Creative battery disguises???

[briogio]

I'm just doing the final touches to a BMC FWD rigid, satin black, mtb 36t, road 50t, Beast, aah the hazards of being a perfectionist!, ♫"baby I was born this way"♫

One of the last things I'm trying to figure out is how to hide the battery, it's rectangular block; (7" Long, 3 5/8" Wide and 6 1/2" Height). I've got it in the triangle, in the regular water bottle position with a custom made mount that is strengthened by black(of course), thick rubber bungee gords, which look hugly but do a great job of securing the battery in position, I'll probably have to find a less visible way of doing that, but...

My question to y'all is how have some of you, or have seen, innovative ways of disguising a battery in a frame. I saw someone use a metal lunch pail on a chopper that looked cool, but I don't know if I want to enclose the battery before winter also I would have to cut open the bottom to put it over my water bottle frame mount. Anyway I'm thinking about it too and if I come up with something cool, I'll le y'all know. :wink:

 

[rebelpilot]

Sports bag?

 

[fizzit]

Take all the stuffing out of a big stuffed animal and put the batteries in there. You will look really cool and it will help insulate them too

 

[briogio]

Take all the stuffing out of a big stuffed animal and put the batteries in there. You will look really cool and it will help insulate them too

That's a good suggestion too, but would it let the battery get too hot?

Also as I'm pedaling I don't want whatever I use to foul my legs, so it has to be relatively narrow.

So many constrictions!

 

[Beavinator]

Id be more worried about having the controller enclosed in that bag. It may overheat.

 

[nuevomexicano]

Id be more worried about having the controller enclosed in that bag. It may overheat.

My battery is in a regular bicycle rear rack bag and doesn't get hot. The fact that its a regular bicycle part keeps it pretty low key. Having a a bag with a known bike logo--Scwhinn, Avenir, etc...--helps.

The controller is mounted outside the bag to stay cool. But its small enough to blend in lots of places. I also wrapped all my wires in an old inner tube, which blends them in as well.

I really like the stuffed animal idea. I've debated making a big water bottle. But maybe something like a a 2 liter bottle that looks like its filled with Coke would work even better.

 

[briogio]

Id be more worried about having the controller enclosed in that bag. It may overheat.

My battery is in a regular bicycle rear rack bag and doesn't get hot. The fact that its a regular bicycle part keeps it pretty low key. Having a a bag with a known bike logo--Scwhinn, Avenir, etc...--helps.

The controller is mounted outside the bag to stay cool. But its small enough to blend in lots of places. I also wrapped all my wires in an old inner tube, which blends them in as well.

I really like the stuffed animal idea. I've debated making a big water bottle. But maybe something like a a 2 liter bottle that looks like its filled with Coke would work even better.

Good to know about the bag, I have my controller mounted flat against my BMX bars painted satin black with my CA mounted behind, it's invisible and in the best cooling place. This build has been a lot of little hurdles but I've done some pretty cool things and learned a lot.

So far I like the idea of louvered aluminum box painted satin black with room for polystyrene panels that I can insert for winter rides, but that could all change if a better idea(to me anyway) pops up

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Or just put your bike INSIDE a stuffed animal!

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Or if you prefer the Biker Look:

8)

 

[liveforphysics]

Or just put your bike INSIDE a stuffed animal!

OMG! I love it! I must make my next build fur covered!

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Or just put your bike INSIDE a stuffed animal!

OMG! I love it! I must make my next build fur covered!

You should! And then all the "aero-weenies" would be REALLY ticked off when you beat them in a race!

 

[John in CR]

Or just put your bike INSIDE a stuffed animal!

Being an LSU alum (sorry Ducks fans but you got a full dose of SEC football last week), I've gotta build me one of those!

John

 

[John in CR]

Sorry no pics to share yet, but our project well under way that is aptly named BattBike, will have invisible batteries. The batteries and their composite wrapping with wiring enclosed will actually be the down tube and top tube. The tube dimensions will similar to a typical AL bike, but the batteries forming an integral part of the bike's structure will have over 1.3kwh in capacity (18ah74V nominal) and be capable of 100A+ and require no balancing, just bulk charging to 82V.

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

I can't seem to find any pics for some reason, but someone has a "chopper" looking bike that has a fake "motorcycle engine" out of plastic to make it look like a HD twin or something, not sure how fancy you want the cover to be, if it needs to be just stealth or functional too (water proof?) but I would just make it look either like a sports bag or you could always go the "art bike" route and make something crazy looking so they would just think you're weird and forget to look for a battery.

This could be an option! No one would think to look for electrics at all if they don't even see wheels! :lol:

 

[Pure]

I keep my battery in a bag on the rear rack. Sure it's top ass heavy but to tell you the truth I don't really notice the weight once I'm on the bike. Then again, I'm a big guy so what's 30 extra pounds near my ass.

In this pic it's still the old 48V 20Ah LiFe pack I used to have. Now I have a 60V 20Ah shoved in there. To make it fit, I had to cut the bottom out of the bag. The way I cut it, I did so that the bottom would help become part of the lower side panels on the bag. So no battery is visible. You can also see the bolt I put through the rack mount and the frame. This was to help support the weight of the bag and help with lateral forces from the weight of the pack. That's my controller on top of the bag. Secured with black zip ties. In the event of foul weather, the whole setup fits snugly in a small trash can liner for water protection.

 

[briogio]

I keep my battery in a bag on the rear rack. Sure it's top ass heavy but to tell you the truth I don't really notice the weight once I'm on the bike. Then again, I'm a big guy so what's 30 extra pounds near my ass.

