Freego Kingfisher or Eagle?

[martin7010]

Hi,
I posted on here a while ago asking for advice on choosing a bike for commuting. Well as spring is sort of here its time to take the plunge. I'm probably going to go for a Freego bike mainly as there is a dealer close to home so that problems etc can easily be sorted if they arise. They have also let me take a bike out on an extended test run which was great as I can see how it handles my commute.
My question really is is it worth paying the extra £300 for the Eagle. The Kingfisher comes with a 10ah Li-ion battery whilst the Eagle has a 17.5ah Li-poly battery. Does this difference in battery just mean the range is extended or will it make a difference on the hills some of which a pretty steep round here!
Thanks for all the advice before really appreciated.

 

[EdBike]

The size of the battery is like the size of a tank of petrol. It means you can go further at more power. The motor is like the petrol engine - you could have a huge tank, but a tiny engine. The two don't correlate.

The best advice given on this forum is go and try them both out. You'll *know* which one is right for you then. Where abouts are you based?

 

[tillson]

From what I have learnt via this forum and through experience, these batteries have a life in terms of the number of charge / discharge cycles that they can handle. For example, if a battery has a stated life of 500 cycles, that means that it can take 500 episodes of being fully discharged and then fully recharged whilst still maintaining a reasonably useful capacity. (The reality is very much less optimistic). However, a half discharge and full recharge only counts as 1/2 a cycle, so you should get 1000 of these.

By buying a larger capacity battery, you may find that you don't stress it as much because you are dipping less further into a charge cycle than you would with a smaller battery. This could make it last longer.

Also, the two extremities of the charge state stress the battery further ie the fully charged and fully discharged state damages the battery to some degree. Keeping the charge level as close to 50% as possible could also extend the life. With a careful usage regime and a large capacity battery, you may be able to do all you need to and keep the charge state between say, 20 and 80%. Again, this might not be possible with the smaller battery.

If you do manage to keep the battery going by following the above, age will kill it anyway! They deteriorate with age to an extent, regardless of how you use them. Oh, nearly forgot to mention, they don't like providing current either and the more of it they provide, the more it damages them.

The bottom line is, they are all crap, they are all over hyped, but they do the job up to a point and I would personally go for the larger capacity because it wont be as crap as the smaller battery. With batteries, if you expect to be disappointed, you won't be disappointed by your expectations.

 

[martin7010]

Hi Thanks for the advice. The one I tried was the larger capacity battery however it was not fully charged but still handled a 12 mile route with some serious hills really well. I'm in Newton Abbot South Devon, its generally pretty hilly round here. I guess the message is start saving for a new battery on day 1!

 

[JuicyBike]

12 mile commute? 10ah should easily handle it (take your charger to work). 20 - 30 miles, step up to 14ah. Any more get the 16ah.

Rule of thumb (very simplistic) is to avoid discharging the battery by more than 50%, regularly. This will help prolong the life of the battery.

You could also try Atmosphere bikes in Bristol who stock more than just FreeGoes.

Our 10ah bikes use the same motor and battery combination and regularly achieve more than 30 miles by fairly human riders.

Good luck.

 

[martin7010]

Thanks Bob thats really useful advice. My commute is only actually 4.5 miles although there are some serious slopes to climb, I guess 10ah will handle it no problem.

 

[JuicyBike]

Definately!
Do ride one though, and I'd send you to Atmosphere where you could try one of ours too!

 

[fishingpaul]

Depending on how powerfull the motor is and how steep the hills are,a 10ah battery can lose power noticeablly after just a few miles on steepish hills,the 14ah will give a little bit more power for longer periods, and will probably last longer as it will not be stressed so much as a 10ah.

 

[tillson]

Thanks Bob thats really useful advice. My commute is only actually 4.5 miles although there are some serious slopes to climb, I guess 10ah will handle it no problem.

If you have seriously steep hills to climb, it might be worth looking at a Panasonic drive system equipped bike.

 

[dmcgoldrick]

go for the bigger battery....the 'power' is totally biased to the fully charged area....it is not a uniform discharge. once the battery is less than half full you will notice a big drop in power assist on uphill climbs, so make sure the bike gearing is low enough for when the battery power falls off........

regards

 

[martin7010]

Thanks for the advice so far. I'm starting to sway towards the bigger battery just got to find a bit more cash!

 

[bazwaldo]

Hi Martin7010,
I bought the Bearprint New City 505 with the larger capacity 16AH battery and have not regretted it.
My review is in the Bike Review section.
The Bearprint is very similar to the Freego but is a little cheaper for some reason, they are manufactured in the same factory I believe. The electric connector box on my bike actually has Freego printed on it!
As mentioned the crank drive motor is apparently better for hill climbing as it multiplies the gearing.
The Tonaro Bighit also reviewed by felllow members seems good in this respect and is good value for money.
Good luck with your decision.
bazwaldo.