Best type of battery for rough MTB (downhill etc)

[maxwolfie]

Sorry I am new to all this

I’m looking at buying a Toseven DM02 for my hardtail

I am looking at battery shapes and case material - some strap to the underside of the top tube, some strap to the front of the seat tube, and some strap to the top of the down tube. Some are triangular shaped and strap to two tubes, or even all three of these tubes.

Some cases appear to be hard plastic (UPP) whilst others seem to be zipped up in a Kevlar-like case

I am wondering if there is a difference/advantage to any of these when it comes to rough rocks, drops, jumps, crashes and the like?

 

[jetpackjbd]

Sorry I am new to all this

I’m looking at buying a Toseven DM02 for my hardtail

I am looking at battery shapes and case material - some strap to the underside of the top tube, some strap to the front of the seat tube, and some strap to the top of the down tube. Some are triangular shaped and strap to two tubes, or even all three of these tubes.

Some cases appear to be hard plastic (UPP) whilst others seem to be zipped up in a Kevlar-like case

I am wondering if there is a difference/advantage to any of these when it comes to rough rocks, drops, jumps, crashes and the like?

I’d imagine anything that can soften the blow or prevent the battery from impact is best. Ideally you have a battery inside a tube but if you’re converting a regular bike you don’t really have that option. I think a seat tube mount would provide the most protection as depending on how it’s mounted it would be further from the area of impact if the bike falls over or crashes into something, but I doubt it matters much. If you crash there’s a chance any part of the bike will be hit or bent, so location isn’t super important in my option.
For jumps and bumps, it’s more important that your battery is held in well. Triangular batteries that attach to 3 tubes would provide the most protection from falling out because of the additional mount points.

 

[scianiac]

I've found in reality it depends a lot more on the frame and the size of battery you want as to what will really fit especially if you are talking about a bike with suspension. I ride my bikes over the terrain you describe any my solution was to use Lipo bricks in custom made hard cases with extra thick sections in areas that are exposed because that is all that would fit. These are then strapped very firmly to the bike with Dyneema line and I would highly recommend whatever mounting method you use to include some strap that you can get very tight and a method which spreads the force over a large section of the frame and not with two little clamps or bottle cage bolts. I also did this because it allowed me to mount the battery weight further down on the frame, I don't know that mounting a large and very heavy battery on top of the top tube would do good things for the handling of the bike. I would go with a design that places the weight low inside the triangle and can be secured to the down tube and seat tube and then if you're worried about impacts just armor it accordingly which will provide much better protection than some cheap ABS case. For instance a sheet of impact rated polycarbonate will provide a lot of protection and you can place it where it matters. Then if that bag is not secure enough you can add some straps if needed.

 

[Chalo]

I’m looking at buying a Toseven DM02 for my hardtail

[...]

I am wondering if there is a difference/advantage to any of these when it comes to rough rocks, drops, jumps, crashes and the like?

Not sure what your physical size is, but I don't think that motor unit is cut out for the job you describe.

 

[jetpackjbd]

[...]


Not sure what your physical size is, but I don't think that motor unit is cut out for the job you describe.

You think? 500W l should be enough unless you’re hoping to go up steep hills at 20MPH. My 350W “mountain bike” (barely a mountain bike) is good enough for me, although I’m only 150 pounds. It’s gone up steep hills at 18mph throttle only, but that’s on paved roads. Keep in mind that the DM02 is only pedal assist, not throttle, so you’ll never rely on the motor alone.

 

[Chalo]

You think? 500W l should be enough unless you’re hoping to go up steep hills at 20MPH. My 350W “mountain bike” (barely a mountain bike) is good enough for me, although I’m only 150 pounds. It’s gone up steep hills at 18mph throttle only, but that’s on paved roads. Keep in mind that the DM02 is only pedal assist, not throttle, so you’ll never rely on the motor alone.

I'm not talking about power, but physical robustness. That's a square taper unit derived from one that was undersized even by square taper standards. Jumping, drops, and crashing are not likely to be shrugged off for long.

 

[maxwolfie]

I'm not talking about power, but physical robustness. That's a square taper unit derived from one that was undersized even by square taper standards. Jumping, drops, and crashing are not likely to be shrugged off for long.

Thank you. What sort of features/specifications should I be looking for for rough riding?

 

[Chalo]

Thank you. What sort of features/specifications should I be looking for for rough riding?

Something with a large diameter bottom bracket spindle would be a start. To be honest, I don't know what choices that gives you these days. If you use a Cyclone 3kW system (not actually 3kW, but big, crude, noisy, and cheap), then you can use the crank and bottom bracket of your choice, within dimensional constraints. Not sure it's worth the tradeoffs.

 

[DaLanMan]

I have to give the not to Chalo on this, he knows *WAY* more about ebike longevity than I do, or am honestly likely to ever know, he has been doing it for a while.

I don't know that there is a through-crank system on an existing mt bike that is really ready for the extra handling you are talking about.

That aside, the best I have seen for a battery was a hard case that was heavily padded inside, this was hung mid-frame with a fairly taut expansion system (think springs, but this was actually stretch cloth of some kind) that was itself backed up by firm nylon cross strapping.

I ended up talking to the kid who was using it at a demonstration, it was his Dad's design so not a lot of pro back end on this (well, his dad built bikes for x-games contenders, but evidently this was his first e-bike. But this was literally a frame up design. they had used larger square stock to handle the electronic components.

 

[maxwolfie]

I have to give the not to Chalo on this, he knows *WAY* more about ebike longevity than I do, or am honestly likely to ever know, he has been doing it for a while.

I don't know that there is a through-crank system on an existing mt bike that is really ready for the extra handling you are talking about.

That aside, the best I have seen for a battery was a hard case that was heavily padded inside, this was hung mid-frame with a fairly taut expansion system (think springs, but this was actually stretch cloth of some kind) that was itself backed up by firm nylon cross strapping.

I ended up talking to the kid who was using it at a demonstration, it was his Dad's design so not a lot of pro back end on this (well, his dad built bikes for x-games contenders, but evidently this was his first e-bike. But this was literally a frame up design. they had used larger square stock to handle the electronic components.

That actually makes a lot of sense, thanks!

 

[neptronix]

Battery wise, em3ev and ebikes.ca both have very good construction.

The hard triangle packs from em3ev may have some of the most durable battery construction. Considering they are often fitted in a frame bag with padding, that battery in particular should be a solid choice.

Toseven mid drives are fairly heavy and cheap. I agree it might not be a good choice for the application.

I don't have a solid mid drive choice to recommend for you ( i'm more of a hub motor enjoyer ), so i'll leave it up to the crowd:
EBike Non-hub Motor Drives