# Organic Transit ELF



## teddillard (Mar 25, 2011)

I posted some of my experience and some references for service and repair of the ELF, here: http://evmc2.wordpress.com/2013/10/09/elf-by-organic-transit-repairs-and-service/

Hope it helps!


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## BentMike (Oct 20, 2013)

Nice to meet you Ted. I like your blog, very pretty. I commend your hard work on that.

Would you be interested in joining a Yahoo group? I have made one called 

OTVeloOwners (there won't always only be ELFs)

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/OTVeloOwners/conversations/topics

Blogs and Facebook are fine for conversation and more one sided presentations, but I was hoping to make a place for storing shared wisdom, technical information, and so on that is searchable and enduring. I have no idea to look back in facebook. I if I wanted to find something written 3 years ago...
Any groups, mailing lists, and such fit my thinking and preference.

Mike


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## teddillard (Mar 25, 2011)

Ah, thanks for the kind words and the invitation. Unfortunately I don't own an ELF, I just worked on it for a friend. There's a link to an ELF wiki on my post, by the way.


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## 2 Piece (Sep 7, 2014)

Good Day BentMike,
How is the Elf holding up? Any updates?
Thanks
Gary


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## BentMike (Oct 20, 2013)

Not much to tell. OT has made a stream of modifications and enhancements that are not on my very early machine (#7 a beta tester).

I am out of touch with them since they are 60 miles away and most of the people I had interactions with have moved on. They are more upscale now - much nicer factory digs - more professional.

There is a new front suspension I have not seen in person. I understand this - it is fast enough that funky urban roads could be jarring. BUt if you go full speed over RR tracks like I do...this might be nice. They also offer fatter tires now (mine ar 35mm). 

I got better lights and they may have found even nicer ones than mine by now. I ride home after dark for 15 miles in the country with no street lighting and I needed something very bright. My best adaptation has been some big honking LED flashlights from Lowes for $30 each. Compare this to the crap sold for bikes for $30. The improved OT lights were better, but still not up to my needs.

I made some inner running boards and set some ammo boxes on them - one for the extra battery and the other for chargers and tools. OT sells an options like this.

I made a dashboard out of DIY auto carpet from Pep Boys. It just hangs like a big hammock above my feet and shins. OT has a pretty dash, but I may like mine better as it things don't scoot around as much.

OT has other rear hub options now. I think there may be a rear disk brake. I took off my rear brake and prefer to use a toe strap as a parking brake on the front hand caliper. There is a better tha chain tube than I have.

There are bins for the rear storage area.

I am still a thumbs up on this. I suspect they build a better machine now after two years of refinement and supplier development, but as I said, I am out of touch.


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## 2 Piece (Sep 7, 2014)

Good to here, thank you for update. I have test drove one of the newer versions and.... I just can not put my finger on it. I was hoping it was more a pedal vehicle with electric assist, but after my short couple rides around the block I feel as though it is more an electric vehicle with pedal assist. If that makes sense.
With hundreds of them being in the "real" world in the past year, I would have thought there would be lots of update type reviews from actual owners, but I do not see any. 
I am by no means one of the nay say'ers. I love the idea and concept and I may own one in the near future, just not sure yet.
Thank you,
Gary


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## BentMike (Oct 20, 2013)

2 Piece,

I think you are just not going fast enough, and not carrying enough gear. I can get a good workout driving to work and back - I don't do it more than 2 or 3 times a week because it is simply to taxing and I need energy, and not to be recovering all the time.

I ride 25 miles each way, and I have a lot of gear - clothes, lunch, tools, computer, food, emergency gear, 10 Ah and 20 Ah batteries and I weigh about 240lb. I can do it averaging 24mph - and that is a very strenuous workout, but I can slack off to 22 or 23 mph for a more manageable level of exertion. Even with this mass I can get up hills at 18mph. I have turned down the controller some too. I made shallower acceleration ramps (smoother power on) and lowered the max current - to get more of a work out on hills.

I have the NuVinci 360 hub. It is possible this is very different from the standard hubs - I have never used them. The CVT allows you to get just the right gear for the exertion level you are after. But mostly I am just pedal to the metal and trying to add what I can to the speed. To average 24mph I have to maintain about 28mph anytime I can. I may have higher gearing, although I lowered it to get a better and faster cadence. Recumbents generally work better if you can learn to spin at 90, 100 or more rpm. Oh yeah, I also put on some tandem crank shorteners for a smaller cranking circle - also to get higher cadence. You have to lower the gearing a bit if you do this.

I also recommend pedals & shoes with "clipless" clips - you can exert more energy by pulling and pushing both.

You have discovered that OT designed well for a target audience that doesn't want to work all that hard. You can noodle around town at 8 to 18 mph and hardly break a sweat. But if sweat is what you want, just do it, as they say.

Another thing, I may have a different motor gearing. If you ask Brent Alexander at OT he will know what I have. Remind him of Mike Ross.


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## 25784 (Mar 22, 2012)

I really want to get an ELF. Saw one in Seattle cruising the streets a while back with a guy literally smoking a cigarette inside, I had to do a double take, very unexpected and unusual, but I guess he has earned himself some smoky emissions by not driving a gas car for that trip! Jeez. 

How do you ELF drivers handle parking when you are in an busy urban area or somewhere with tight bike parking and limited street parking? I used to have a GEM car which was great because you could fit it in small spots. Just wondering how you normally park it? Motorcycle parking spots? I would be fine for most of my parking at the shop or home but just wondering more about the around town stuff?

Thanks and good work!


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## BentMike (Oct 20, 2013)

I just roll it somewhere out of the way but visible to many and cable it. This is usually not a car parking space, but they work too.


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## hardtdavid (Sep 2, 2018)

Hi, BentMike,

Are you still on this forum / this thread? I just purchased a 2015 ELF, and am looking for a forum on experiences, modifications, maintenance, and repair. So far, this is about the only thread I've found with other users. (I may write the company, too, as maybe they know of a forum.)

Best wishes,
David H
Roxboro


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