1977
Jim Turner races moto-cross for the Suzuki Factory Team and wins the Canadian National Championship. Not without a quality mechanic, Jim traveled with then mechanic Mike McAndrews, now Specialized Bicycle Components Suspension Director. |
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Muddy from head to toe, Jim Turner
in his early moto-cross racing days.
Jim would later help shape the moto-cross industry
through racing and technological developments. |
1978
Jim joins the Fox Racing Team, developing and testing the worlds first long travel moto-cross suspension complete with a season racing throughout Europe. Jim’s mechanic in Europe, Keith Bontrager, went on to found Bontrager Bicycle Components which are a staple to the Trek brand.
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The 1978 Fox Racing Team.
Jim Turner #95, would later develop and test
the world’s first long travel moto-cross suspension. |
1980
Jim raced in the 250cc World Championship in Europe then “retires” from professional moto-cross.
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Determined moto-cross champion Jim Turner
gets ready to compete in The 1980 250cc World Championship. |
1982-85
Jim begins to train and compete as a semi-pro tri-athlete.
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Jim became a semi-pro athlete while attending Stanford University. |
1983-84
Jim attends Stanford University, studying human/mechanical integration in the prestigious Mechanical Design Division. Jim intensely studied anatomy, nerve and muscle actuation, and tendon and joint movement in order to integrate human movement and mechanical design in a synchronous system.
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Graduating from Stanford University with a
Masters in Mechanical Design,Ford recruits
Jim as Senior Product Engineer developing
the next generation of electronic suspension systems. |
1984-85
After graduation from Stanford with a Masters in Mechanical Design, Jim is recruited by Ford Motor Company as a Senior Product Engineer in the Advanced Vehicle Controls Division. At Ford, Jim worked on the next generation of electronic suspension systems.
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1986-87
Jim left Ford Motor Co. to begin an illustrious career in chemical dispensing, where he patented a revolutionary chemical dispensing system that quickly became the world standard.
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1990
Jim began an around the world cycling trip.
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1991-97
Jim worked in the rapidly expanding Silicon Valley semiconductor industry. It was here that Jim designed the equipment used to scribe and break silicon wafers used in cell phones around the world. His machine has been the standard of the industry for over a decade and is capable of accuracy to a 50th of a human hair.
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1997
Jim purchased his first electric bike, manufactured by California based ZAP. Jim thought the idea was good, but the first generation of electric bikes would not climb hills, and the weight distribution, handling and range were all very poor.
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1998
Jim set out to merge his expertise in human muscle/mechanical integration, high performance suspension and vehicle design, and his years in the saddle of custom moto-cross bikes to design the world’s best electric bike, the Optibike.
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2008
Having had bikes on the market for a few years, Jim rolls out the flagship of the Optibike line, the Limited Edition Optibike OB1. The first OB1 was quickly snagged up by the California Academy of Sciences Museum who called it, “The Future of Transportation.”
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Current
To this day, Optibike manufactures, assembles and conducts research to develop the next generation of electric bicycles in Boulder, Colorado USA. |
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