replacement battery

[mustangman]

   OK Guys(and Gals), I called RAGE battery and asked about the $24.05 price for the SLA17-12. Jerry the salesman said the price IS correct and they will ship it FREE UPS ground. (No sales tax either) They have 2 locations, one here in CA and the other in TX so they can reach most of the U.S. within a week. Oh, as far as the website thing , he siad he would fix it.
      Update - I went back to the website and they raised the price to $34.95, but free shipping. I would not place my order online, instead call Jerry and see if you can get the $24.05 price w/free shipping.  

[Dave]

I ordered a set of batteries from Rage Batteries today, and received UPS ship notification a couple of hours ago. I ordered online through Google Checkout; figured that was probably safer than the store's checkout if Rage turned out to be a bad seller. I picked the Rhino 7AH batteries (less money, less weight than 12AH, but more than plenty range for my commute), but got a phone call from Jerry saying that the Rhino batteries were out of stock. He substituted the Yuasa 7AH batteries, which had a list price about $2 higher than the Rhino's.

Seems like things are going smoothly enough this far. Customer service with Rage seems good. Batteries should be here next Tuesday (ground shipping from CA); I'll keep you all posted.

[myelectricbike]

How far was that commute again? You may be disappointed. Know Jerry is most likely not on the profit margin for 7 AH batteries. 

Although I have had to replace 4 out of 7 of the Universals I purchased I did get them replaced with no hassle whatsoever by talking to Bob Parker at ebatteriestogo in Texas.

7 AH there are:

40694-UB UB1270F2 F2 12V 7 5.95 2.56 3.70 $15.95

12 AH there are:

D5775 UB12120F2 F2 12V 12 5.95 3.90 3.70 $27.95

Let us know in a few weeks if you are still happy.

[mustangman]

  Gee, I hope the rhino batteries I got won't suffer the same fate as your universals. As far as the Ah rating goes, I could not turn down the price of 18Ah @24.05 each.

[myelectricbike]

Keep us posted. Defective batteries make great door stops or 3 second power sources when surges switch your UPS.

[mustangman]

 That is very kind myelectricbike, I will remember that when the batteries are no longer under warranty 2 years from now. Hopefully by then, the lithium batts will have come down in price.

[OneEye]

Dave,

How did those batteries work out for you?  Are you up and running yet?  I'm particularly curious about the 7Ah range in SD.  Is that out on the prairie, or in the badlands?

[Dave]

Dave,

How did those batteries work out for you?  Are you up and running yet?  I'm particularly curious about the 7Ah range in SD.  Is that out on the prairie, or in the badlands?

The batteries arrived, safe & sound. I wasn't impressed with the packing job, but they seemed to have fared pretty well.

I've still got a little work to do on my wheel before I'm operational (still have to dish the wheel), so no, haven't hit the road yet. As for my commute, it's about 6 miles each way, about 90% flat ground. Sioux Falls is fairly hilly, being built around a river, but I live about a mile from the bike trail that follows the river. Work is about another mile from the trail -- I can see it from my office -- but I have to exit the trail about two miles from work (that or traverse a corn field and bean field to get there. Not the best of options! ) The business I work at is in a newly-developed part of the city, near the airport, and the last two miles is essentially two-lane blacktop with good-sized shoulders.

I've ridden the LaFree to work a couple of times, and it's able to make it both ways on a single charge without much effort on my part. Not sure what the AH rating is on the batteries, but it's only 24V. My intention is mainly to get to work on battery power, then me-power on the way home. So by my guestimate, the 7AH ought to be plenty, with some to spare.