I about to be building a new battery pack and it’s going to be a 20S10P pack mounted in the triangle of my 1999 rockhopper. Because of the number of cells and the shape of my triangle and to give me good options for keeping current flow healthy I think I’m going to need to orient the cells 5 across. This makes the pack at a minimum 5 inches wide if I honeycomb the cells. Any opinions on whether that is what too wide to be comfortable riding?
Max comfortable width of pack mounted in triangle
- Thread starter wallywolf
- Start date
Everybody is different, so make a cardboard version and tape it in there, and ride a while; you'll know for sure. 
rockstar195
100 W
- Joined
- May 13, 2019
- Messages
- 166
Post pics of the triangle please.
rockstar195
100 W
- Joined
- May 13, 2019
- Messages
- 166
wallywolf said:
Post pics of the triangle please.
rockstar195 said:
rockstar195 said:
https://www.google.com/search?q=1999+rockhopper.&newwindow=1&client=firefox-b-1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5m8Li253mAhWHop4KHfbeCrUQ_AUoAnoECGQQBA&biw=1076&bih=594
Hwy89
10 kW
Are you using 18650 cells? I get 5 cells at ~3.75 inches in columns and 4.12 inches honeycombed. This is packing them tight without cellholders.
dogman dan
1 PW
5 inches is wide, but should be tolerable. 6 inches can be stood by some, just depends on if you pedal, or faux pedal, or no pedal. At 6 inches, you will be pedaling quite noticeably bowlegged.
DogDipstick
100 kW
My pedals clear with a 122.5mm BB and 7" in between. Pedal clears by 5mm on each side. The cells are 6.5 in a box and there are 20 or them.
You get used to it. Its nothing like the spread have to do on my Ninjas. Ninja you are really humping a gas tank. You get used to it. Plus, I like to pedal squarly, not at an angle that hurts my knees. So the 7" in between are tehre whether the batt is or not. My hips are 7+ inches apart.
Still looks thin. Thinner than the forks in the front ( 8 inch apart tubes)
You get used to it. Its nothing like the spread have to do on my Ninjas. Ninja you are really humping a gas tank. You get used to it. Plus, I like to pedal squarly, not at an angle that hurts my knees. So the 7" in between are tehre whether the batt is or not. My hips are 7+ inches apart.
Still looks thin. Thinner than the forks in the front ( 8 inch apart tubes)
DogDipstick
100 kW
Tommm said:
I rip mine around off road. Drifting donuts, mud slinging 20 feet.
Still not as wide as most MC at 7". Looks thin. I flick that thing hard. My knees dont hit. IDK maybe Im just me, but I dont fear the 7 inches in my box.
DogDipstick said:Tommm said:
I rip mine around off road. Drifting donuts, mud slinging 20 feet.
Still not as wide as most MC at 7". Looks thin. I flick that thing hard. My knees dont hit. IDK maybe Im just me, but I dont fear the 7 inches in my box.
I think the difference is the top tube on yours might be slanted? My top tube starts almost from the base of the seat, so the battery starts really close to you and is always in line with my knees.
DogDipstick
100 kW
I say its "To WIDE" when the pack hits the ground if the bike falls over.
My bike has fallen over, and the pedal, bar and axle is on the ground, but I did not get any road rash on the battery box.
My bike has fallen over, and the pedal, bar and axle is on the ground, but I did not get any road rash on the battery box.
Grantmac
10 kW
Keep in mind one person's "offroad" is another's walking path. So be careful which advice you follow.
Me personally I want it under 5" at top tube height, perhaps slightly more on the downtube but not much. Be careful to take into account suspension travel if you are going to do any real offroading. The pack design above wouldn't survive full travel of the front suspension so is best considered an onroad or gentle path option.
Me personally I want it under 5" at top tube height, perhaps slightly more on the downtube but not much. Be careful to take into account suspension travel if you are going to do any real offroading. The pack design above wouldn't survive full travel of the front suspension so is best considered an onroad or gentle path option.
