m4s73r said:
Yeah you can tout about minimum wages and all that, but there is a huge difference between spending 700 and waiting 2 -6 weeks on a battery with charger vs spending just over 1300 buying in the usa.
But aren't we discussing BBS02 build advise? I advise taking a harder look at the real cost and prices. If you can afford buying USA it may pay off and just maybe saving money buying from China sources, in some cases, is a false economy. For my motor kit I think it was. The disparity on my BBS01 kits was the difference between $655 and $607. The throttle died on my China kit after 22 miles. The USA supplier replacement, will be here Friday. It'll be another 24 hours before China acknowledges I need the throttle shipped immediately. After which I can expect at least another week to see it in my mail box. 3 days to a fix as apposed to 10-14 days is worth $48 to me.
m4s73r said:
And of that list you gave, Im pretty sure ebikekit just buys batteries from china and marks them way up for US customer. Kinda like they do with their hub motors and controllers.
For the uninitiated they might be a great idea. Plug and play rather than plug and pray. I too found them very over priced, but they have their place. Certainly for someone as versed as yourself this is a no brainer, but starting out, and with sufficient resources, they may be a darn good way to go. I wanted to buy new brake levers from them but they are set up with mini plugs and $40 each. The same lever was $29 a pair shipped from Long Island's rather nice online parts site.
m4s73r said:
Ebikes.ca (based out of canada btw) does. (Do they even carry the A123 packs anymore?)
.ca, BTW is Canadian domain. Instantly recognizable.
I haven't learned what that battery is, and will wait until I've learned enough to take on configuring my own packs. Which from where I'm sitting today will likely never interest me. Not if Ping or EM3ev are still in business. The pitfalls there for the uninitiated just might make the prefabbed packs from a supporting dealer a sensible choice for a nOOb. Now don't get me wrong, were I not sufficiently funded and a youngster I'd have jumped right in. However there a a fair number of us out here that are funded and are looking for the best bang for our dollars. 50 years of major purchases has taught some basic lessons in real costs of goods. Not just the upfront cost. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another battery from EM3ev for the down tube pack. I found Lectrics price oppressive on anything over 11Ah. But since I was buying a kit from LaGrand I decided that 11Ah was all I really needed. I choose to walk my talk. I was able to do so having sold my Vespa GTS250 and accessories for more than I expected. I used my windfall to support a USA dealer. He didn't have stock when I made my China buy. I flipped back and forth between sites a dozen time before I pulled the pin
m4s73r said:
And Longisland didnt have a working online store from me to check their batteries but they appear to just be a bicycle shop. These companies dont build battery packs. Its all coming from china one way or another. Weather it be in the motor, controller, small parts, most of its china made.
They do have a working site, and you are correct. The batteries are AllCell and expensive. I'd like to put my money where my mouth is with AllCell but as you point out they are really pricey. But Long Island Electric Bikes are very competitively priced on many items. Buying accessories or spare parts from China is goofy expensive unless you are bundling with a kit. In the case of GBK they have an excessively priced add on profit scheme for parts orders. See my post
m4s73r said:
Remember, America doesn't Manufacture shit anymore. We allowed a president to sign us up for free trade and now everything is made overseas. or in Mexico.
You're painting with a huge brush there. I wish it were that simple. But recent reports of business startups and restarts indicate that USA manufacturing has had a pretty good few years. When investors don't bleed off excessive profits things CAN and ARE manufactured in the US. That being said the world economy is changing. I have no problems buying some Chinese produced goods. The problem I have is with the American companies that go over to China, not because they were forced to but rather they marched to the drums of already fat investors.
Bottom line. China isn't always the best deal. No one will look out for the USA if it's citizens don't. We're on the same page, just slightly different outlooks.
