Another thought, 125 lbs for a 2008, eZip Trailz w/ two batt packs WOW. They must have made some changes. Mine with two batts, 2 large (empty) front panniers, a rack bag with tools, spare tube, air pump, rain cape ... weighs 92 lbs on a pretty accurate scale.

I didnt actually weight it yet.. Ill report back when I do. 125 was a guess.. heh

I think Ill take another route! I have an alternate, but its 2 lane country road without a shoulder.

And Ill be looking into another charger.

I really must disagree with this. I have a 14 mile commute. Neither end is particularly higher in elevation, but there are lots of hills in between (as a reference, I got up to 38mph on a downhill). I have one battery, and recharge it at work for the return trip. I pedal the whole time (well, not on big downhills, but other than that) and only use the motor on uphills. If the hill isn't too steep, I will use the motor (with me pedaling) for about 20 seconds to increase my speed, then just pedal, then use the motor again, etc. If the hill is steep, though, I just use the motor on constant, with me pedaling in high gear to help it. Admittedly, I only weight 125, but my husband is about 170 and he has done the same commute with the same results - the first time, he didn't pedal much and the battery got drained, but then once I told him he had to do some work, it's been fine.

I guess if people are using the motor on flats, then they won't get the range I do. I only use it when I can't keep it above about 13mph just with pedaling (which basically means, on the up-hills).

Also, I posted this before, but make sure you are leaving you battery charging for a good 6 hours, even if they light turns green after 3 hours (mine does this, but when I unplug it when the light turns green, the battery won't make it the whole 14 miles.)

Cathy

Cathy -

People HAVE to use the motor on flats due to environmental factors, e.g. wind. Most people won't even approach 12 miles on a full charge under most environmental conditions. And again, draining the battery more than 75% will significantly shorten the life of the batteries. I'm pleased that you and your husband get the range that you do, but most people will not even come close to that distance if they maximize the life span of the batteries. Your technique for maximizing the distance is admirable, however, and should likely be adopted if possible.

P.S. I asked the owner to verify the additional time on the charger. He stated that he couldn't really verify any improvement because his route doesn't demand it, but I, too, think it's a good idea to leave the battery on the charger for awhile after the green LED lights, probably a couple of hours.

I don't get this. It's flat. It's a bicycle with multiple gears. You downshift a little and just plug along. If the bike only had one gear, ok maybe you could say people "have to" use the motor. But if you are in good enough shape to ride a regular bike up a slight incline (even if you're kind of slow doing it), you should be able to pedal this heavier bike on flats. Sure, if there is a very strong headwind, that might change things, but I'd think that's the exception, not the norm.

There is no real way to tell when the battery is depleted 75%. Usually, at the very end of my commute, I say to myself, "Yeah, the motor seems to have a little less pep than at the beginning of the ride" but it is NOT totally drained. So I refuse to accept that I'm destroying my battery by using it this much.

We're all going to get different results, but I want potential buyers to know what is possible with this bike, and this is my experience. BTW, I exercise 3 times a week, but I'm not a fitness buff or anything. If I go out jogging, I plod along at maybe a 10 minute mile. I usually don't get more than a mile and a half before stopping to walk a bit. I say this just so you don't think I'm a triathlete or something.

Cathy

It might be an exception in YOUR neck of the woods, but it's NOT the exception in many places. Generally, Vermont has pretty sedate winds unless you're near the crest of hills.


No, there isn't any visual indication, but one can always check the voltage levels on the batteries. We still have excellent voltage on the batteries because we've been caring for them. I'll report on their levels again in a few months. Only time will tell whether your significantly shortening the life of your batteries, but I think the odds are quite high that you are.

Again, it's all relative. Almost every time I'm heading home (heading south), I get out there and think, "Dang it, wind out of the south AGAIN??" Yes, it makes me use the motor more, which for me means that I have to use it sooner and more frequently on slight uphills. But unless the wind is over 18mph or so, I stand by my statement that people should be able to downshift and just chug along on the flats w/o the motor. For reference, yesterday our highest sustained wind was 12mph, highest gust 18mph. Average windspeed was 4.4, but the wind tends to be strongest in the afternoon, when I was riding home.

So, you're suggesting that people should only ride a few miles, even though the motor still seems to have plenty of power, because there is no way of knowing when you have depleted it 75%??

When, exactly, are you suggesting people check the voltage? At the end of a ride? After charging? Are you saying that if the voltage after a full charge isn't as high as it used to be, you're hurting the battery? But Currie says the battery will degrade over time even if you are treating it right.

