Quote:
Originally Posted by DrkAngel
I've put 4000+ miles on my Ezips, no major failures except broken spokes and 1 controller, partial, failure, (it stopped supporting 36v, of course, it was only supposed to support 24v, to begin with). As with all bikes, proper mantainence is necessary, cleaning, lubrication etc.
Yes, they do use many cheap parts, how else could they sell them at 1/2 to 1/5 the price of other Ebikes.
I only have 1 IZip, but it is a noticeable improvement in quality of construction, as well as components! As compared to the EZips I've run.
As for being "underpowered" it is designed as an EABike (Electric Assist Bike), not as an EBike (Electric Bike). At, just over 1/2hp, it supplies more motivation than a typical biker. Combined with a biker, pedaling, acceleration and power is impressive.
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I see too many of them having drive problems. Pot Aluminum parts when a decent aluminum allow or steel part should be makes this a very cheap system. Plus, the range. Most are getting maybe 4 to 5 miles out of a charge without peddling. The claimed 18 miles per charge is more than a bit inflated. Of course, the 18 miles is with constant peddling. If I want to peddle for 18 miles why would I need an electric motor?
Check out
I70West Lightning Shopping!, Lightning Strikes in Online Shopping and check out the Wilderness Energy kits. I use them myself. They are simple, fit most MBs and Cruisers and will even fit on a 20 in bike. I ride a 20 in 3 wheeler which performs like a sports car.
You can buy them with or without batteries. The 600 watt seems to have as much power as the 750watt units. It's smooth and can easily get 15 real miles without peddling with an average weight rider. I am close to 215 and can still easily get 12 miles out of a 10am 36v battery pack.
I currently use a 16ah Lipo and get plenty of mileage out of it. Since it the extreme side of winter, the bike has a whole lot more range than I do. The trick is to charge the battery in a heated area to get as much charge in it as possible. This applies to all types of batteries.
Yes, the SLA 36v makes your 26 in bike a bit tall with it riding on a bike rack but once it's moving you don't notice anymore. it's very stable. The Lipo mounted the same way isn't noticed at all since it's about 5 lbs versus 21 lbs for the SLA.
For California, there is an 800 watt 48V system from WE. To say the least, it's fast and has a lot of power. The nice thing is, you can take two SLAs on each side in saddle bags and you won't even know they are there. But you have to keep your speed down as the 48V will easily hit 28 mph or better. With a 20 mph limit in most states even California, it's fast, real fast. By the same token, the 48V being kept down to 20 mph extends the range to about 25 miles real for the 26 in.
My 20 in 36v gets about 15 miles on a standard 36V 10am system. I do run an 8ah 48 once in awhile that boosts it to 20 miles per hour or better but the wheel spin is a bit much. Plus, the 48v takes the 600 watt and changes it to a higher wattage. But it's range gets extended to well past the 10ah 36v batteries. Great for climbing hills.
I have replace too many of the Curry styles with this system to ever endorse the Curry drive. I want something that has power, range and dependability and the Curry just can't make those 3 requirements. Yes, the whole Izip is less than the cost of the kits but is it worth it having the crummy brakes, crappy gears, cheap pot aluminum parts and something I would have to replace every 2 years or so. I would rather have something that goes year after year and the only thing I need replace at intervals is the batteries. And, yes, the Batteries for the 36V SLA cost less than the replacement Izips battery pack. I can get replacement batteries from any group of local sources.
Better to take a decent bike with decent brakes and deraillers and start from there. It's funny, a 169.99 Schwinn is still a good starting point. You end up with a bike equal to the 1500 buck Ebikes at less cost. And it comes with Shumano breaks and deraillers. Just add the kit with the appropriate batter.
EZip Engineering 101 
When I go ... I wanna go to eBike heaven 
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