Help! Ebike kit I can carry in airports and charge my Macbook

[cwah]

Hello,

I've decided to have a nomad life and move from countries to countries.

I've gotten rid of most of my stuff but I still like to ebike.

I'm packed super light. Just a cabin bag and a small bag to minimize airport cost.

I'd like to get a kit I can carry with me in the airport AND that I can use as power bank for my Macbook (needs power delivery)

The Qiroll seems to do the job. With total weight of 2.5kg including battery I can carry it with me anywhere. Just buy a cheap road bike wherever I arrive and put that on:

QR-E MUTE-Plus +B60 Battery Kit – Ebike Conversion Kit-Qiroll

qirollshop.com

Not the most efficient I reckon but easy to install on most bike and to carry around.


I always have a couple of power bank with me for my macbook and phone. But ideally they should be powered by the ebike battery so I can get rid of some of my power bank weight.

I know there are some USB C adaptor but I need something that does Power Delivery so that I can plug it into my macbook and allow it to charge above 10W.

Anyone has an idea of a solution? Any idea allowing me to tracel light would be welcome

Thank you

 

[peter.c]

Airport security will have a fit when the x-ray picks up wires and a battery in a carry on bag
be prepared for a lot of hassle and explanations good luck with your travels you will be missed

 

[cwah]

Airport security will have a fit when the x-ray picks up wires and a battery in a carry on bag
be prepared for a lot of hassle and explanations good luck with your travels you will be missed

You said that as joke, but there are airport approved laptop power bank of 100wh:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CZDX2ZG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_fabc_0QGK9H1AMXGKX1M1N1FD

Ironically, there are also airport approved ebike batteries:

LiGo Batteries - Grin Products - Product Info

The LiGo battery is a modular 36V pack designed and manufactured at Grin that is just under the 100 Wh limit allowed for passenger air travel. This allows you to bring multiple small batteries with you in your carry-on baggage, and then hook the packs together to behave as a single large battery...

ebikes.ca

It doesn't make sense for me to have a different battery for my laptop, my phone and my ebike. It should all be one.

That's what I'm looking for........ sounds like distant dream somehow....

 

[cyclebuddy]

You said that as joke, but there are airport approved laptop power bank of 100wh:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CZDX2ZG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_fabc_0QGK9H1AMXGKX1M1N1FD

It's not the airport but each airline you need to worry about. Each airline has (at least had) a different limit - eg BA used to have a 100Wh per battery limit, but no limit on how many individual batteries you could carry. Other airlines had their own different limits/restrictions. It was in my day important for film/TV crews to know. You need to check in each airlines conditions of carriage to find those limits.

The powerpack you list is 50A x 3.7v = 185Wh. One reviewer confirms it's too big for air travel.

Good luck on your travels.

 

[cwah]

It's not the airport but each airline you need to worry about. Each airline has (at least had) a different limit - eg BA used to have a 100Wh per battery limit, but no limit on how many individual batteries you could carry. Other airlines had their own different limits/restrictions. It was in my day important for film/TV crews to know. You need to check in each airlines conditions of carriage to find those limits.

The powerpack you list is 50A x 3.7v = 185Wh. One reviewer confirms it's too big for air travel.

Good luck on your travels.

Yeah 100wh is plenty for laptop. I just used it as example

 

[vfr400]

It's not going to work. You need a decent sized battery to get anything useful for an ebike. That means something relatively heavy, and it wouldn't be allowed on the airline.

The Grin Ligo batteries are a potential solution, but you'd need a minimum 3 of them to drive an ebike to get the current. Three weigh around 2kg and are going to cost aboy £400 by the time you have them in UK.

 

[cwah]

It's not going to work. You need a decent sized battery to get anything useful for an ebike. That means something relatively heavy, and it wouldn't be allowed on the airline.

The Grin Ligo batteries are a potential solution, but you'd need a minimum 3 of them to drive an ebike to get the current. Three weigh around 2kg and are going to cost aboy £400 by the time you have them in UK.

Why 2 of them wouldn t work? A low power drive on 200wh would be ok no?