Also, I'm wondering, if you are correct, why doesn't Currie say this in the manual? They have whole sections on how to take good care of the battery (mostly stressing to recharge it immediately) but it never says anything about 75%. I, too, have heard that you don't want to totally drain a SLA battery. But there's a big difference between not TOTALLY draining it and only going half as far as you can because you are afraid of causing damage. I've have my bike about two and a half months, BTW.

WJChriss if you could rewire your two battery packs in parallel you'll get two major benefits. The first you won't drain your batteries as much on the way over. While you are at work they will be at a higher voltage. Lead acid batteries like to be recharged as soon as they are used. Having one completely drained for the day until you get back is not good for it. Once back home when the batteries are at there lowest voltage you can immediately recharge them both with one charger if they are connected in parallel. I plug mine for the night and leave the next morning. My starting voltage is usually 27.3 and around 23.8 to 24.1 when back. I commute 30km - 20 miles to 46km - 30 miles if I need to make a detour to an alternate bridge.

Maybe for you and with GUSTS of wind under 18 mph, I be likely to agree. However, GUSTS of wind at barely 18 mph is almost a dead calm in many places.

You can periodically check the voltage on the batteries, e.g. every few months. For each 12v battery, the voltage should be at LEAST 12.66v (25.32v for 2). Since the Currie pack is 24v, just take a reading of the pack without opening the case. Although less than ideal, this approximate voltage should be accurate enough to gauge the condition of the batteries. Use Google to search for the adverse effect of deep discharging SLA batteries on their life span. "Only time will tell whether your significantly shortening the life of your batteries, but I think the odds are quite high that you are." The following website has good information:

https://www.steveduncan.net/html/caring_for_slas.html

Good luck

I have been thinking about doing them in parallel. I must admit, before I got it I thought both WOULD be parallel.

My plan was this:

Go to work on one battery, charge 9 hours while I work. Switch to other battery and ride home, charge overnight. I will always have a fresh battery, and it will only be "standby, but full" for about 12 hours or less.

Parallel sounds good as long as I can get them both full in 9 hours with the charger that Currie supplied with the bike. I also wouldn’t mind doing 36V either.

Oh, and a front derailleur!! (here we go, this hobby is gonna get expensive!)

Hi,

New member and just wanted to give some feedback on my new 2008 e-zip trails that came from Walmart on Monday.

I rode it to work today for the 3rd time. 8 miles each way with work being probably 300 or 400 feet downhill from where I live overall. I have found that coming to work I make it with plenty of juice to spare (I am about 195 lbs with my backback on). Today I consciously tried to 'work' as little as possible and rely on the motor when I encountered any significant pedal resistance at all. I still made it no problem.

Going home, with the extra hills I still make it but I can tell that the battery is starting to feel it when I get home. Still have life but instead of pulling me at 17 mph on the flats I get down to about 14 mph.

My only issue so far has been that my battery locks don't quite line up with the holes in the battery pack and I have not been able to 'lock' it in place so far. This causes an issue when I hit a bump of any significance, sometime the battery hops up and does not hop back down onto the connectors. I can usually remedy this by finding another bump in the road but a couple of times I had to stop and reseat the battery. I plan on filing the battery case hole when I get a chance to make it fit.

Forgot to mention that I do charge the battery all day at work so I start my ride home with a fresh charge.

Try "adjusting" the rack. They get twisted and bent in shipping.

I too get down to only 14 when the battery is low... and hills then are double tough.

Im telling you.. I weigh 180 and I need to pedal alot to maintain 18 MPH.

There should be no problem recharging in 9 hours if plugged in parallel while charging. I usually get home at 20:30 and by next morning at 07:00 they are charged when I leave again. I admit I never got up to check outside to see if they are done at 04:00 or 05:00. In your case, if you could plug your bike and recharge them both in parallel I'm sure you would always leave with two fully charged batteries. Thus you would discharge both of them as little as possible and stay above a 75% discharge most of the time.

I'm wondering about 36V myself and the range it could get. I know the speed and torque would be increased some. If I could plug my bike at work to recharge I would do it. I would need to get a 36V charger tough.

Does anyone know where you can buy spare batteries for the eZip Mountain Trailz? I called Currie 3 times and finally got thru after being on hold for almost an hour. They want $156 plus $25 shipping. Is there anywhere cheaper?

Try this guy, Jerry at JandJ Motorsports. 626-444-4615. jerry@jandjmotorsportsinc.com
or jddeuby@aol.com

I believe he quoted me $110 for the ladies bike battery, but they are the same, no? Make sure and tell him that Lynne, who bought a bike recently, referred you, he said he would give a deal to any referrals.

