BD24-10 kit

I did not see anywhere to say hi so I figured I would say HI here and ask a question at the same time. :lol:

I am thinking about getting one of the BD24-10 kits sold at http://www.werelectrified.com and I was wondering if anyone has experience they could share.

I live in a very flat location, Florida, and on a small island (3 miles long). I would like to be able to travel the 12 mile trip up to visit a friend on the mainland if possible and while I can not pedal hard I can pedal at a steady pace (as in slow). :lol:

Any insight would be great, I have read plenty of information on the BD36 and I am sure it is way better in every way however, I am financially challenged and need to buy short and go long.

Speed is not an issue for me really and in Florida 20 miles an hour is the maximum allowed speed, I have nowhere to get to in a hurry anyway, I just need to get there and back as cheaply as possible.

Thanks in advance for all replies. - Dan

For the conditions you will be riding, this will be a good fit. The specs say it limits the current to 10 amps, so that's 10 X 24 volts = 240 watts of power to this motor. That's the extra power of a good rider pushing you (Lance Armstrong does about 500 watts at max burst) and given the flat conditions this is certainly a very economical choice. The batteries will last a long time as well since the drain is very low (compared to other e-bikes out there). You can always up the voltage later if you feel the need for speed, meaning you could bump up to 36 volts for 10 X 36 = 360 watts of power to the rider.

The specs give a 15 mile range, so if you add any pedal power to it I think you could easily get to your friend's house. Heck you could bring the charger with you (it will be very small for a 24 volt pack) and plug it in when you get there to top off the batteries for an easy ride home.

you might be aware that the bd24 is the same as a bd36 with a different controller. if you should decide that 24v is not enough you can increase to 36v or 48v and make this a 600w motor by adding a different controller and another battery or two. personally i do not like the we kits since they switched from crystalyte to lower quality motors.

you can get a crystalyte 408 kit with a 36/48v 20A controller on ebay now for under $400. if you want the performance of the bd24 just use partial throttle.

some people may be satisfied with 200W and this is the max power they will let you have in most of europe and in oz. here in the wild west we can have 1000w and we love every watt of it.

I bought a Wilderness Energy BL-36 (the brushless version of the BD-36) from them off of their Bargain Corner. Supposedly it was a used unit but I couldn't tell the difference and the batteries and battery case appeared to be new - there wasn't a mark on them. I was impressed with the quality of kit, and it was very easy to install on the bicycle. I got 18mph without pedalling, 21-ish with moderate pedalling.

As others have said, the BD-24 is going to a bit less fast to ride than others. It will get you there, but not especially quickly. I think you will be pleased - based on my experience - with the quality of the kit and how easy it is to install, but you may want to consider jumping to a BD-36. Speed is a bit addictive in my experience.

Perhaps one of the kits on their Bargain Corner might be a good choice for you as well:
http://www.wildernessenergy.com/bargain_corner.html

Still, if you are not in a hurry and want an inexpensive quality kit, I think you will be pleased with the BD-24 based on my previous experience with their kits. I also have met three other riders in my city who have all been pleased with the kits. One rides a BL-36, the other two were on BD-36's.

I'd like to buy the hub motor ALONE for UNDER $100.

They sell hubs with wheels for $159 which is almost the price of the full kit at $189.

I have this kit on a homemade heaveyish recumbent and I love it. The power is more the ok for where I live (North central Illinois.
The only thing I dont do is use it much when its very cold but thats more because my pedaling keeps me warmer then just rideing.
I say get the kit you wont be sorry and they are very very good at customer service mine came with a bad controler and they sent me a new one no charge realy fast.