I don't know how I came up with 150 watts? 50-60 watts should be plenty if its charging overnight.
Yes, I'm going to keep mine stock 48v @ 25amps as well! I can't go that fast on dirt roads anyway and I'm happy with 25mph. My normal cruising speed is about 12-15mph and that gives me good range, about 25mi @ 8-10wh/mi. I could go farther but, I'd rather not be pushing my 80-lb bike up any hills :? If anything I would like to increase the amp-hours, in the form of NiCd batteries, replacing my SLA and lighten the bike some :>
About these 14.4v @ 20ah packs you speak of, are they sub-C cells? What are the dimensions, weight, and discharge rate of each pack? I know the NiCd sub-C's will out last all Li packs as far as the number of charge cycles goes, as long as you don't mistreat them. NiCd are as much more tolerant of partial charging than Li packs, thats why I've on using NiCd over Li.
I hope to have some pictures my ride posted in the coming weeks. All I have right now is a picture of the donor bike frame, posted below:
Bought a now Campagnolo crank set for it, with the high ring gear being 52 teeth, instead of 48 teeth. I had to do a little belt sanding on the pivot point of the rear suspension to enable the chain to get by it when shifting into high gear :? The 52 teeth make a big difference in keeping up with the hub motor at higher speeds :>
Blessings, Snow Crow