40 mi electric bike

GoldenMotor.com

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
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I'll believe it, if I see real world results somewhere. It's like the 45mph out of the box china kit hype we see here. I will only believe it, if some member here tells me "Yeah I have done that." Even then I would want to know how much they paid him.

The write up says it has a 10ah lithium battery setup. Ten ah batteries have very little reserve. My guess is that if it was tested for range, it was on flat ground and pedaling 90% with assist 10% of the time or less. That just isn't real world.
 
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starrunner

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May 12, 2008
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vintageboatplans.com
I agree with deacon, you really have to be wary on mileage claims like this. I don't see any possible way you could get 40 miles range on 10aH unless you pedaled 90% of the time and were on mostly level ground. If this seller had any reviews, I'm sure this would be verified but they have none. They only have 5 feedback and 20% of it is negative which is not good. You'd be just as well of getting a Currie for under $400. Or buy two of them.
 

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
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If you take a Currie and increase the battery pack and convert it to a more generic setup and even upgrade the motor a bit, you would still have less money in it.

I have always thought that if you bought a currie and resold the battery pack on ebay and the motor as well you would come pretty darn close to being able to pay for the upgrades. Those battery packs are way over priced. I think the Currie from walmart with a 600watt motor and a 20ah generic battery system would be a decent ebike. That is based on what I hear not personal experience.

I ride a bike with a homemade rhino drive and a 24v 12ah battery system and can get about 6mile on a charge if I ride it normally. I can probably stretch that a couple of more if I pedaled a lot more.
 

jdcburg

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Jul 9, 2009
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The longest I have done is 15 miles (out and return) with my 350 watt homebuilt with 24 volt 12 ah SLA. That was averaging about 11 mph with moderate pedalling. Some flat ground and some hills, a total of about 450 vertical feet between highest and lowest points. Some up and down hills in the middle that don't add into the total vertical, however. I didn't have my digital voltmeter at the time, but recharge took about 90-100 minutes at 5 amps, so I'm guessing it was about 8ah. A 10 ah lithium ion battery weighs less than a comparable sla, NiCd or NiMH, but that (relatively) small weight difference won't make up that kind of range difference. I agree with the others - flat ground, hard skinny tires and a lot of pedaling to go 40 miles on a 10 ah 24 volt battery - jd
 

bandito

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May 22, 2009
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Hmmmm ok well at least the prices on the lithium ion batteries are falling. My ideal electric bike would be able to go 50 miles on a charge with no pedaling and cost under a grand and maybe even a few hundred cheaper.
 

starrunner

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May 12, 2008
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Hmmmm ok well at least the prices on the lithium ion batteries are falling. My ideal electric bike would be able to go 50 miles on a charge with no pedaling and cost under a grand and maybe even a few hundred cheaper.
Now you're talkin'. I guess we shouldn't even be talking about bikes at all. It's the batteries that are the issue and pretty much the only issue. There's plenty of great bikes out there and there's a lot of choices on good motors too and advancing at a steady pace. The chinese seem to do a much better job on electric motors than they do on internal combustion. What mystifies me is why Briggs and Stratton ceased production of the Etek motor. It was probably the most advanced motor ever made and experimenters around the world were making good use of it in countless vehicles.
 

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
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To paraphrase a famous ex president, "It's the power supply stupid." When they fix the batteries, it's electric all the way. Of course the cars we dodge will be electric as well.
 

starrunner

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May 12, 2008
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vintageboatplans.com

Kevlarr

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Jul 22, 2009
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Wonder how they get 24v with Li-Ion batteries when individual Li-Ion cells are 3.6v?
6 cells is 21.6 and the closest you can get is 25.2v with 7 cells. You'd think they'd call it a 25.2 just for marketing value alone like the cordless tool industry does.

As far as the price of Li-Ions go you should have seen the prices a few years ago when I was heavy into electric RC planes. In the period of one year the price of packs dropped by roughly 30% and the output jumped. For what I paid for one 11v 1100 Mah 10C pack 4 years ago will get you 3 20C packs now.
 
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deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
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Actually a 24v battery is 26 or 27 when charged. It runs like crap when it is down to 24v. probably the battery is setup for something over 24 and charges at 27 or more.
 

starrunner

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May 12, 2008
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Wonder how they get 24v with Li-Ion batteries when individual Li-Ion cells are 3.6v?
6 cells is 21.6 and the closest you can get is 25.2v with 7 cells. You'd think they'd call it a 25.2 just for marketing value alone like the cordless tool industry does.

As far as the price of Li-Ions go you should have seen the prices a few years ago when I was heavy into electric RC planes. In the period of one year the price of packs dropped by roughly 30% and the output jumped. For what I paid for one 11v 1100 Mah 10C pack 4 years ago will get you 3 20C packs now.
I guess they even the number out to 24 because it's in multiples of 12 and 12's the most common lead battery voltage and 24 is an even number or whatever. My 250 gig external hard drive is called a 250gb but is actually 232gb. I could really use that other 18gb.
The batteries may be dropping in price but sure don't seem like it. They are dropping way too slow for me. Just an 18v battery pack for a Black and Decker cordless drill is $40 at Wally world and it's not even l-ion. I rate these battery manufacturers up there with the drug manufacturers.
 

TheE

New Member
Jun 26, 2009
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You just have to look at the description carefully:

It is a great bike for commuting to work and/or just plain leisurely rides. Powered by a 24V Lithium-ion battery, that gives it a range of 40 miles when combining pedaling with the use of the electric motor.
I find eBay is a cheap place to get batteries, gotta be wary of the quality, though.
 
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