The only thing that would worry me about that setup is the "standard" charger. Judging from personal experience, it wouldn't be long before I'd plug it in on a Friday and forget all about it until Monday morning, at which time the NiMH cells would likely be fried. Of course one can use one of those plug-in timers, but I just know I'd forget, or I'd be in a hurry, or whatever, and sooner or later it would be toast. The $35 charger might seem like a lot to pay but it sure is nice to not have to worry about it if you forget to unplug it. Plus you can use it to charge any 6 to 12v NiMH (or NiCD's I believe) you might have over 1100mAh.

Regarding the battery weights, I pondered the cost/weight thing on SLA vs. NiMH for a long time before I decided the extra cost was worth it for me. But truthfully I'm still not totally convinced. If I'd have gone with SLA I might have added about 3 pounds, which certainly isn't much. Now if I were commuting 50 miles a day and was very concerned about speed and weight, it might be a different story. But I just plod along at about 14 to 17mph on a mountain bike with knobby tires, so, I dunno, SLA probably wouldn't have been a bad way to go at all.

I am thankful that I don't feel the battery though. I'm no spring chicken anymore and need all the help I can get.