I'd just came back from Vermont for a week long ride/vacation trip and I didn't noticed any high winds that I haven't seen elsewhere - and I go all over to bike. The wind should be no more of a factor than a mild hills - you just go little slower and use the motor to bring up the speed a bit.

As for testing the battery and what not - does it matter? The replacement battery is $33 x 2 + shipping (not from Currie). Thats less than one fill-up on my car. If we're talking about 180 good charge vs 200 - its minor in overall scheme of things (and at this price). I not saying we shouldn't take good care of these batteries, but its quite cheap and each pack will last quite a while.

If you are strictly looking for a "replacement" battery... I bought it from Monster Scooter - https://www.monsterscooterparts.com/12vo10ahba.html

toyfountain
Most of us don't have two packs set up to be "in parallel". We have a switch that chooses A or B. As we and others have discussed there are advantages of that setup. I'm still for two chargers simultaneously charging two battery packs separately, 2 or 4 Amps for each whichever charger you bought. 2 or 4 Amps shared by two still means half as much juice for each.

maddog
everyone seems to be short of the currie compatible Battery pack which is an alright case around two 12V batteries. The kind some of the replies refer to. Do you want an additional pack or to replace batteries in a pack?

Granted, during the summer (Jun-Aug) months the average wind speed drops, but more and more people will be forced to bike during other months of the year when the wind velocities are significantly higher. From your experience, you seem to have missed the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, a huge, huge area with many people or areas bordering large bodies of water, e.g. the Great Lakes. If a biker is so lucky to pick the months and the hours of his ride, then he should do so. Early morning and late evening are generally good times during the summer. If you must bike during other months and times, be forewarned in many areas of the US. The wind can scream down the valleys in mid afternoon or damn near all year along the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains. Most riders who purchase the E-Zip (75 lbs *) will NOT emulate Cathy's efficient style, will NOT have relatively light body weight, or be blessed with sedate winds so a good rule of thumb for an average rider is 7-8 miles with about 1/4 to 1/3 capacity remaining which is good for the life of the battery.

As for testing the battery and taking care of it, I certainly think it matters...

* With a 75 lb bike, significant rolling resistance tempts a rider to use the throttle even on level paths regardless of gear.

so... walmart sucks.

after waiting over two weeks for my ezip to get here and religiously checking my emails several times a day, I finally decided to give walmart a call to see if maybe they had my bike and had forgotten to email me. after many phone calls, lots of run around, and a few hours of waiting I was finally told that the bike had come, last week! and had been "so mangled" that the manager wouldn't accept it off the truck and sent it back. they never contacted me, didn't re-order the bike, and would have kept my money if I hadn't called! the person I talked to said I would just have to wait until they could credit the money back to me and then re-order the bike and wait Another two weeks for it to get here and hope it's not as damaged as the first one. and on top of that, the ezip is now out of stock again so I couldn't reorder it if I wanted too. not sure if I'm going to still get the ezip because I don't trust walmart and I don't want to pay the extra it would take to get it from somewhere else. I'm going to talk to the manager tomorrow (she was out today) and see if I can get them to do something for me.

Actually I haven't missed it - been there many times. I actually went to school right on great lake...Lake Ontario. I also did my time in Rochester/Syracuse area, which get their share of lake effect wind/snow. When you have to use a rope to get to your next class - So glad I'm not there anymore!

I don't think its about Cathy's efficient style. Rather, its how one adapt given limited resource, which in this case is the battery. Because wind is blowing doesn't excuse not going to work - so you make do and either go slower, become "efficient" rider, or buy additional battery.

As for battery care - why does it matter if person have to use most of it to get to their destination. You have to do what you have to do... It may shorten the battery life a bit, but better than using the car or not going to work. Again, in overall scheme of things, its minor.

leamcorp
I don't think you're all wrong. I have lived within 30 miles of Rochester, Lake Ontario for about half my life, 3 decades or so. The wind does blow. People do adapt. Cathy may not be the 'typical' rider. But I think there are few 'average' riders. The distribution of rider skill, initiative, attitude is probably nothing like a normal curve. There are probably few samples in the cell representing average. There are a bunch of enthusiasts like Cathy and a bunch of 'hey it's nice out, lets go for a ride' bikers.
SLA batteries (Sealed Lead Acid) are about the cheapist way of containing energy I know of, if one needs to buy more, hopefully they can afford it. It's a LOT better than the price of gas.