Are battery covers worth it?

[Gaz]

I went out today for my longest ride so far on my Coniston - 24 miles non stop.

I started off with the battery at 60% and by the time I got home it was at 5%. There was a noticeable and sudden drop between 18% and 8%. It was 6C outside and damp/misty.

I appreciate temperature will affect the battery, and see I can get a neoprene cover for it. Which I was thinking about...... until I just watched a vid on another thread which shows three german chaps cycling on snowy ground, with no battery covers

So, battery covers, worth it, or are they snake oil?

Gaz

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The cover will keep it clean and dry. That's it. Your battery will heat itself up as soon as you start using it and it's reasonably well insulated by the plastic case so ambient temperature won't have much effect on it, especially the cells in the middle that are surrounded by other warm cells.

Batteries give less power when run down than when full, so a small hill can make a big difference to its remaining capacity when already at 18%.

 

[EddiePJ]

To back up what Dave has said about the battery warming up, this wasn't anything that I had given thought to until carrying out a ride in the summer using a Bosch CX motor and 500wh battery. The ride length was 10.4 miles with an elevation gain of 6,428ft. I had to change the battery in the latter stage of the ride, and was pretty shocked by how worryingly hot that the outer case had become.

Just this week, with the same CX motor but different battery, I completed a 15 mile ride in very tough and muddy conditions, with an elevation gain of 1,735ft. The ride was completed using sport mode only, and used up a full charge of battery.
Because the temperature was freezing, the warmth when removing the battery was very obvious, so I decided to measure the temperature difference between the ambient and outer battery case.
The ambient temperature at the home location was 1°C and the outer case was 19 °C

As Dave has said, a cover would help keep things clean and dry, but there is no need to use a cover to maintain battery warmth when using the bike.

.

 

[Croxden]

I can't ever recollect my batteries getting warm.

 

[EddiePJ]

Brakes aside, I often note that the mud on the battery pack dries out quickly, whilst the rest of the mud on the bike remains wet.

 

[Croxden]

I take the battery off to charge, the Haibike unlike the Delite will always have a muddy battery. If it was dry, I would brush it off easily, but it isn't.

 

[Gaz]

Don't think I'm going to bother with one then. I bought a set of mudguards - OEM ones for this bike, and while the back one's okay (after a bit of fettling to get to to sit square and not rub), the front one really isn't that great, and is about 4" too short at the rear. As a result, it does nothing to stop water/mud/leaves from flicking up on to me, the bike frame and battery. I'd have hoped for better from Whyte, but there you go. It's easier to wipe mud off a hard plastic battery case than a neoprene cover, so I'll save my money.

Ta for the replies

Gaz

 

[VictoryV]

the front one really isn't that great, and is about 4" too short at the rear. As a result, it does nothing to stop water/mud/leaves from flicking up on to me, the bike frame and battery.



Gaz

you can always add a mud flap on the front - very retro

 

[anotherkiwi]

II appreciate temperature will affect the battery, and see I can get a neoprene cover for it. Which I was thinking about...... until I just watched a vid on another thread which shows three german chaps cycling on snowy ground, with no battery covers

Did the video say how many km they had been riding and what the air temperature was - I have been out in snow in my shirtsleeves because the air temperature was 20°C? You could ask the guys from Finland if they use battery covers by -10°C.

I think they may be of some use commuting in constant sub-zero temperatures and when the bike is parked and not producing warmth?

BTW finally winter arrived here yesterday, I guess the cherry trees we saw in blossom last week didn't like last nights frost very much

 

[Croxden]

you can always add a mud flap on the front - very retro

I made mine from Cravendale milk carton, the full fat version.

 

[Gaz]

I think they may be of some use commuting in constant sub-zero temperatures and when the bike is parked and not producing warmth?
BTW finally winter arrived here yesterday, I guess the cherry trees we saw in blossom last week didn't like last nights frost very much

Weather's barmy around here - yesterday morning we had a heavy frost and freezing fog, today it's rather more mild 8C. I can't say I'd ever be riding in sub-zero temperatures. Not for long anyway. Although in an unheated garage at home, the bike racks at work are under an overhang which keeps the worst of the rain or snow off, but are exposed to wind chill, which can be quite biting at times - I can obviously take the batteries (bike and lights) in with me to keep them from getting too cold.

Gaz

 

[Gaz]

you can always add a mud flap on the front - very retro

That's certainly an option, although a mudguard that was fit for purpose would be nicer

I made mine from Cravendale milk carton, the full fat version.

I'm thinking more Fairy liquid bottle [other brands are available] or chopping up an old Crudguard.

Gaz

 

[D C]

I make mud flaps from duck tape or similar, just replacing them when they get tatty.
Dave.

 

[IR772]

This one works for me, cheap now as well.

You can leave the stub in and take the front or rear guard off for cleaning etc.

http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do?method=view&n=3347&p=544460&d=124&c=4&l=2&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Base&utm_campaign=Mudguards&gclid=Cj0KEQiA7qLDBRD9xJ7PscDCu5IBEiQAqo3BxJtMpZed8HUyQ_FW41yanPEScEeqtxSeE2knwXUeOK8aAqtB8P8HAQ

 

[Gaz]

Interestingly, on the subject of mudguards, I've only just read the 'don't bother' review of Whyte's mudguards - I live & learn - and that they also do a much longer front mudguard for other bikes in their range. They're closed at the mo' but I might contact them to see if they'll fit mine too.

Gaz

 

[flecc]

I bought a set of mudguards - - - - the front one really isn't that great, and is about 4" too short at the rear.

The curse of modern bikes. As far back as the 19th century bicycle makers knew how to make sensible front mudguards and they persisted though to the 1920s and '30s, like the 1920s example below.

But now the idiocy of fashion and penny pinching on materials has left us almost without sensible mudguards.

 

[D C]

The curse of modern bikes. As far back as the 19th century bicycle makers knew how to make sensible front mudguards and they persisted though to the 1920s and '30s, like the 1920s example below.

But now the idiocy of fashion and penny pinching on materials has left us almost without sensible mudguards.

I think we've improved a little with the brakes!
Dave.

 

[Danidl]

I take the battery off to charge, the Haibike unlike the Delite will always have a muddy battery. If it was dry, I would brush it off easily, but it isn't.

Interesting thread. According to a few papers I have read, the power loss within the battery is 4 times as great at 0 c than at 20c ... If the battery needs to heat up the 2kg of battery pack, before it can give out it's rated voltage, this is a huge waste of energy. Battery would better be kept indoors and just put on the bike before use. Most battery engineering is about not overheating problem s not underwater. Battery is best between 20 and 40 degree c, above 50 rapid degeneration, below 20 more. Wasted energy due to poor conduction.
So bottom line.. keep it cosy

 

[Danidl]

Interesting thread. According to a few papers I have read, the power loss within the battery is 4 times as great at 0 c than at 20c ... If the battery needs to heat up the 2kg of battery pack, before it can give out it's rated voltage, this is a huge waste of energy. Battery would better be kept indoors and just put on the bike before use. Most battery engineering is about not overheating problem s not underheating.
. Battery is best between 20 and 40 degree c, above 50 rapid degeneration, below 20 more. Wasted energy due to poor conduction.
So bottom line.. keep it cosy

 

[soundwave]

i put a 18650 cell in a freezer for 24hrs and how much do you think it lost.

it went in at 4.2v and came out 24hrs later at 4.19v.

so not much lost there