Jerry,

Don't rely on mileage claims on any e-bike, especially if the stock batteries aren't LIFEPO4. Even LIFEPO4 batteries may not be high Cs and may not give you as much mileage as you want. If the care and handling of LI-POLY batteries wasn't so risky, I'd be tempted to try LI-POLY packs since most have a much higher C-rating. If only A123 batteries were available for e-bikes at an affordable price.

Clearly, rider size and road conditions affect mileage, but I'm shocked you're only getting 9 miles on your Currie SLAs if you're pedaling. I live west of Glacier National Park and have much steeper hills to climb than you. I've traveled 25 miles and still had power to spare in my one SLA battery, but I only use power assist on the hills and pedal then, too. However, I'm a woman and probably lighter than you. But still, perhaps your SLA batteries were older. I'd suggest you move to another battery technology when your SLAs die. You should also install a battery volt meter/power analyzer. Hobby King has a good one for right around $25. You really don't want to over discharge any form of battery--it's a sure way to prematurely kill them.