Battery mounting options for trek Y3?

neptronix

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Picked up an old late 90's Trek Y3 extra large frame for $60 recently, but it has been collecting dust as i sit here debating myself as to what the best battery mounting method is.

I could go with a rear rack, but i know that the weight being in such an awful place is something i'd like to avoid entirely ( been there, done that.. )

I don't have the means to do custom metal fabrication, so let's cross that one off too, unfortunately.

I have RC Lipos for my batteries.. i'm thinking that somebody must make some sort of case that i can drape over the front tube. Any leads, or alternative ideas?
 
8 5ah 5s/6s bricks at a minimum. Not willing to do duct tape!
 
Drunkskunk said:
Build a box that allows you to line them up on either side of the frame. Fiberglass, heat molded ABS, or cloroplast board (corigated plastic sign board). I think Dogman built something like it for his offroad bike.

Have been trying to do something like that. The curvature of the tube doesn't make it particularly easy.
I like this bike a crapton, but i do feel like it's built like one of those bum benches: designed specifically not to allow a particular use:

banco-anti-mendigos.jpg
 
Depends on the use you will be doing. I run just 14s 5ah in the rear rack of my dirt bike, and for a longer run put 5 ah more in a handlebar bag.

Just 4.5 pounds on the rear rack, but I won't say you can't feel it. It does not buck me off like when I carried a 15 pound ping in a rear rack.

But I assume you want to carry at least 800wh, and for that the easy thing for me was the saddlebag type boxes. There are various bags though, that can be used. Two handlebar bags for example.

If you dig deep enough, I did show in a thread on the Death Race bike how the boxes were built. I did drill two holes in the frame to mount those boxes to the Y frame dirt bike later. I never developed a crack in the frame, despite riding hard enough to shake parts off the bike several times.

It's really easy to build the boxes with simple tools, aluminum or other sheet material cuts with a skill saw, and the thin wooden sides of the box hold screws easy. No welding, no needing a metal brake to bend sheets.

You can shape some wooden blocks, to go under the box, if you want to do a clamp on rather than drill the frame, Curved wood facing the frame, flat wood on the box. Then bolts to clamp it in place. Notches as needed for cabling, or re route through sheathed cable.
 
How about a couple of Caselogic PDVS-4 DVD player bags like GMUseless uses. Each bag holds 4 6S packs. Picture here, last photo.

Also Ykick's Custom Leathercraft 1206 bags pictured here and here.
 
Joseph C. said:
Will the Additive Bag being sold on the forum work?
If not you could just put them in a handlebar bag. Problem solved.

I considered it, but found out that on this type of design, it looks like it would slip around and do other funny stuff.. :(

Dogman, i'd like to carry gobs of battery ( 12lbs minimum ), and i know what a seat post mounted rear rack does to the bike in terms of handling, so i'd like to avoid that if i can.

Okay, so for the leatherman idea, i think that leg rub against the bags would be an issue ( i like to pedal all the time ), but the case logic dvd holder idea actually doesn't look half bad.

I have an idea.. how about two aluminum plates bolted to each other of the front which squish against the frame, providing a flat surface on the sides..
And then a 'u' bolt going around the headtube.. if i can find a 'u' bolt which conforms around the headtube perfectly, then i can have some side-side motion prevention.. :)
 
neptronix said:
I have an idea.. how about two aluminum plates bolted to each other of the front which squish against the frame, providing a flat surface on the sides..
And then a 'u' bolt going around the headtube.. if i can find a 'u' bolt which conforms around the headtube perfectly, then i can have some side-side motion prevention.. :)
Something like the side-mounted boards here? Steve'o Norco VPS buzz 2001 5304 RWD Before & After.. Pictures further down show he uses strapping instead of a U-bolt.
 
Do what I did with my dahon jetstream:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=59156

5mm hard foams heat formed to protected the batteries. Then tied to the 2 sides of the bike with steel tie.

Very good handling. No problems at all since I rode it (3 months ago)
 
CRC bags could carry 15S4P and the width really wasn't a problem for me. Just a tad over 5" overall width IIRC? Secured as close to the steering head as possible helped a bit too. Of course, they look sorta skanky but those Y frames tend to be a challenge.
 
This method carried 72v 10 ah, but I did have to pedal bowlegged, and occasionally dinged my knee on the corner. Wanting to pedal more is why I went to the smaller pack, and the rear rack carry. This one, I only pedaled it when It stalled, like on 20% grades.

2812 9c dirtbike, w 40 amp 72v controller..JPG
 
A few ideas in the 48 pages of the photos and vids area. Possibly a handlebar style pelican box, you have room where the water bottle goes for some and a few in a rear rack or backpack. You don't have to put them all in one place. I don't like more than 6 or 8lbs on a rear rack or in a backpack but that much is fine. Looks like a hard one to me.
 
I've considered the pelican box idea quite a bit. I don't have a dual crown fork, all i have is a bunch of nice, new single crown type forks.

Moving to another state sometime soon, so i'm feeling cheap these days.
 
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