Branch,

I have the exact same setup as you. 24" wheel, and I mounted 18 magnets on the spokes. Easy to do that way. As far as free-spin time, J.B. says you can get about 23% mechanical out of the bike wheel, and that should be figured into the total energy of the system. If you are using some of that energy just to overcome friction due to a bad build, bad bearings, etc. then the overall energy of the system will appear less. A longer free-spin time means you can eliminate bearing friction as being the reason behind any lack of performance you may experience, and it means you will be able to extract more mechanical energy from the system using a gen coil, or fan, or whatever method you choose to load the wheel. It's just one more item on the checklist of things that must be done with an eye toward excellence that will lead to success. That's the way I see it, anyway.

Cheers,

-Woody

Great explanation man, thank you!