How to make a rack for battery

[cwah]

Yeah before my bromptom has been stolen. Several times thieves have opened my bag to check what's inside.

I've never had any issue with it

 

[Arbol]

d8veh, I see you screw the struts to a hole you have close to the axis. I have checked in my bike, and I do not have holes extra. Is it possible to screw the strut to the axis directly, or is it not recommended?

The idea I have had is to screw struts to the seat post rack you recommended and I bought (I have not received it yet), in order to make the whole package more resistant (my bike has no eyelets for standard rear racks).

 

[eHomer]

d8veh, I see you screw the struts to a hole you have close to the axis. I have checked in my bike, and I do not have holes extra. Is it possible to screw the strut to the axis directly, or is it not recommended?

The idea I have had is to screw struts to the seat post rack you recommended and I bought (I have not received it yet), in order to make the whole package more resistant (my bike has no eyelets for standard rear racks).

Not wanting to hijack the thread, but coming back on the question about bikes without rack mounting holes.

When I fitted one of Dave's MXUS motors to my Giant Trance, the frame was very awkward to fit normal racks as it had no strut holes and no convenient forward mounting point. I found a much more versatile rack on Ebay that was fully adjustable for strut length, angle etc., and clamped onto the frame. I still had to modify the front with new ally flat bars, but it came out reasonably neatly and very light and very rigid.

I carry my alluminium cased 36v 10ah lithium batteries in normal (though smallish) panniers, and the rack carries one or both quite firmly with no problems so far.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALLOY-BIKE-Bicycle-Cycle-DISC-BRAKE-REAR-PANNIER-RACK-ADJUSTABLE-FOR-24-28-/251364897474?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item3a8683f2c2

 

[Deleted member 4366]

That looks a really good rack. You want to make sure that it's as far forward as possible.

To answer Arbol's question: we had exactly that problem on the last one I did for Saneagle's Claude Butler. We fixed one side to the disc caliper mount screw, and we drilled the drop-out on the right side. Thr drop-out was flat, so it was dead simple.

 

[awol]

What 2 diameters of alum tube are you using from Wickes ?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I've tried several. 12mm is the best if you only want to buy one size. 10mm would be OK for the upright struts, and you can go up to the size above 12mm for the horizontal ones. With the larger diameters,you have to be careful not to crush them when you bolt through the plywood and where the uprights join, so it's best to use Nyloc nuts and tighten just to the point of crushing.

 

[Alan Quay]

I used the 16mm stuff on my cruiser, and painted same colour as bike (easy, as black bike). Makes it look a bit more integrated

 

[Willber G]

I used the 16mm stuff on my cruiser, and painted same colour as bike (easy, as black bike). Makes it look a bit more integrated

A pic would be good please, I'm looking at similar options.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Yes, the tube size is not critical. That Wickes Aluminium tube is very stiff and strong, so 10mm is OK for the upright struts, some other types probably wouldn't be strong enough. You have to make a judgement.

 

[Alan Quay]

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Using the same principle, but applied to a seatpost rack. These used to be steel, but they seem to have switched to aluminium which wouldn't be strong enough for a big battery, so it needs a bit of reinforcement:



Chuck the plastic bit and bolt on a plywood base the same shape as the bag. Trap the bag between the plywood and the struts. The bag is inverted for better waterproofing and to hide the daft logo.:





I added two struts to hold the base level and to triangulate the support for it, which should stop it wagging. This bike has convenient fixing points for the struts:

 

[Willber G]

Both of those solutions look neat. I don't need to carry the weight of a battery so I have ordered a cheap ebay seat-post carrier. If it is not up to the job I shall look at ways of stabilising/strengthening it.

 

[Arbol]

d8veh, where do you get that bag? I have been looking at Decathlon, but I cannot see any bag like this, they are mostly "sports bags", bigger and with no clear "box shape".

 

[Arbol]

By the way, I received my seat post a few days ago, it is the same model as yours.

I could not find any measure that was able to fit exactly to my seat post (29.8mm), since it was too narrow. I tried extracting the rubber three pieces, and then it was too large. I tried with only one rubber piece, and then it was too narrow.

I ended using adhesive tape around the seat post to give a few tenths of mm to the seat post (in addition to protect the seat post from scratches out of the tension of the weight) and now it is much better. It still has some rotation, so it is not fully fixed to the seat post, but I would say that it is strong enough in order to stay fixed in the vertical axis, and withstand some weight.

Have you found this problem? How have you solved it?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

d8veh, where do you get that bag? I have been looking at Decathlon, but I cannot see any bag like this, they are mostly "sports bags", bigger and with no clear "box shape".

