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Now Available
 
We are happy to announce the availability of the ODK U500 Electric Utility Bicycles (version 2). Purchase a bike at your local dealer or buy online. 

We have in stock and ready to ship 3-speed 500-Watt E-Bikes. The bikes are available in Red, Green and Gray. Volume discounts available for fleets sales.  

Details

• 7- Day return policy
• Full 1-Year warrantee
• Bikes arrive 98% assembled for easy setup
• Colors available: Red, Green, Gray
• International shipping available starting March 1st, 2013

Recent reviews online

"This is one of the first bikes I have reviewed this year that I am considering owning."

-ElectricBike.com (visit page)

"This is a very powerful electric-assist bike with great hill-climbing and load carrying abilities."

-Turbo Bob (visit page)

Key Specs

• 48V / 15Ah Lithium Battery: Highest capacity available on the market (720Wh)
• 500-Watt front motor: Great hill climbing and 22 mph on level ground
• High level of puncture protection: E-Bike Tires and 4x Inner tubes
• Throttle controlled with Cruise control function 
• Front Disc Brakes 
• Shamino 3-Speed Internal Hub for maintenance free shifting
• Integrated cargo rack: 330lb total loading capacity 

(see detailed specs)

List of recently added U.S. Dealers

California

The Bicycle Works
http://www.thebicycleworks.org
1117 San Anselmo Avenue
San Anselmo, CA 94960 (map)
415-419-5831

Practical Cycles 
http://www.practicalcycle.com
14 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95814 (map)
916-706-0077

Ivan Steward's Electric Bicycle Center
http://iselectricbikecenter.com
2021 India St.
San Diego, CA 9210 (map)
619-564-7028

Electric Bicycle Center - Fullerton, CA
http://www.mxmracing.com
400 East Commonwealth Avenue
Fullerton, CA 92832 (map)
714-992-5591

Velo Verde
http://www.veloverde.net
6791 Sebastopol Ave
Sebastopol, CA 95472 (map)
707-823-3227

http://www.accentbicycles.com
11700 Oak Tree Way
Carmel, IN 46032 (map)
866-241-2619 / 317-616-1862

http://www.ashlandelectricbikes.com
302 East Hersey St., Suite 7
Ashland, OR 97520 (map)
541-951-3034

Bend Electric Bikes
http://www.bendelectricbikes.com
223 NW Hill Street
Bend, OR 97701 (map)
541-410-7408

Texas

Rocket Electrics
http://rocketelectrics.com
1608 E. Riverside Drive
Austin, TX 78741 (map)
512-442-2453

Utah

Blue Monkey Bicycles
http://www.bluemonkeybicycles.com
4902 South State Street
 
Murray, UT 84107
 (map)
801-608-5138

Virginia 

Virginia Beach Electric Bike Center
http://www.vbelectricbikes.com
301A 25th Street
Virginia Beach, VA 23451 (map)

757-321-9776 

Product Details

The ODK comes in Red, Green and Gray. Bikes are test ridden and given one full charge cycle to verify the battery's capacity. 

The bike is shipped 98% assembled. The new shipping box allows the handle bars and front wheel to remain on the bike for fast setup. 

Download the user manual online
 

Take some time to familiarize yourself with your new ODK Utility E-Bike. 

There are several improvements which made their way onto the production ODK E-Bike since the pre-production V2 builds. The small changes will help to improve the quality, reliability and the user experience. All shipping units will now include the following features: 
 

Smoother throttle mapping

The controller has an improved programming setup. Rapid starts are smoother and more controllable. Performance in wet or slippery conditions is improved. Throttle "play" has been reduced and the throttle engages earlier. 

4x Thick inner tubes

A 4x thick inner tube has been selected as the standard inner tube. The difference is dramatic. The outer section where punctures normally occur is thicker than the inner section, so the weight is less than 4x that of a normal tube. The image to the left compares the 4x and standard tubes. 

Electric bicycles travel much longer distances and are generally heavier than normal bicycles. Any reduction in the chance of a puncture will improve the overall reliability of the product. Liquid tire sealant can still be used with this tube if the rider chooses.

Thicker front dropouts

The steel fork's dropout thickness has been increased to 5mm. The increased width will better protect the axle from spinning inside the dropout if the front wheel is improperly serviced. The new fork is specially customized for the new ODK. 

Rear V-brakes

The rear roller brake has been replaced with V-brakes which provide better stopping power in most conditions. V-brakes are also lighter and more widely used in the North American market. 

Cruise control deactivation

Applying the throttle while in cruise mode will deactivate the cruise control and return the bike to normal operation. The cruise control can now lock on to the speed immediately and even at very low speeds. The bike now has 4 ways to deactivate the cruise: 

1. Applying the front brake 
2. Applying the rear brake
3. Turning the throttle
4. Again pushing the cruise button

Larger shipping box 

The shipping box is taller which allows the bike to be shipped fully assembled. The previous box required the stem and handle bar to be disassembled prior to shipping. There was also the chance that some part of the handlebar would be damaged during shipping. Custom foam inserts have been made to reduce the chance that the bike will be crushed. The bike can be ridden now with only the installation of the pedals and adjustment of the handle bars. 

