Gear An E-Bike with the Power to Climb Mt. Everest on a Single Charge?The R22 Everest from Optibike sports a 36-pound dual battery and reach a top speed of 36 miles per hour.
- Words Jeff Tomko
- Images Optibike
Optibike, based in Paonia, CO, about 250 miles southwest of Denver, has created the answer for e-bike enthusiasts who seek power — its new R22 Everest has the power to not only climb 14,433-foot Mount Elbert, the highest point of the Rocky Mountains, it doubles that climbing capability — with enough e-juice to make it to the top of Mount Everest, all 29,032 feet.
Getting down? Well, that’s on you to figure out.
Although there may not yet be a huge demand for cycling the world’s largest mountains, the goal of Optibike owner Jim Turner was to build a cycle capable of high performance on the most rugged of terrain. Clearly, he achieved that with this mountain-climbing monster.
“The R22 Everest is the result of my 25 years of designing and building e-bikes; the R22 is my dream bike, born and bred in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. This bike sets a new standard for e-bikes,” Turner said recently.
Maybe you’re not stoked to create your own Himalayan highlight reel just yet, however the R22 Everest may be the eco-friendly source for a nice long joyride, thanks to its mammoth 36-pound dual battery — about the weight of an empty beer keg and nearly twice the size of most standard e-bike batteries.
That comes out to about 1,700 watts of continuous power or a peak of 2,500 watts.
With a max speed of 36 mph, the R22 Everest can travel from Philadelphia to Boston, or from Optibike’s Paonia headquarters to downtown Denver (a little pedaling on your part may add additional mileage) on a single charge.
In comparison, a Tesla Model 3 RWD only reaches 272 miles on a full charge. And with 140 lb-ft of torque, the R22 can help tow those lesser, powerless e-bikes stuck on the interstate after about 100 miles.
But power doesn’t come cheap, and in this case, at $18,900, the R22 Everest will cost a lot more than your average bike. But money should be no object when reaching the top of Everest is your goal. If you’re into that sorta thing.
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