Best way to look after a new battery on a Wisper 905e?

[tomarnold]

Hi all,
I'm about to buy a Wisper 905 Eco and I have a question about the best way to look after my battery. I will be mainly using the bike to commute to and from work - a 17-mile round trip with some fairly big hills. I guess that the 8ah battery should cope with this length of daily trip, but what would be the best charging routine to ensure long battery life? Should I charge it each evening after the 17-mile day, as this would give me fewer discharge cycles but using more of the battery's range. Or should I charge it at each end of the 8.5-mile journey, thus doing double the number of discharge cycles but using much less of the battery's range?
I'd be very interested to hear your suggestions...

 

[dmcgoldrick]

Hi all,
I'm about to buy a Wisper 905 Eco and I have a question about the best way to look after my battery. I will be mainly using the bike to commute to and from work - a 17-mile round trip with some fairly big hills. I guess that the 8ah battery should cope with this length of daily trip, but what would be the best charging routine to ensure long battery life? Should I charge it each evening after the 17-mile day, as this would give me fewer discharge cycles but using more of the battery's range. Or should I charge it at each end of the 8.5-mile journey, thus doing double the number of discharge cycles but using much less of the battery's range?
I'd be very interested to hear your suggestions...

hi, you should think about getting the 14ah battery for that range if its hilly.....and you use high assist.
otherwise you may need to recharge at work with the smaller 8ah.
regards

 

[flecc]

Definitely charge at every opportunity, lithium batteries do not take kindly to being deeply discharged.

I agree with the previous post, the 8 Ah battery will at least get quite deeply discharged on that round trip. Either charge at work as well or buy the model with the 14 Ah battery for the best life.
.

 

[allen-uk]

Tom: if you haven't actually ORDERED the 8ah Wisper, then I'd agree with the above comments: if you can push your budget to the 14ah, do it, as it'll give you far better performance than the small battery.

This particularly applies if you're at all heavy (anything much over 90kg is heavy in these terms), if your rides will be hilly, and if you're not super-fit.

The weight consideration is obvious: the battery/motor combination CAN help pull you up hills, but the less weight it has loading it, the better. Hills likewise. And fitness, because if you're a sprightly young cyclist who pedals like crazy, the battery won't be called in for as much work, but if you're like many of us on this forum, i.e. not so young and not so fit as you once were, again the battery will get more of a pounding.

14Ah!

Allen.

 

[eddieo]

I looked at this earlier and immediately thought 14Ah and it seems that is the concensus.......I think you will live to regret it otherwise

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Before you panic about the larger battery. You need to think about whether you legs have any pedal power. When I started my 15 mile each way (30mile return) comute on my Sunlova that has more or less the same motor as the Wisper 905e, I was using about 6.5ah for the return journey with one two mile hill of about 700ft,, having not cycled for years, being totally unfit and 105kg. Now, after about another 600 miles, I average about 3,5ah unless it's windy, when it goes up to about 5ah, so you should use about half of that. If you are totally unfit and not used to pedalling, or you prefer not to pedal at all, then you might consider the larger battery. It won't do the smaller battery much harm doing a few ininitial deep discharges while you build up you strength, but, if you do that journey every day, you'll soon be able to pedal hard and should be able to do it on no more than about 4ah, which is no problem for the 8ah battery, but you should charge it up again as soon as you can. I bought a spare battery for my bike thinking that I would need to change over before coming home, but now on calm days I could do two round trips on one battery one charge. Incidentally, I have a wattmeter fitted to my bike so I know how much power i use. Having said all that, if you have money to burn and don't mind dragging the extra weight around everywhere you go, go for the bigger battery.

 

[stevebills]

bigger battery the better! I want a 20ah for mine and charge it every run and never leave it for weeks without a charge it will die

 

[NRG]

Go Bigger battery, even if you get fitter and reduce what you take out of the battery each ride the 14Ah will last longer and still have better capacity after two years use than the 8Ah...it will be cheaper in the long run.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi Tom

To add to what has already been said here.

The difference between large and small capacity battery is not simply the range. Our 14Ah unit will also make the bicycle more powerful and maintain the "just charged" power surge for much longer.

