Dillinger Opia E Bike.

leovendramini
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Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby leovendramini » Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:02 pm

I have been riding my new Opia over the last few days and am happy to report it is a terrific design.A pleasure to ride even as a straight bike without assist.It is a genuine one size fits all and as a tallish rider it feels comfortable,very responsive like an extension of the rider.As an `old timer`who loves to tweak for the sake of getting that extra efficiency ,I am replacing the standard 32mm folding pedals with the thinnest I can get to increase the length of purchase.It should be like replacing 170mm cranks to 180mm ones.It doesen`t look like the concealed battery of only 7.8amp/hr is going to be a limiting factor as this bike actually encourages you to keep pedalling as it feels so right.Another tweak I found necessary was to make 2 small brackets and move the pack rack 60mm towards the rear so my heels would not clip on the pannier bags while riding.I knew within a few minutes of test riding this bike that I would be buying it and felt a serious cyclist had been involved in the design process.Highly recommended,and I must add the large chainring was the first thing that caught my eye as this is what gives you that power torque .I haven`t counted the teeth but my guess would be around 52.Love it.Sadly,in the 2 months I have owned it I have 2 broken rear spokes and the shop I bought it from has closed down.My warranty will NOT be honoured. Disregard all my positive comments and NEVER buy this bike as it turned out to be a lemon.
Last edited by leovendramini on Tue Oct 03, 2017 8:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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uart
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby uart » Thu Jul 27, 2017 1:05 pm

Thanks for the review Leo. It's good to see more e-bikes coming out that are not too ridiculously overweight. That's the main thing I want in an e-bike if I eventually get one, something that's still a joy to ride in easy terrain, even with the assist off.
leovendramini wrote:As an `old timer`who loves to tweak for the sake of getting that extra efficiency ,I am replacing the standard 32mm folding pedals with the thinnest I can get to increase the length of purchase.It should be like replacing 170mm cranks to 180mm ones.
But does it actually work like that? I assume you mean that you are trying to get the lowest profile from the pedal axis to the top of the pedal. I might be wrong, but I would have thought that simply lowered the effective center of your pedalling circle without changing effective crank length one bit.

leovendramini
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby leovendramini » Thu Jul 27, 2017 5:53 pm

Imagine your foot is resting on a 32mm pedal.By magic,a fairy replaces it with a very thin pedal and your leg suddenly extends to reach to that extra distance.Your leg is now a longer `lever`than it was,and you get extra pushing power for free.Physics !

eldavo
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby eldavo » Thu Jul 27, 2017 6:23 pm

Nice review Leo. seems like good value with local warranty/support for the price, if they're local to you.

Link with specs for the rest of folk convenience:
http://dillengerelectricbikes.com.au/el ... enger.html

The larger pedals will be more comfortable, but you could put an elephant foot length pedal on, the lever is still the length from the force applied at the spindle, i.e. crank length. Longer pedal with force applied at longer than spindle length, will rotate the pedal and not apply the torque to the crank.
The other thing to remember is the motor torque will eclipse the difference of a 10mm crank length placebo. It doesn't take away from it being a happy user experience for you.

What I like about the frame battery is when they are removable.

Review Question: have you removed the battery and handled it, is that something convenient to do for mid-ride locked up bike charging, and connectors that would last being removed daily?

cheers

leovendramini
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby leovendramini » Thu Jul 27, 2017 8:08 pm

Oh no ! Once again the point has been missed ! It`s not a bigger footprint but a thinner one.Imagine you have to remove a rusted nut.You are offered two spanners with the same opening.One is 150mm long and the other is 200mm long ,which one would you choose and why?
Yes,the battery is key removable so if the bike is in a shed without power it can be taken inside and charged there.

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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby eldavo » Fri Jul 28, 2017 1:14 am

I've possibly missed the point by a parsec.
You are wanting longer crank length without replacing cranks, achieved by thinner pedals?

I myself can't imagine the significant difference of efficiency, what kind of number are you expecting? No reasons needed for tinkering though, just wondering if I am missing the secret sauce to success.

leovendramini
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby leovendramini » Fri Jul 28, 2017 10:17 am

Now you have it ! The difference is instantly apparent with the extra leverage and easier pushing power.I also have a layback seat post that places the rider 100mm further back and extends the length of leg stroke.This may require a change of handlebars as the length of reach would then be longer.The bike is so good it`s worth tweaking for any extra efficiency you can get.

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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby find_bruce » Fri Jul 28, 2017 8:39 pm

Because pedals are on a bearing the effective crank length is from the centre of the pedal bearing to the centre of the bottom bracket. Thinner pedals will not make any difference to the effective crank length, for the same reason you cannot shorten cranks for kids by strapping 50mm blocks to the pedals - sure it will be 50mm higher at the bottom of the stroke, but it will also be 50mm higher at the top of the stroke.