 

[Nealh]

Yes you will have to check with each airline to see what wh batteries are allowed, I think most will allow two separate batteries in hand luggage. The wh does vary from 100 - about 160wh per battery, so you need to do your homework first before buying esp if you are using the budget carriers.

 

[cwah]

Yes you will have to check with each airline to see what wh batteries are allowed, I think most will allow two separate batteries in hand luggage. The wh does vary from 100 - about 160wh per battery, so you need to do your homework first before buying esp if you are using the budget carriers.

I'll set to 100wh per pack. Get 2 pack. Would be perfect. I'd need that anyway for my laptop when travelling

 

[vfr400]

Why 2 of them wouldn t work? A low power drive on 200wh would be ok no?

5A each = 10A. Would you ride a bike with only 10A?

 

[cwah]

5A each = 10A. Would you ride a bike with only 10A?

36V at 10A is 360W right? Isn't it already above the 250W limit?

In that case yes?

 

[vfr400]

36V at 10A is 360W right? Isn't it already above the 250W limit?

In that case yes?

No, most cheap Chinese ebikes run 36v and 15 amps, and they're not particularly powerful. 36v 10A would put you in the same ball-park as a Cyclamatic, which would work until you come to a hill.

 

[cwah]

No, most cheap Chinese ebikes run 36v and 15 amps, and they're not particularly powerful. 36v 10A would put you in the same ball-park as a Cyclamatic, which would work until you come to a hill.

The cyclamatics are a heavy 25kg bike which makes it impossible to pedal without electric.

My plan is to put it into a lightweight road bike and hopefully including the electric it wouldn't weight more than 13-15kg

So not far from a normal bike weight! This 10kg difference should compensate for the lower wattage

 

[vfr400]

You're very light, so two of those batteries could work as long as you can find a controller that limits to 10 amps.

 

[Barnsleyrob]

Unless you plan to regularly move continents, it might be easier to buy an e-bike in say Europe and use that to tour around that continent then sell it on when you move to North America etc.

I haven’t experienced major problems carry multiple small batteries but I know airlines are more wary of Lithium batteries since the Samsung seat debacle and the FedEx crash a few years ago. In fact, I don’t think larger capacity batteries are air freighted any more.

 

[cwah]

x

Unless you plan to regularly move continents, it might be easier to buy an e-bike in say Europe and use that to tour around that continent then sell it on when you move to North America etc.

I haven’t experienced major problems carry multiple small batteries but I know airlines are more wary of Lithium batteries since the Samsung seat debacle and the FedEx crash a few years ago. In fact, I don’t think larger capacity batteries are air freighted any more.

I've just landed in paris 2 days ago and the electric bike market is really s***. Ebike are overpriced and seller are stuck to their gun.

I was looking at ebay and I can see load of auction ending without bid at the mininum price....

Clearly if I were to buy an ebike here I'll lose money when I leave in a couple of months....

It makes me think an easy to fit kit may be the best solution

 

[Nealh]

Go with your plan Cwah, buy the China friction drive and buy two small 100wh batteries power you intended light bike and tech gadgets via them. Other wise you won't get no where humming and arghing, you have never been shy of giving something a try so go for it.
Looking at the Qiroll it won't be great in the wet and the two electrical connections certainly look very vulnerable in the wet.

 

[cwah]

Go with your plan Cwah, buy the China friction drive and buy two small 100wh batteries power you intended light bike and tech gadgets via them. Other wise you won't get no where humming and arghing, you have never been shy of giving something a try so go for it.
Looking at the Qiroll it won't be great in the wet and the two electrical connections certainly look very vulnerable in the wet.

It would have been an easier decision if the qiroll (24V) was at the same voltage as the Ligo batteries (36V). I sent both of them a mail to see if anything can be done

 

[cwah]

By the way, how can airline know whether my battery is 100wh or more?

Could I just print a stamp on a 24V6AH battery to 24V5AH? And write 100wh?

QR-E MUTE-Plus +B60 Battery Kit – Ebike Conversion Kit-Qiroll

qirollshop.com

The battery is barely over 100wh and its not that big at 190x60cm.

I could just tell them it's a power bank for my phone and laptop. I can't see how they could check that without doing any capacity check?

 

[Nealh]

They will want to see it has the CE mark on an official manufacturers label one would expect.