Even though the smaller battery will just about manage your journey, I would highly recommend the 14Ah. Even though the larger batteries are of course more expensive to purchase, over the life of the battery the cost per mile is probably lower due to the extra range per charge cycle.

All the best

David

 

[tomarnold]

Thanks everybody for all the replies. I appreciate that the 14ah battery would do the job better, but of course that kind of goes without saying... a 20ah battery would make it even easier, or in fact a car would be even easier again! However, I am at the very very top of my budget with the 8ah 905e, so my question really was aimed at whether it was better to charge after every 8.5 mile journey or after the whole round-trip.
Also, I very much agree with 'd8veh' - I am getting an electric bike simply to help out with hills and headwinds on the way to work. I intend to cycle unaided most of the time (I am a fit, keen cyclist!) and use the power only on hills and into headwinds. So the 8ah battery will be just fine.
So I guess the general advice about charging seems to be to charge after every trip to keep it constantly above 50% discharge or thereabouts.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply. I'll let you know how I get on...

 

[eddieo]

I can assure you that riding any e bike that I have tried without power for even a short distance is horrible! let alone the commute you are undertaking....I think you need a rethink

 

[flecc]

I can assure you that riding any e bike that I have tried without power for even a short distance is horrible! let alone the commute you are undertaking....I think you need a rethink

I agree, I think you should try riding one some distance before relying on being able to do this. One of these unpowered is very different from a normal unpowered bike.

However, leaving the power on but with a very low assist setting can be viable for a fit cyclist.
.

 

[tomarnold]

Thank you for your concern, but I have tried riding the bike unpowered around the streets of Bristol and it was fine, particularly (as you mentioned) with a very low assist setting.
I am sure the 8ah battery will cope just fine with the 8.5-mile trip to work and then I'll simply charge it up there before returning home. Basically it's either that or I can't buy an electric bike at all and I'd rather not consider that to be an option!
So I'll buy the 8ah version and put aside a tenner a month for the next few years and when I eventually replace the battery I should have enough money by then to buy the 14ah!

 

[flecc]

You're obviously a strong cyclist in that case, so I agree the 8 Ah will be ok for your run, even both ways.

This is not common in here, most new entrants to e-biking have a bit of a shock when they try pedalling most unpowered e-bikes so we tend to take a precautionary view.
.

 

[tomarnold]

We'll soon find out - if Somerset County Council sort out my Cycle Scheme paperwork by tomorrow as they promised then I should have the bike after work tomorrow...
I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[eddieo]

ebay has used 14Ah 905SE's regularly for around £700-800

That is what I would do rather then live with the limitations of an 8Ah bike

 

[tomarnold]

Me too, if I had £700-£800 !! I am paying around £550 for my new 8ah Wisper 905e, and that is the top end of my budget.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I think that you're a bunch of wusses. I pedalled my 105 kg on my Sunlova about 40 miles completely unassisted and with about 8kg in my panniers, just to see how far I could. My legs were a bit tired, so I switched on for the final 15 miles home. I'm practicing ready for towing a 40kg trailer 55 miles to The Tour de Presteign. You just need a bit of will-power. This electric assist is making you soft!

 

[flecc]

I think that you're a bunch of wusses. I pedalled my 105 kg on my Sunlova about 40 miles completely unassisted and with about 8kg in my panniers, just to see how far I could.

More fool you!

Can't see the point of having power assist switched off and being masochistic.

You might as well save money and effort and use a normal bike.
.

 

[dmcgoldrick]

I think that you're a bunch of wusses. I pedalled my 105 kg on my Sunlova about 40 miles completely unassisted and with about 8kg in my panniers, just to see how far I could. My legs were a bit tired, so I switched on for the final 15 miles home. I'm practicing ready for towing a 40kg trailer 55 miles to The Tour de Presteign. You just need a bit of will-power. This electric assist is making you soft!

must be flat as a pancake where you live......get up to scotland and try without assist...... even the super fit lycra lads on carbon superlight bikes struggle around here. pass them regularly as they are puffing and panting as i sail past on max assist........
congratulations on 40 miles unassisted.....some people i know dont go that far for their holidays