Ohm Cycles Sport XS700
Having seen the Ohm Cycles bike on bottom of cover “Bicycle Retailer and Industry News” (BRAIN), September 1st issue, I was intrigued to visit their website and try to learn more about their @BionX electric assist bikes. The Ohm bike frame was designed for comfort, lightweight and integration of their Li-ion large capacity battery pack. What I also learned was that Ohm Cycles had planned to have a booth at the Outdoor Demo at InterBike 2008 this past September.
My wife and I both managed to find our way to their booth on the first day of the demo. We got to see a lot of other electric assist bicycles, but none really intrigued me more than the Ohm Cycles bikes. I knew something about the BionX system and was pleased to see a really nice system integration of it with their bike frames and their battery pack. To go a step further I had to try out both an Urban model and the Sport XS700. The latter interested me more for my commute. You should know that my trip to the shop is about 12 miles, but over 1000 feet of climbing in a short 7 mile stretch. With the 350 Watt motor and peak of 700 Watts, it looked to be more than enough. I asked a lot of questions and considering where Ohm is located in Abbotsford, BC, Canada they not only have hills, but also plenty of rain. The bikes are very well tested in somewhat adverse conditions, but not all unusual for commuters that ride in the rain.
The XS700 easily made the uphill stretch back to the expo area in a very big gear. You still have to pedal to get the four selectable levels of assist or you don’t go anywhere. To conserve with the battery power you need to select a proper gear with appropriate level of assist that works for you. My test rides re-inforced my decision to sign on with Ohm Cycles.
I learned today that my first Sport XS700 bike with extended range battery shipped today from Canada and may get to my shop by this coming Friday or Monday. It’s supposed to be equipped with fenders, rear rack, and B&M lighting system making it ready for my first commute. I will write a follow-up after I have done several commutes. Of course it will be available at the shop for test rides.
Rick