12 Volt 8 AH SLA's

[Hirpm]

New to the sport/hobby. Been gathering great info from this site and just signed on. Just got my bike tuned, tested, and running. went to sdelectricbikes.com and got a Wilderness Energy BL 36 kit form Patrick. Great to deal with all around. Put it on my daughter's old bike. A 24 " tire Diamondback Outlook. tuned the bike and converted it to a one speed. removed derailers and links from the chain. picked a gear that I liked. Houston is very flat.

Have tracked six short runs and everything is great except the 26 pound SLA behind my seat. Way too top heavy, and makes for a tough handling bike. Just ordered three 12 volt, up1280 8 AH batteries from replacementupsbattery.com My most round trips are six miles and I don't need to haul all of that extra weight.

So, anyone used these batteries? Input and opinions would be valued, thanks. Great site.



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[999zip999]

Welcome.Lead is dead. The End.

 

[Hirpm]

Well, Jeez, you could of at least said "Welcome." Lead may be dead in your calculator, but mine ran something like this: Cheapest decent Lifepo4 from a reputable seller was $230.00 for a 36V, 12 AH at 8.5 lbs. Dead lead was $58.00 for a 36V, 8 AH at 15 lbs. delivered.

So Not needing the extra 4 AH I'll carry 6.5 more pounds and buy 4 sets of batteries over the next few years. Also if a bad Lofepo4 cell shows up in a pack I don't have to send it on that slow boat to China.

Anyway, thanks for your quick reply, and have fun every chance you get!

 

[dak664]

I used similar batteries for a year on a 11 mile ride, replaced twice with each set lasting a bit longer as I learned to pedal more (not discharge them so much), recharge immediately, and not have them strike the ground as often .

LiFePO4 is lighter, has more power, twice the range, and doesn't need an immediate recharge. One $250 pack has outlasted 3 $120 SLA sets and is still going strong. Nuff said.

 

[Hirpm]

Thanks Dak644,
Everything I've read agrees with your experience. After my 58 dollar run I'll have to consider a LifePo pack if my budget is there for that. right now, I'm having a bunch of fun per dollar. I had a great experience with Patrick at sdelectricbicycles.

 

[wesnewell]

I used 4 of the same size batteries with my 48V kit, but not for long. 22lbs on the rear rake made the bike very awkward getting on and off. Replaced them after 2 weeks with 5ah of 14s lipo (51.8v) that weighed 3.5lbs and less than 1/5 the size. Got faster top end and about twice the range. Cost of 14s lipo was only $114. You could go with 10s (37v) for about $80, or 12s (44.4v) for about $90, which would also get you more speed and range. BTW, I knocked a few hundred buck hole in the garage wall before replacing the lead, so even though I already had the SLA batteries they still cost a lot more than the lipo.

 

[dogman dan]

Any way you could fit that lead in the middle? Mabye two of em like saddle bags on the top tube, and just one on the rear rack? That would help a lot.

This forum is full of folks that are either on the cutting edge of batt tech, or simply need a long longer ride. So for us, lead is dead. I lasted only as long with lead as it took for my lifepo4 to get through customs myself. Back when lead was more commonly used, you saw a lot of folks using trailers to haul enough of it.

Enjoy riding by the gas stations with a smile on your face. Even a six mile ride should be putting about two bucks a day cash in your pocket compared to a car. 8)

 

[D-Man]

I.

 

[dogman dan]

There you go. Proof that lead is not dead. Just so heavy many of us won't tolerate packing it around anymore. If you climb 1000 foot of hill daily, you'll lose the lead fast, as I did. But if you don't climb a mountain to get home, lead can work fine.

 

[Hirpm]

Thanks all, for the good input. I got the batteries yesterday and hooked them up. I think they are going to work out very well for my short, flat road trips. The bike feels a lot better with 15 lbs rather than 25.5.

In the future I'll dig further into this site and see about building my own pack of LifePo4's.

I've had really good experiences with two purchases from two sites so far. They are

Sdelectricbicycles.com

And replacementupsbattwries.com

"Have fun every chance you get."

 

[E-bike4life]

There you go. Proof that lead is not dead. Just so heavy many of us won't tolerate packing it around anymore. If you climb 1000 foot of hill daily, you'll lose the lead fast, as I did. But if you don't climb a mountain to get home, lead can work fine.

I really like this analogy-

"Hyena's guide to ebike batteries (if they were women) "
A few people have been asking me about the different battery types available so here's an analogy!


SLA

This is the fat girl at school. She ate all the pies and if you have to put her on the back of your bike you'll know all about the extra weight. She may break your frame if you're rough with her. That said she'll put out because she doesn't know when someone will show interest in her again. Expect some nasty sagging, and while she might be able to travel 20 miles at walking pace, don't expect her to go that far if you make her run. Expect her heart to give out after a year.

2-3C LiFePO4

This is common plain Jane from accounts. She'll cost you a bit more than SLA the Hutt but you won't break your back lugging her around and she won't drop dead after a year of you exercising her. She does have asthma though so while she'll whip along the flat OK don't expect her sprint off the line or blaze up steep hills.

6-10C LiFePO4

If wheezy Jane from accounts isn't performing well enough for you meet Helga. Part Barvarian, part Viking she can run just as fast as Jane but has bigger muscles to flex. Wanna get off the line quick or up that steep hill ? She'll throw you over her shoulder and carry you up. The trade off is she isn't exactly slight... mmmm, chunky

20-50C Lipo

Meet Kara Kent. She's hot with a fit athletic body but for her small size and weight her power is out of this world. She can easily lift 20x her weight, be super fast and in the RC world she can fly. Be warned, if you get on the wrong side of her she'll melt your skin off with her heat vision. She's a little higher maintenance than Helga but isn't she worth it ?


http://www.hyenaelectricbikes.com/

 

[Hirpm]

I used 4 of the same size batteries with my 48V kit, but not for long. 22lbs on the rear rake made the bike very awkward getting on and off. Replaced them after 2 weeks with 5ah of 14s lipo (51.8v) that weighed 3.5lbs and less than 1/5 the size. Got faster top end and about twice the range. Cost of 14s lipo was only $114. You could go with 10s (37v) for about $80, or 12s (44.4v) for about $90, which would also get you more speed and range. BTW, I knocked a few hundred buck hole in the garage wall before replacing the lead, so even though I already had the SLA batteries they still cost a lot more than the lipo.

Wesnewell,
So when you put these packs together where did you get the cells? How did you manage the balancing and the charging? I have some experience with model airplane brushless out runner motors and Lipo batteries. all I know is that it has to be done right. Sounds like I might have more gageteering to do before long.

 

[wesnewell]

Like many others, I got my 15C lipo from hobbyking.com usa warehouse. i bought a fairly expensive 14s balance charger, but don't use it that much. I mostly just use the sla charger that came with the kit. When I do use the lipo charger I rarely use the balance cables. I can check and balance with the HK-010 Power Analyzer ($19) if I had to.