Longer charger cable

The length of the charger's cable has been doubled which will help access hard-to-reach electric outlets. 

For now, enjoy "E-Bike Family 2", a music-video style clip highlighting what we have been up to in the past few weeks. 

E-Bike Family 2 - First Production Run - ODK (Version 2)
See video on Youtube or See on Vimeo (non-musical edit)

The production line is set up for the longer bikes.

 The first ODK 3-speed production E-bike!

Each bike is ridden and carefully inspected to ensure quality. The bikes are shipped fully assembled.  

Interbike 2012: Trevor, Sandy, Allen, Tora, PatrickThis year marks an inflection point for e-bikes. The number of manufacturers appeared to have doubled or tripled. The once sleepy test track now required booth registrations and instantly maxed out at 27 slots with other manufactures sneaking on track to get test rides. Lines formed to sign out loaner helmets which were just not enough to go around. 

E-bikes have survived the fad stage and now moved into the mainstream. Many brands with e-bikes in Europe have brought along their 250W European spec e-bikes for display alongside their other bicycle offering.  

Some big manufactures added kits to their existing bicycle frames to quickly get a foot into the e-bike market. In less than 2 years, every manufacturer and retailer will need to have a detailed strategy on how to  include e-bikes to their lineup. The segment is just growing too fast to ignore and this phenomenon is an exact repeat of what happened in Europe. E-bikes once rejected in Europe are now front and center - driving the growth for an otherwise flat industry. 

Vegas: Here to gamble. 

We were on the street level where most of the smaller, more nimble companies risk showing off their innovative products. We were also set up on the newly reconfigured e-bike test track. 

The response to the new ODK Utility E-Bike was very positive. People are starting to see the benefit of having more range and cargo space. The low-step design and 20'' wheel platform is fundamental to reducing the intimidation factor that might be associated with e-bikes. 

People are demanding more range so we lead the pack with the largest capacity on the market. Most bikes excel in the 5-minute test ride, but we insist on features that riders are not aware that they need… till later. 

The newly redesigned rear rack is more functional and can accommodate more accessories. Riders who take longer trips tend to take more stuff so nailing those features in a refined package is critical to our success.         

E-Bikes: Getting real.    

As the e-bike market expands, reliable and less expensive products are starting to hit the market, we are starting to see a diversification of e-bike form factors. 

We will soon start to move beyond the raw specs and began thinking about the job a e-bike can do and how well the product accomplishes this task. The sporty, classic, folding and utility bikes segments are forming. 

It will no longer be competitive to add a motor kit to a normal pedal bicycle and proclaim to have entered the e-bike race. The e-bike revolution will require a rethink of the bicycle and its function. This shift will require us to scrap the legacy of the pedal bike and forge a new path to include the complexities of the electric assist system, the rider, and job the e-bike will do. 

Juiced Riders Interbike 2012 Picture Gallery 

Welcome aboard the new ODK. 

Learn more about the utility bicycle platform that is redefining what you can do on two wheels. 

Bicycles are used all around the world as family vehicles. It is the one personal transportation vehicle that is currently used by both developing nations and by the most advanced societies. This is happening because the bicycle is fundamentally the most efficient vehicle on the planet. It is so basic, yet extremely advanced all at the same time. In North America, the conditions are forming for the rediscovery of bikes as transportation.

Sources: baycitizen.org , Video: Bicycle Minivan 

Here is KVAL's news coverage of the first cargo bicycle gathering in Eugene, OR. A nice gallery of the event can be found on Facebook.    

Sources: kval.com , KidicalMass Ride & Cargo Bike Roll Call - Facebook Gallery

Man builds a bike out of cardboard. It is not clear if it is true or not. You never know these days on the internet, but at the warehouse, we go through loads of cardboard and can appreciate its strength. The video is at least inspirational and makes a solid case for the cardboard bike. 

Source: Zhar cardboard bike project from Giora Kariv on Vimeo

 "We are seeing an explosion of interest in making bicycling stress-free on busy city streets," says Martha Roskowski of Bikes Belong Foundation, a non-profit touting the paths via its Green Lane Project.
 

 
Being fair and balanced paper, a quote from the bike lane opponent needed to be thrown in:

"You have more congestion and frustrated drivers," says Jim Walden, a lawyer with the Gibson Dunn firm who sued against a bike lane on Prospect Park West in Brooklyn that reduced three lanes of traffic to two.

 Although a small percentage of readers actually comment on articles, the lively reader sentiment appears very polarized. City officials will have challenges ahead as they retrofit car-centric city infrastructure to include cyclist and pedestrian traffic flow.

The video below gives a little history of how the Dutch got their cycle paths. The illuminating detail is that the automobiles also took over Dutch city streets -just as in North America. It was later that the people fought to reclaim the public space and once again make the streets safe for cyclist and pedestrians. 

 Sources: USA Today , Bikes Belong , Green Lane Project , How the Dutch got their cycle paths (video) ,Bicycledutch