e-bike update

[Lazarus]

Originally Posted by offroad1994

Lazurus - I know this is an old message, but did you look at Litium-Ion Iron (Ferrus) technology? This seems to be the best battery technology as it can last for 1000s of cycles of charging.

No I did not. I get the SLA batteries (12v 12amp/h) for free form the local Fire Alarm business. Going with Litium-ion would save a ton of weight but the cost is prohibitive comparatively.

[Lazarus]

Well a couple of weeks ago the batteries are finally unusable for anything over 10 miles. The recharge time is over 6 hours. They lasted 2690 miles. The coldest temp they saw was 32 and the warmest was 102. In June we had records for the most 100 or more days ever.

I've been riding my unmodified road bike for the last 2 weeks which is quite interesting. I'm still about 20-30 minutes slower on the longest commute and a little more tired at the end if the day. Mainly I miss my panniers.

I did not time it right with the free Fire Alarm batteries and will probably get a resupply in a week or two.

Other then that the bike is holding up nicely. Several rides in the rain with no electrical problems. I installed fenders this week.

[offroad1994]

Supposedly this is a great source for a brushless hub motor.

Ampedbikes e-bike kits

[echomodder]

Hay Lazarus: How many charge cycles do you think you got out of those SLA batts?

[Lazarus]

Originally Posted by echomodder

Hay Lazarus: How many charge cycles do you think you got out of those SLA batts?

I lost track after about 100 but a pretty good guess would be just a shade over 300 cycles. I use the E-bike as a hybrid so I'm very easy on the batteries. I use it as an assist and eco-drive the pack. Using it to keep the speed up and to climb. My commutes are rolling terrain with lots of heat.

If I couldn't get the batteries for free I probably just commute on a regular bike. I would be spending about 300-400 dollars a year on batteries(SLA) or more for LiFePo with as much riding as I do. Although I tried to make the tires bullet proof when it comes to flats if you do get one it's a real pain to make a tire change.

That said, it's really nice when the wind is blowing a gale or you have a short hop (5 miles or so) and you can hop on the bike and never break a sweat even when it 100 degrees out. The bike is so much cooler, temperature wise, then when I had my car(AC delete) I just did want to drive because of the heat.