signals that it was not 100% on board with all of this. My blood pressure was 90/60. My resting heart rate was 41. I was cold just about all the time. Both Dr. Roddy and Dr. S expressed concerned and asked me to stop losing weight for a while to allow my body to “re-equillibrate.” Talk about a shock! No doctor had ever asked me to STOP losing weight even for a short period of time.

My lowest weight at Dr. S’s office had been 178 pounds, so I am now 11 pounds over my low. I am back on the treadmill desk as I am typing this (and have been all week.) Amazingly, the “re-equillibration” plus a few pounds has helped me feel better temporarily. I am no longer cold all the time, but I am not sweating all the time from being so overweight. I actually feel great, although I have a lot of work to do to get stronger and more fit. Dang it, but it seems once again that the doctors were right. I guess they do seem to know more about health than I do.

I would like to pause here to say that I really am disappointed that I gained 11 pounds over the past 3 months. Ideally, I should have stayed at the same weight to re-equillibrate. The surgery was a setback, but I know that is no excuse and I could have done better. Frankly, gaining some weight back is a motivator to remind me how important it is to pay attention to my health every day.

Now that I am finally recovered from my surgery and my “re-equillibration” time is over, I am determined to do as Dr. S recommends… slowly lose 15 pounds over the next 6 months primarily through developing muscle and more exercise. I am looking forward to spending more time with Coach Traci, Laura, and Jeremy, all of whom have helped me get to this point. Lisa and I leave on Sunday for a week in Miami with her family. I plan on increasing my exercise each day in Florida. I then head to New Albany until March 21. When I return to San Diego, I think I should be ready to enjoy the Optibike again. I will start with short rides again to make sure my rear end can handle it, but I am excited about getting to spend more time on the bike.

As with any journey, there have been challenges so far. Frankly, I think maintaining weight loss might be a bigger challenge than losing it in the first place. In an odd way, I kind of like that it might be a bigger challenge. It seems that the bigger obstacles make positive results even sweeter.

Looking back over the past 13 months, I am proud of the results. It would have been far more difficult to achieve the results without the support of each of you on this email. My hope is that every future year write this update that I will be 179 pounds or under. If my body will tolerate it, maybe I will feel better at an even lower weight long term. The journey will continue. I hope you will continue to follow me and support me in the process.

Thank you for caring enough to support me. I am honored and blessed to have each one of you in my life.Love, hugs, and kisses,

Moe – Still Going Low

Winter Storage Tips for your Optibike Lithium Ion Battery

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With cold weather here, caring for your lithium ion battery is critical for long cycle life and optimal performance.

  • Do not store your bike in temperatures below -17C (0F) or above 27C (80F). Prolonged storage outside this temperature range may cause permanent damage the battery – Keep bike warm and indoors prior to riding for peak performance.
  • Do NOT charge the battery if it is below 0C (32F) or above 45C (113F). This will cause permanent damage.
  • Expect decreased capacity and range at lower operating temperatures; maximum capacity will be 80% of normal at temperatures near 0C (32F).

In short, your battery likes to be charged warm, kept warm, and will preform best when warm. This can be a little tricky in the winter- usually a warm garage is perfect for storage.

Also, if you can- try to discharge and re-charge your bike 1x per month. This will help keep the battery in tip top shape for summer riding.

Be aware that Optibike Lithium Batteries (like most lithium batteries) do NOT trickle charge like their lead acid ancestors. The Optibike lithium battery will only start the charge sequence once the battery has been depleted about 10%.

Do you have a question? Please call Optibike Service at 303.848.8382 or call Optibike Sales at 303.848.8380

Ask Optibike! Q: Does the Optibike have regenerative braking like some hybrid cars?

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A: 
In short, no.  There are a few reasons why we decided not to offer “regen” on the Optibike.

An Optibike R-Series with the ultra efficient, and sleek motorized bottom bracket.

1. Compromised riding experience. 

Bikes we have ridden with regenerative braking have been heavy, a bit clumsy, and generally require a hub motor to capture the relatively small amount of energy that is recovered through slowing down.

An electric bike with a regenerative braking system. These wheels weigh about 17 lbs each.



2. Excessively complicated.

In a 3000lb car, recovering the potential energy when slowing down makes sense.  There is far less energy to recover with a 60lb bike and rider combo to warrant the excess of mechanics required to incorporate regenerative braking.  Sure, our marketing people could brag about it- but the reality is that its little more than marketing fodder.

3. Battery Abuse.

E-bike batteries are small compared to electric or hybrid car batteries, smaller batteries do not absorb spikes in energy produced by regen braking without compromising cycle life of the battery.  We decided that offering a 3 year/30,000 mile battery warranty was a better feature than regen.  There are no electric bikes with regen braking that offer a comparable warranty.

4. How far do you really want to go?

This is our favorite conversation to have, because all this talk of regen really comes down to how far you want to be able to ride.  With the Optibike Touring battery, you can ride 100 miles- which would take about 4 hours or so.  My rear end gets tired before my Optibike battery does.  We are curious- how far do you need to be able to ride on a single charge to do everything that you want to do?

Really! We want to hear from you.  Send us an email at: ask@optibike.com with your questions, comments, concerns, personal observations or suggestions.