DogDipstick
100 kW
Its 5" travel on a frame designed for 4 1/2". I havnt been able to bottom yet. Maybe you cannot see because of the angle.
I mean youare not the first to say that it might bottom. I cannot keep the front down with the pack anywhere else. I'll happily hit whoopdedoos at 35mph.
But yeah soft at first but havnt bottomed. 80lbs.
I'll bet it will throw mud 40'. Plus the Dave Weagal suspension eats bumps.
I should take the spring out and take a picture fully bottomed. I am not riding on walking paths. Heavy logging trails. Fast.
The wheel is smaller than a normal 26" too.. Its a 24". Remember you must consider that.
I mean youare not the first to say that it might bottom. I cannot keep the front down with the pack anywhere else. I'll happily hit whoopdedoos at 35mph.
But yeah soft at first but havnt bottomed. 80lbs.
I'll bet it will throw mud 40'. Plus the Dave Weagal suspension eats bumps.
I should take the spring out and take a picture fully bottomed. I am not riding on walking paths. Heavy logging trails. Fast.
The wheel is smaller than a normal 26" too.. Its a 24". Remember you must consider that.
Grantmac said:
dogman dan
1 PW
I had off road bikes set up much like Dogs. I did not pedal more than a handful of strokes a mile. Rode great standing up, pinching the saddle between my thighs. I rode it exactly like I used to ride my trials MC.
But sit down and try to really pedal, It was too bowlegged for me to do it for say, 50 miles. 5 inches worked for that for me. I had a half inch of frame bar between my battery and road rash, and did not drag my pants leg on the frame. The battery was one 18650 cell length wide.
But sit down and try to really pedal, It was too bowlegged for me to do it for say, 50 miles. 5 inches worked for that for me. I had a half inch of frame bar between my battery and road rash, and did not drag my pants leg on the frame. The battery was one 18650 cell length wide.
miro13car
100 kW
as far as I know there are ways to "spread" your legs while pedaling.
change bottom bracket to wider
or
install extenders between cranks and pedals
such extender screws into crank and pedal screws into extender.
change bottom bracket to wider
or
install extenders between cranks and pedals
such extender screws into crank and pedal screws into extender.
If you widen the cranks too much, you can injure yourself over time, especially if you're putting any serious power into the pedals.
How much is too much depends on your own hip width and knees, etc. Look up Q-factor; there's a fair bit of stuff out there (some of the opinions found may conflict with other stufff on the same subject, though).
I'm sure that a significant portion of my knee/etc problems I have to live with and work around now were caused by my bicycling with the wrong fit bikes all my life, between crank width and length and frame/seat height, etc. Probably some of my hand numbness issues are from that sort of thing, too (riding with too much pressure on the wrists, wrong hand positions, etc etc).
How much is too much depends on your own hip width and knees, etc. Look up Q-factor; there's a fair bit of stuff out there (some of the opinions found may conflict with other stufff on the same subject, though).
I'm sure that a significant portion of my knee/etc problems I have to live with and work around now were caused by my bicycling with the wrong fit bikes all my life, between crank width and length and frame/seat height, etc. Probably some of my hand numbness issues are from that sort of thing, too (riding with too much pressure on the wrists, wrong hand positions, etc etc).
dogman dan
1 PW
True enough, wrong fit bike will give you hand and wrist problems. But so does just getting old. 
But yes good advice not to pedal hard much on bikes that are making you pedal bowlegged. That's why I couldn't, or at least wouldn't pedal much at all on those dirt bikes with 7 inch wide battery boxes. And,,, 99% of the ride there was no way to keep up. At 40 mph, no pedaling.
But yes good advice not to pedal hard much on bikes that are making you pedal bowlegged. That's why I couldn't, or at least wouldn't pedal much at all on those dirt bikes with 7 inch wide battery boxes. And,,, 99% of the ride there was no way to keep up. At 40 mph, no pedaling.
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