About OSET

The formation of OSET CORP and the development of OSET electric dirt bikes was inspired by young Oliver Smith, son of OSET founder Ian Smith. At the age of six months Oliver was already obsessed with bikes. This was helped by the fact that one of Dad’s businesses was producing Motorcycle Trials DVD’s and the other a business providing back issues and article reprints to Motorcyclists. Oliver watched the DVD’s constantly, and played with toy bikes all day long. It was clear that Oliver would want his own bike at the earliest opportunity. As Oliver got older, the obsession continued. Dad didn’t want to wait until he was 5, 6 or 7 to get a bike, and, looking at the marketplace, didn't find any of the bikes suitable anyway. Putting a kid on a 100lb+ bike with terrible suspension, no power and a hot exhaust didn’t seem too appealing, so the cogs started turning in Dad’s brain. In 2004, Ian came up with the concept of an electric Trials bike, and started looking around at electric scooters and such. He speculated that you could take an electric scooter and modify it into a tiny Trials bike. Ian spoke to Mike Buchholz, a fellow Trials rider and a retired engineer. He agreed that it might just work, and agreed to make the bike! The resultant bike was completed when Oliver was 3 years, 3 months old. Oliver rode the bike, standing up and in control on his very first day. One week later, he rode his first Trials competition! We fiddled and modified this bike constantly. One thing was very clear… this bike really did work! At this point, we knew we were on to something! From this point forward we started working towards production. Obviously there was a lot to do! A Corporation was formed, more prototypes were built, manufacturers contacted. Patents were applied for. Lawyers were engaged for Trademarks and contracts were drawn up. Fast forward to December 2010 the company has moved from America over to the new UK Headquarters in the south of England. OSET now deals to importerships in over 25 countries around the world. OSET UK Ltd now employs a team of people to help with the OSET cause as well as consulting with a host of well respected companies to ensure OSET Bikes are developed and produced effectively. The UK now has a stable network of dealers with most of the counties having good representation. This is in thanks largely to the work of the now retired David Knight, who was the original UK Importer from 2006-2009. David’s work had laid the foundations for OSET UK Ltd, where along with supplying to the various dealerships, the new headquarters is also responsible for a large part of the development and testing of OSET products. OSET are continuing to develop new bikes and are working on several exciting projects. OSET are always looking to extend and build upon the possibilities electric technology can be applied to, and are constantly striving to deliver well developed and competitive products into the marketplace. OSET UK Ltd is also pro-actively working with several Clubs around the UK in order to arrange bespoke electric bike championships / classes for trials. While ACU rules now allow riders from 4-6 years old to compete on electric bikes in ‘conducted’ trials. Many clubs have either started or are considering running classes for the ‘E’ bikes. Several of the Youth Nationals this year have run the ‘E’ class for the young riders. The OSET 16.0 36v bike, in the hands of Oliver Smith, finished second in the 2010 National ‘D’ small wheels class, even finishing the year with a win on a new OSET 20.0 prototype. OSET were also proud to receive their first major accolade in 2010 in the form of Dirt Rider Magazine's (a major US Off road Publication) "product of the year" award, beating off competition from a whole host of established marques. The last few years have been incredible and exciting for us. We launched new bikes, travelled to shows all over the world, our bikes dominated podiums in various competitions (including top FOUR positions in the British Youth Trials Championship), launched our new magazine 'OSET Rider' and so much more! As we continue to grow with more events, more bikes, more wins (hopefully) and more people joining the OSET family our future is bright and we cannot wait to carry on spreading the love for two wheels! FAQ How long do the batteries last? Run time depends on many factors, but as a rule of thumb we say between 1 and 2 hours. However, for ‘Trials’ riding by beginners set to half speed, we’ve had a single set of batteries last for 4+ hours of stop-start riding. For normal Trials riding in the back yard or at an event, perhaps 2-3 hours. It’s difficult to be precise, as the batteries generally outlast the kids! For full-throttle Motocross riding without stopping, run time comes down to 30-40 minutes. There are many factors that determine run time; the weight of the rider, the terrain, and type of riding. We have purposely designed these machines around inexpensive sealed lead acid batteries that can be switched out in less than a minute. Having a backup set makes perfect sense in many riding situations. How long to recharge? From being fully discharged, our standard rate charger will take 4-5 hours to fully recharge the batteries. The charger is simply plugged into the charge port on the bike, and that’s it! If you’re at an all weekend event with no electricity, you can plug the charger into an inverter and charge from your car battery to keep them topped up, or straight from a generator. Can I compete on them? Yes. In the UK you can compete under the ACU in events from as young as 4 years old. OSET bikes conform to all the necessary regulations for trials events. An increasing number of clubs are now running electric classes catering for our bikes. Check the OSET website for details of upcoming events. Are spare parts available? Yes. All parts are stocked in the UK by OSET Bikes Ltd. Check the parts section for more details. Some of our dealers also stock a range of parts. International orders can be fulfilled by the many importers around the world. A list of importers can be found here. Can I fit stabilisers to them? Yes. We would suggest that it is better if your child can balance a push bike before introducing them to the concept of a throttle. However there have been OSET pilots as young as 18 months old riding with stabilisers. Standard (14mm axle) stabilisers are available from most good cycle shops. Where are the bikes made? OSET bikes are designed, engineered and tested in the UK and USA. The bikes are made in our factory in Taiwan, with full CE approval and strict quality control tests.