Pioneer Allroad through the eyes of an electric bike newbie

[Roger Dunn]

I don't see any reports on experiences with the Pioneer Allroad so I'm hoping to start a thread.

I got mine in May 2015.  It's an upgraded version with a Rohloff hub and Fox forks.  I was looking for a way to reduce the wear on my aging knees on a six-mile ride from my home to a boat. It's an easy ride but the 400' climb (I know that's nothing to most of you) to get back home was starting to become problem. I love to ride and wanted to be able to extend the useful life of my knees. The power of the Allroad is overkill for that task but it's inspired me to get out on some trails too.  All seems well designed and integrated on the bike. The motor is quiet and strong and kicks in seamlessly.  I can easily get to the low 20's on the flat and go up the hill at a comfortable 10 mph. I have been riding bikes for more than half a century but never bothered to learn much about components so I didn't really know how great the Fox forks are. The only problem is that real bikers spot them immediately and freely express their deep dark desire to own them. I am now reluctant to leave the bike out of my sight even if locked up tight.  Fewer people notice the Rohloff hub but it seems like a quality product too, solid and smooth. I don't use battery on the way down the hill, of course, and use it only minimally on the flat so I have not been out long enough to fully test the battery capacity but the rate of depletion seems just about as predicted. The Avid brakes are nice too. Altogether, it's a great package. My one complaint is not with the bike but with the Optibike folks.  The Samsung battery has a on/off switch that doesn't work.  I let them know right away but they have not been responsive.  I can get by without a working switch but I now worry about how well they will back up the warranty on the motor if there are problems down the road.  And it's not reassuring that they sent no paperwork on the warranty.   But I really like the bike.

[turfboy]

Hi, Roger Dunn. I'm new to the e-bike world too, and my reading and understanding of e-bikes has lead me to the OPTIBIKE, but I'm still not sure if this is the bike for me. I'm older now and ride a Schwinn but can't seem to ride much because of the hills and grades where I live in California. I also was looking at the Pioneer with the upgrades. But now I see they have the new SIMBB. So I'm more confused than ever. What do you think and what did the ALLROAD cost with the upgrades?

[Roger Dunn]

Hi Turfboy. I do not know enough about the SIMBB system to be of any use in comparing it to the Pioneer Allroad. I am still very happy with the PA. Those comments from back in July still apply today. It's a great bike for my purposes.

[Nimbuzz]

Not sure why Opti is unresponsive. I've had Optibikes for 8 years and have called them about various things a dozen times and always got through and was quite satisfied. I suggest to call Jim Turner (designer/owner) directly through their website.

[Roger Dunn]

I did send a note to Jim at the time and was surprised that I heard nothing back. And all Optibike email news stopped. I really don't know what happened in our communication. But it was a year ago and the battery works just fine even without a functional on/off switch. I still love the bike and do what I can to spread the word. Whatever happened in my dealings with the Optibike team, I still recommend the Pioneer Allroad.