Rigid Panniers....The Quest For

[Tommy L]

Look for threads, but I'd have to revive one from Dec 2012

I've had to make a battery for my Bionx system on my Catrike 700. For the past year or so, I've put my 25lbs of LiFePO4
in the top on my rear bicycle rack in a padded backpack made for a Laptop. Barely fits....ok, doesn't really fit

That isn't the issue. If you have a trike with a rear rack and have placed heavy weight up there, it's a cornering
issue. Too much top weight! I thought it would be ok, since me the driver, is down low at 190lbs. But 25lbs
above your head is just bad for gravity.

I've ordered the Catrike 700 ARKEL Frame bags yesterday. I'd like to see what I can stuff in them, But they are NOT waterproof
But easy enough to maybe cram some cells in there. Makes for an easy mounting solution.

I purchased a couple of these from our local Canadian Tire Store. No O-Ring, so probably not waterproof.
Then you have to find a way to mount them. Nice to mount making them removable. So the engineering mind has to go to work.

This guy found some hardware for his DIY Panniers, almost the same method that all panniers use for mount/dismount.

These are available from our local Canadian Tire Store, I've seen them on Amazon too!
MTM Sportsmen's Plus Utility Dry Box

And finally, a company that makes a hard plastic pannier for bicycles

http://www.bikebins.com/

Tommy L sends....

 

[bowlofsalad]

There are tons of options, old ammo cases, tool box any bag mixed with any box. http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12847 This thread might help.

The word waterproof is often misused. A lot of bags you'll find might be water resistant. But waterproof means that if you at least submerge the container in water, it's contents stay dry. Making the battery water resistant might not take much, saran wrap, a plastic bag or two, and maybe a bag/box that would prevent water from coming in any angle pretty hard. These ideas would still fail if submerged, but I imagine you'll understand.

When you turn while riding the trike with the batteries on top of a rack, do one of the wheels lift off the ground?

One frustrating detail with finding solid boxes is that much of the time, getting exact internal dimensions can be difficult. You'd think that would be something they'd spell out very clearly, but it isn't so and I am sure you already know this by now.

 

[Tommy L]

When you turn while riding the trike with the batteries on top of a rack, do one of the wheels lift off the ground?

One frustrating detail with finding solid boxes is that much of the time, getting exact internal dimensions can be difficult. You'd think that would be something they'd spell out very clearly, but it isn't so and I am sure you already know this by now.

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad sounds good...... lol
Hey Bowl Of Salad!

Yes, the trike will easily go up onto two wheels in a hard corner, even with me leaning way out off the seat edge.
26" wheel on back and 20's on the the front. It's puts that weight up to high for sure.

The original Bionx battery (different than what you see Bionx have now) This was a 2008 or 2009 system and
there was an option for a battery in a battery bag. The previous owner strapped the batter to the lower frame.
I can easily do the same if I only want 6-9ah. I'm running 16ah of the headway 38120HP red cells that are 8ah each.
Running in a 12s2p config.

Even putting the weight shared between two panniers still has the weight above the rear axle.
The Catrike 700 frame bages will sit about the same height, but at least it will be more towards the
center of the trike.

I could get Hard Panniers to sit lower than center of rear axle, but I would have to fabricate a different
rear rack that would be wider so the hard bags could sit lower.

ICE makes a trike pannier that goes across the mess seat. Pretty sweet, but it doesn't fit the Catrike.

The Catrike 700 doesn't make it easy to place the cells/batteries.

Yes, the dimensions of boxes can be skewed, but I just purchase two of a couple of contenders, bring them home,
put them next to the trike and say: "nah" or "Yes" lol Then I try to fit the cells/batteries in. lol

On my long workout rides I need to travel 30mile/50kms. I use 7-9wh per km so I need around 600wh or more.
I only do 50-70% DOD on my packs

The original Bionx was 9ah, so maybe 333wh at 100% DOD.

Tommy L sends....

 

[oatnet]

Have you looked at pelican plastic boxes? They are light, durable, and drillable for mounting, so lot of people have made panniers with them for bikes and motos.
-JD

 

[Tommy L]

Have you looked at pelican plastic boxes? They are light, durable, and drillable for mounting, so lot of people have made panniers with them for bikes and motos.
-JD

Yes! Pelican makes some great cases from small to large!

Just not sure if i want to put battery weight back there. I mentioned earlier that I'd have to fabricate
my own rear rack to try to get the battery weight at axle or below axle level, but it still means that
the weight is aft, and when that much weight is in the rear, the front tires can and do lose traction
during fast cornering. (hookworms on the front and rear) Especially if there is even some small loose
sand/gravel. I'm happy that this Catrike only has a Bionx on it so my speed is somewhat reduced as
compared to my other FS Mountain bike.

Tommy L sends....

 

[chvidgov.bc.ca]

I've got a Catrike Road with dual pings right under the seat...

please refer to this thread on the Catrike site...

http://catrike.yuku.com/reply/53801#.UgcPFz-IbE8

It makes a huge difference in handling to have the batteries off the back rack and down low right under your fanny...

 

[Tommy L]

I've got a Catrike Road with dual pings right under the seat...

That's awesome but the Catrike 700 seat is very laid back and doesn't have the room that your
Road has

The original battery was mounted on the main frame under the seat but was only a 9.6ah
10s6p 18650 sony cells and measured 8.5" x 3.75" x 2.5". The previous owner put some neoprene
around it and then Ductape. Then he strapped it to the round main tube of the trike frame using
ABS tube cut in half and place on each side of the frame to protect it from the Muffler clamps
holding a piece of "C" channel. Then the battery was strapped to the "c" channel using straps.
The battery only weighed 5lbs and it was under the seat

Again, I don't have the room/space like your trike

Tommy L sends....

 

[dogman dan]

The gold standard would be motorcycle hard panniers, but generally they won't fit without hooking your heels on them on a regular bike. I see no real reason they wouldn't work fine on any trike or bent though.

Cheap? uh, no.

Though not waterproof per se, I find my cheap vynil motorcycle saddlebags work great on my longtail. The lids overlap generously, and keep it dry inside. Maybe you don't actually need hard?

 

[Tommy L]

The gold standard would be motorcycle hard panniers, but generally they won't fit without hooking your heels on them on a regular bike. I see no real reason they wouldn't work fine on any trike or bent though.

Cheap? uh, no.

Good Day Dogman!

For $109, I've seen these on a recumbent trike. They look good and not too pricey compared to Bicycle priced
Panniers. Still, the issue is, getting them down low on my trike and more centered. Weight to the rear
is not good on Tadpoles. My Catrike 700 is low and the seat is very reclined too.

I found this too! Pretty funny, I could call my trike "Gun Slinger" if I put them on. Not so practical though.

But I could place the batteries up front of the case and put lighter stuff near the rear, lol

Then there is this arrangement. But it won't fit my trike, but I'm sure I could get a couple of small duffel bags
and make my own "Across the Seat Strap" Easy on/off.

 

[blazer]

Take a look at this way of making rigid boxes. Stiff, superlight, easy to make in almost any shape and configuration. You can easily make you own foam/glass or CF panels as well and then the shape really is unlimited.

View attachment Cut-and-Fold.pdf

 

[Tommy L]

Take a look at this way of making rigid boxes. Stiff, superlight, easy to make in almost any shape and configuration. You can easily make you own foam/glass or CF panels as well and then the shape really is unlimited.

PDF didn't work