In this pic it's still the old 48V 20Ah LiFe pack I used to have. Now I have a 60V 20Ah shoved in there. To make it fit, I had to cut the bottom out of the bag. The way I cut it, I did so that the bottom would help become part of the lower side panels on the bag. So no battery is visible. You can also see the bolt I put through the rack mount and the frame. This was to help support the weight of the bag and help with lateral forces from the weight of the pack. That's my controller on top of the bag. Secured with black zip ties. In the event of foul weather, the whole setup fits snugly in a small trash can liner for water protection.

Problem is I must live by the motorcycle, (actually any racing vehicle's) creed; "Keep thy weight low and centred", so in conjunction with "God is in the details", the lowest and most centred place place I could practically put the battery was in the downtube water bottle position. Now that I've pretty well finished the bike I have to deal with the hand I've been dealt.

 

[iovaykind]

Nothing beats my "lunch box" battery

http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d66/iovaykind/?action=view&current=2011-07-20_16-18-39_307.mp4

Even people who know about ebikes ask me where I put my batteries when the battery is sitting on the rear rack

 

[chisixer6]

My setups is like Pure's, only I have three 12v SLA batteries in there. Like Pure said, being a big guy too, I don't notice the extra weight. Can wait til I switch over to Life.

I was out riding Saturday night to pay my cable bill, I realize that my setup may cause problems with the law enforcement. With tommorrow being 9/11, everyone on high alert, I was worry that I may be pulled over as I pass some cops, being with my setup, I have the big wire coming out of the bag with chrome plugs in full view. So I think next few days, I am going to ride pedal bike. I was worry that after being pulled over, they would seize the bike, as I don't think cops will know if it is explosives or batteries, don't want to spend some times in lockup either. Just my thoughts....later.....Jerry
Glad I am in Chicago and not NYC or DC.

 

[Pure]

Sorry, I meant to come back and post more, but got side tracked. The point to my post was that if you are going to use a bag of some sort and you want it to be "stealth" then use a bag meant for a bike. Side paners are nice but you are looking for something that goes in the frame. Cellman http://www.emissions-free.com/index.html sells a bag specifically meant to carry batteries in the frame of a bicycle. It looks like any other cargo bike bag and one would never suspect it's holding batteries. I showed my setup because it's about as stealth as one can get. Seriously, not one person who has seen my bike has realized it's electric, until I tell them.

A few members here have these bags and I've read nothing but good things about them.

Also, you don't need to worry about heat from your batteries being enclosed. If your pack is getting hot, you are pulling too many ampc or Cs from the pack and need to back off.

 

[electr0n]

Pure that's a nice looking bike and very low profile being all black. I'd be afraid to lock that bike up anywhere outside. Do you use your bike for errands or commuting at all? Sorry to go off topic. I keep my battery in a bag on the rear rack as well. I have a front motor so the weight is balanced but having that weight up high does affect the way the bike handles. I'm used to though. I find the rear rack is convenient for easily removing the battery when I'm locking my bike outside anywhere. I do like the way the bike handles better with the battery mounted in the frame but the rear rack is more convenient for me. On a side note almost nobody notices my bike is electric even with a front hub motor.

 

[Pure]

Thanks Elect0n. And to answer your question, yes I use my bike for everything. It's actually my sole means of transportation. I got rid of my car back in late 08. I haven't bought gas in over 2 years. I use a massive cable lock at all times. I'm still worried about it being stolen and plan on installing some sort of theft deterrent alarm and possibly GPS tracking.

edit: oh and my battery is mounted to the rack via a custom angle aluminum stock frame that is riveted together around the pack, then riveted to the rack. For someone to steal my battery, they are going to have to cut it off or destroy the pack trying to remove it.

 

[briogio]

Nothing beats my "lunch box" battery

http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d66/iovaykind/?action=view&current=2011-07-20_16-18-39_307.mp4

Even people who know about ebikes ask me where I put my batteries when the battery is sitting on the rear rack

Yeah, even though with dial up I couldn't see a picture, I think I like the lunch box idea the best.

Now to find one! everything's plastic nowadays, and I definitely want to use a metal one, hopefully aluminum.

If anyone in Canada knows where to buy one, I'ld really appreciate the tip. :wink:

"Also, you don't need to worry about heat from your batteries being enclosed. If your pack is getting hot, you are pulling too many ampc or Cs from the pack and need to back off."-Thanks for the info Pure, that's reassuring to know.

 

[Sunder]

I know it's not an electric bike, but the tiger camouflage reminded me of something from "Burning Man"...

Now that's what you call a land shark.

 

[dogman dan]

Frame bags are a great solution, but knowing what's inside they look like a battery to me. Bear in mind, most folks don't notice my front hub motor that is 12" diameter. Number one question, where's the motor? So a frame bag is all most will ever need.

So for those who know, nothing can hide it. For those who don't know plain sight is still hid. :lol:

But if you really want ultimate stealth, It's hard to beat the art bike approach. Love that tiger. But the same approach works with bamboo, duct tape, stickers, buttons, whatever you stick 20 pounds of to your bike will conceal and distract.

The simple and normal approach works nearly as good. Normal looking panniers or rack bags. Panniers cover rear motors real good. Nobody sees the rear motor on a longtail.

 

[rebelpilot]

If anyone in Canada knows where to buy one, I'ld really appreciate the tip. :wink:

http://www.metalfabricators.on.ca/newsite/Product.asp