Electric Bicycling
I've been riding an electric-powered bicycle to work now for a year and a half. I bought my first kit from Largo Scooters (a Crystallite Go-Hub kit) in late May 2008 and posted a picture of my bike here. It came with Sealed Lead Acid batteries which are not really up to the task. I purchased my first LiFePO4 battery from Li Ping in September 2008 and that was a terrific improvement in the performance of the bike. I bought a kit for Linda's bike from AmpedBikes in October and ordered a second battery from Li Ping. 

Towards the end of summer, this year, my Go-Hub kit started cutting out on the way up the hill. Research indicated that the battery wasn't getting enough of a charge and Li Ping told me how to adjust the output of his charger. That helped, but the Crystallite motor just wasn't working very well any more. I went ahead and ordered a new geared, rear-wheel motor from AmpedBikes and have been extremely happy with it. Of course, I forgot to check the wheel and installed a tube and tire without the protective band in place and thusly got a flat tire my first time out.

Now Linda's kit is cutting out regularly even though I had already adjusted her charger. Could it be the controller this time?

Archives