Can i put the battery in a rucksack?

skyloon

Finding my (electric) wheels
Nov 29, 2011
23
1
I've been thinking of converting my mountainbike for some while but theres nowhere to mount any kind of battery.
 

baldylox

Pedelecer
May 25, 2012
240
77
Hants/Wilts border
Similar issue here... Full suspension MTB with not many battery placement options. I would not recommend an umbilical connection to the bike, wouldn't want to come off like that but people have done it.
I'd think of a way of trying to get the battery rack mounted, not ideal but perhaps only sensible option.
 

Alan Quay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Dec 4, 2012
2,351
1,076
Devon
I have one bike that I use with a rucksack battery.

I just run a cable from the top of the bag, over my shoulder and down under my shirt/jacket. I then plug it in to an Anderson powerpole near to my gentleman area. If you pull the cable, it simply detaches.

I accept that there is a risk if you crash it, however, I did some experiments the other day with a lithium cell and a hammer. I did get it to smoulder a bit, but it took a while. It certainly did not burst into flames.
 
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Alan Quay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Dec 4, 2012
2,351
1,076
Devon
Forgot to mention the advantages of the rucksack battery.

1. Very stealthy.
2. Feels much more nimble underneath you.
3. Can be moved easily from bike to bike.

This is the bike In use it with:

 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
Where there's a will, there's a way to mount your battery. Show us a photo of your bike. What battery do you have?

The weight of a battery in a rucksack gets annoying after a bit. It's much more comfy to have the battery on the bike.
 
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jimmyhackers

Pedelecer
Feb 18, 2015
91
14
36
ive done it, use a nice proper padded comfortable rucksacke with a waist strap and a long cord with an easily detachable connector.

heres the connector



heres the bag and bike



i had a 12v 26ah sla in the bag. i couldnt really feel the weight. the nice padded hikeing bag with the waist strap definately helps. a lipo would weigh nothing.

pros
there the stealth advantage
easy to swap batteries.
easy to charge batteries (if you cant take you bike next to a plug but you can a bag)
expensive batteries arnt left on bike in public to rob
any extra battery weight is under your "control" and not the bikes
you can get quite big bags for quite big batteries.

cons
if you fall off (i have) its pants if the cable doesnt detach
getting off and on the bike is a faff and make you look silly as the cable gets in the way
the extra cable length could be robbing you of a few vital volts and amps.
slas are heavy, dont try sla unless your after exercise

theres probably more to it but thats from my experience
 
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Alan Quay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Dec 4, 2012
2,351
1,076
Devon
ive done it, use a nice proper padded comfortable rucksacke with a waist strap and a long cord with an easily detachable connector.

heres the connector



heres the bag and bike


if you fall off (i have) its pants if the cable doesnt detach
getting off and on the bike is a faff and make you look silly as the cable gets in the way
the extra cable length could be robbing you of a few vital volts and amps.
Anderson powerpoles will solve this problem, and be a bit more manageable.

Provided the cable has enough cross section area, the additional resistance from a longer cable will negligible.
 

earwig

Pedelecer
Nov 2, 2014
40
6
I managed to get a big padded cycling bumbag just about wide enough to hold a Haibike battery and a bottle and a few other small bits. Even with the stupid projecting handle making the battery much wider than necessary I find this is much more comfortable than a backpack, and after a couple of hours, because it droops lower than my waist the spiky bits don't stick into anything too sensitive. I am not sure how long it will take for the battery to wear through the fabric, but I can accept having to replace it as it was only about £20.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,917
8,533
61
West Sx RH
I put mine in a ruck sack when I lock and leave my bike :D. Sorry couldn't resist that one.
 

bigearsbilly

Pedelecer
Feb 5, 2016
48
9
61
I might try that with my 600cc super moto . I can put a few gallons of petrol in hot water bottles in a ruck sack to increase my range.
 

wightrider

Pedelecer
Feb 18, 2015
45
12
"might try that with my 600cc super moto . I can put a few gallons of petrol in hot water bottles in a ruck sack to increase my range."

Don't get them mixed up with your hydration pack ;)
 

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