Same issue as with angled cranks, whether they were curved
Image
L shaped
Image
or even z-shaped
Image

leovendramini
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby leovendramini » Sat Jul 29, 2017 12:12 am

Seriously nonplussed.There are some very expensive cranks in those photos,why would they be produced if there was no benefit to them?

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uart
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby uart » Sat Jul 29, 2017 1:44 am

leovendramini wrote:Seriously nonplussed.There are some very expensive cranks in those photos,why would they be produced if there was no benefit to them?
Because there is no shortage of gullible people with plenty of money.

Please listen to what everyone is trying to tell you. Pedal height will not change your effective crank length.

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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby eldavo » Sat Jul 29, 2017 3:51 am

Maybe this will boost the leg lever efficiency?
Image


In terms of efficiency and power with respect to muscle fatigue, seat height is probably the most significant adjustment I've got wrong, and possibly old timers riding (struggling) with it because nobody ever showed them, and who would want to tell them to suck eggs?

I remember sitting on the saddle set lower for stops not stepping forward over the top tube as a young adult on my first own MTB, because I came from a small road frame that was my Dad's commuter before that, and had same seat height as he had the bike, slammed low despite me being taller.

More recently I sold a seatpost rack to a 55+ guy new to town who rode his bike to pick it up. Not enough seatpost was exposed to be able to fit the 50mm clamp, but he had plenty to go. I saw him ride so suggested plenty more leg muscles could be used, adjusted a few times while he tested it. Instead of struggling on the small hills, the guy was ecstatic to suddenly have unlocked this new world of power and ease.

Straying off topic but on ebike ergonomics, it reminds I've been on a semi-recumbent e-bike in the "early days" relatively and passed a rider uphill who at a lights stoppage caught up and told me my seat height was too low. I thought it ironic but I checked it anyway, turns out it was probably his traditional perception not noticing the finer points of it, and earlier days of ebikes when people would comment and ask about it, some get noses out of joint and play "MGIF" leap-frogging making risky manouevres.

7 years on for that model of ebike I had, they're not a rare sight and don't get a mention from strangers. Time for some stilts and L cranks. Does anyone have a bridge for sale too? :D

leovendramini
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby leovendramini » Sat Jul 29, 2017 11:44 am

No bridges but I hear the Eifel tower is up for grabs once again.Nice graphics,I must say.
As an experiment to prove to myself and any doubters that thinner pedals do in fact improve the effectiveness of the stroke ,I placed a 100mm block on top of the pedal and placed my foot upon it.The result?...you guessed it,my knee came up that much higher which was the equivalent of lowering the height of the seat and thereby reducing pushing power.Thin Pedals Rule.

eldavo
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby eldavo » Sat Jul 29, 2017 2:19 pm

To prove that, should you be raising your seat height 100mm to eliminate the variables other than pedal height? What it seems to prove really is that seat height range is important to maximise use of available leg muscles, rather than pedal thickness.

Credit where it's due though, I haven't seen anyone talk about pedal thickness in bike fit. My only suspicion is that it's like scientists not talking about the flat Earth anymore.

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uart
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby uart » Sat Jul 29, 2017 3:29 pm

leovendramini wrote:The result?...you guessed it,my knee came up that much higher which was the equivalent of lowering the height of the seat and thereby reducing pushing power.Thin Pedals Rule.
eldavo wrote:To prove that, should you be raising your seat height 100mm to eliminate the variables other than pedal height?
Exactly. The pedal thickness raises the centre of the pedalling circle but has no effect on the effective crank length. Obviously leovendramini has to raise the saddle height to compensate or the entire experiment is completely pointless.

When we get into ridiculous pedal thickness like the OP's 100mm wood block example however, one advantage of thinner pedals does come to mind. Any torque that you try to apply to the crank where the line of force does not pass through the pedal spindle, will require more counter-torque in your ankle with very thick pedals. For example if you were trying to apply some torque at the top or bottom of the stroke by pushing forward or pulling back with your feet, then a thick pedal requires more counter-torque through your ankle.

This point is moot with normal thickness pedals and normal pedalling action however, as the fore-aft cleat adjustment should be set to make sure that centre of force does indeed go through the pedal spindle in any case.

leovendramini
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Re: Dillinger Opia E Bike.

Postby leovendramini » Mon Oct 16, 2017 3:32 pm

New info became clear after use ! The spokes used are `B` grade and 3 have already broken riding on well made roads.Beware and do NOT buy this product In 55 years of riding,I have never broken a spoke so it is a shock to me and I am very angry.

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