Optibike has launched the most powerful electric bike we have ever seen. The US brand's new Riot e-MTB comes specced with a quite literally massive 1,630Wh battery, 750 watts of continuous power, an incredible 190Nm of torque, and also boasts a range of up to a claimed 290km.
Very impressive numbers, however, the downside of such power is its eye-watering price tag and weight. The Riot comes priced at $14,400 / €13,200 which puts it in the upper echelons of the best electric bike pricing. It also tips the scales in the wrong direction too, weighing in at a spine-shattering 31kg.
In comparison, the far better specced and lower priced Ducati Powerstage RR at 28.5kg and $11,990 / €11,690 or Mondraker's enduro e-MTB monster – the Mondraker Crusher at 23.5kg and $9,699 / €8,299. However, these don't match the range claimed for the Riot, but not much does.
The carbon-framed Riot is built around the brand's in-house PowerStorm MBB motor which looks like one of the most powerful e-MTB motors available. It delivers that massive 190Nm of torque – controlled by a dual-sided pedelec torque sensor, which the brand says gives natural feeling assistance. The removable battery weighs 7kg alone and is hefty enough to handle that massive power capacity of 1,630Wh. It's housed as you'd expect in the equally large and odd-looking downtube.
Elsewhere, the full-suspension Riot has a RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork and at the rear a Fox Float X Air shock, both with 170mm travel. You can then choose from either a 14-speed Rohloff geared hub, which is similar to the Classified Powershift system, giving a wider gear range and allowing for gear changes even while stopped and under heavy load.
There is also a 'cassette and derailleur' choice but that's all the information you get. For the price, we'd expect it to be something from the higher ends from either SRAM or Shimano. Other features include large disc brakes and a handlebar-mounted LCD that controls the five power levels, each with its unique speed, power, and torque limits. There's also an in-built 2,700-lumen headlight.
The Optibike Riot is available to pre-order now from the brand’s online store, which comes in US and EU versions to accommodate each region's e-MTB laws. The US version features the brand’s PowerStorm motor with 190Nm of torque, 750 watts of power and a 32km/h speed limit. The EU version similarly features the same PowerStorm motor with the same amount of torque but with 250 watts of power, and a 25km/h speed limit.
There are also four color choices with additional costs on top of the standard Matt Black which can add an extra $1,200 / €1,000 to the already whopping price tag. Both versions start at $14,400 / €13,200 and more information can be found at Optibike.com.