Your local sports shop often has them, and they often discount them this time ofthe year, or there's always some on Ebay. I prefer the ones with the zip all the way round the bottom. You can get them in lots of colours to match your bike.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOTTENHAM-HOTSPUR-FOOTBALL-CLUB-OFFICIAL-LICENSED-SCHOOL-KIT-BOOT-BAG-RX-GIFT-/190953258139?pt=UK_Sporting_Goods_Sports_Clothing_LE&hash=item2c75b37c9b
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEWCASTLE-FOOTBALL-CLUB-WHITE-STRIPE-BLACK-SHOE-BOOT-BAG-FREE-1ST-CLASS-/151038016497?pt=UK_SportingGoods_BackpacksRucksacks_Bags_EH&hash=item232a913bf1
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EVERTON-FOOTBALL-CLUB-BLUE-BAG-WHITE-STRIPE-SHOE-BOOT-BAG-FREE-1ST-CLASS-/151038016452?pt=UK_SportingGoods_BackpacksRucksacks_Bags_EH&hash=item232a913bc4

 

[cwah]

I'm going to do it for my bicycle:

And to mount this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CJC5E8U/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is my purchase list:
Aluminium tubes:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALUMINIUM-ROUND-TUBE-20mm-OD-x-900mm-LONG-1-5-WALL-/390770813945?pt=UK_BOI_Metalworking_Milling_Welding_Metalworking_Supplies_ET&hash=item5afbc16bf9

Hose cutter to cut the tubes:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cutter-Copper-Aluminium-Plastic-3mm-22mm/dp/B00KHLWH3K/ref=sr_1_56?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1401753081&sr=1-56&keywords=aluminium cutter

Heavy duty plier to flatten the tubes:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Visegrip-Irwin-10WRC-Locking-10-inch/dp/B000X225LW/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1401754023&sr=1-1&keywords=pressure plier

3mm plywood:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Laser-Plywood-3mm-5no-A4-size-sheets-approx-300-x-200mm-Russian-Birch-/141293183737?pt=UK_Crafts_Other_Crafts_EH&hash=item20e5bae2f9

M5 30mm bolts:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stainless-Steel-Button-Head-Allen-Screw-Bolts-M3-M4-M5-M6-M8-/160792810792?pt=UK_DIY_Material_Nails_Fixing_MJ&var=&hash=item256fff9528

3mm aluminium plate to create the clamps:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3MM-ALUMINIUM-PLATES-3-BY-1-INCH-/151317227711?pt=UK_BOI_Metalworking_Milling_Welding_Metalworking_Supplies_ET&hash=item233b35a8bf

Aluminium snips to cut the aluminium plates:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stanley-Aviation-Snip-Straight-2-14-563/dp/B0001IWB1M/ref=pd_cp_diy_0

This for my screwdriver (I don't have the drill with me in london):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfcraft-2625000-0-5-Hexagonal-Screwdriver/dp/B0012B464W/ref=sr_1_26?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1401753368&sr=1-26&keywords=screwdriver drill

Drilling bits:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-Titanium-Nitride-Coated-Pieces/dp/B009RM356I/ref=sr_1_17?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1401753611&sr=1-17&keywords=metal drill bit


Is it all good? I have all I need to mount my rear rack? I'll try to have enough space to mount a passenger too

 

[awol]

I don't think you will cut 3mm aluminium with those snips. Maybe a junior hacksaw may be better.

 

[danielrlee]

Great work as usual Dave. I could spend hours in a DIY store without even buying anything - just browsing and making mental notes for upcoming projects.

I've noticed that you favour rear racks for battery placement on the majority, if not all of your builds. Can I ask why you prefer this over a mid mounted battery in the triangle? To me, it felt like a night and day difference in handling when I switched.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

As long as you tuck the battery in low and well-forward, it doesn.t affect the handling much. This method of making a rack is very quick, easy, neat and stealthy. Fitting a 20aH battery in the triangle will not be very stealthy, and it's mounting be tricky, although it's the best place for a full-suspension bike. You could use a frame bag, but to me they look ugly, and I'd worry about the security. Nobody seems to notice the rack-bag.

Here's my latest one. Inside the bag at the front is a piece of foam to allow the bag to compress when the suspension moves just in case you were wondering:



Cwah, You don't need those aluminium plates. You just cut a piece of tube and smash it flat. It'll be easier to hammer it flat rather than use those pliers; however, you still need something to bend it round the frame. If there's no fixing on the frame, the clamps tend to slide down the frame tube because of the battery's weight. You can stop it by installing an additional jubilee clip under the clamp. The Aluminium tube that you get from Wickes is very good because it's quite hard and stiff. Other tube could be too soft.

 

[cwah]

Ok thanks d8veh.

So I get this bar?
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Tube-Anodised-Alum-Round-16mm-x1m/p/188251

8mm jubilee clip
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/271200589061?nav=SEARCH&varId=570156093749


And a pipe bender?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B008LSNZBO?cache=df17fabf0c9a27f153b29ed7cd21ad22&pi=SS115#ref=pd_aw_sbs_2

So I can bend it to my frame?

All good for shopping? I can order all?