Electric drives on bikes and trikes are great for transportation and for enabling anyone to get out and ride, but until now, most people have had to hodgepodge together a way to carry the battery. Batteries are big, dense and valuable, and you don't want to just stick them anywhere. A rear rack sometimes works, but then the wires have to be extended, the weight is up high, and you can't use the rack for anything else. Introducing T-Cycle's Direct Attach Battery Mount, for those situations where a simple mount will do.
FAQ
1. What does this do?
This mount allows you to attach a battery right next to a tube. It's that simple.
2. Where does it go?
It depends on the bike or trike, but on the main tube, generally on the boom, or just behind and under the seat, or on a chainstay. It very much depends on the bike or trike and the battery you want to mount. We make other Battery Mounts that are much more versatile, this one is the simple one for the cases when that works.
3. What kind of batteries can I put on it?
Most commonly available batteries. The battery shelf is drilled and tapped for the common batteries, like the Lunacycles, Shark, Hailong, Falco, etc. that use standard bottle boss spacing, as well as holes for NeoDrive and GoSwiss.
4. What size do I need?
We machine clamps to exactly match the size of your main frame tube, so the size needs to be exact. When you tell us the make and model of your trike, we can pick the right clamps for you.
5. Can I use a sideways extender?
We don't have sideways extender for this mount. Small amounts of sideways positioning can be done with custom spacers. If you need to clear a chainstay or some other obstruction by positioning the battery further out sideways, you probably need our Fully Configurable Mount. It can go all sorts of places.
6. What about unusual batteries?
This mount is designed to be simple and doesn't support flat batteries like the BionX, Falco, and Shimano rear rack batteries, or the Shimano Steps batteries. Again, our Fully Configurable can do all of those.
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
The mount consists of a heavy duty clamp that attaches to the frame, and a battery shelf that attaches to the clamp. The frame clamps are sized specifically to your trike. The plate can be attached in 3 different positions on the clamp depending on what is needed for your bike or trike. The clamp can be rotated around the frame and the plate can be flipped end to end. The combination of adjustments is limited compared to our Fully Configurable mount, but if you have the room for a battery along your frame, this mount can hold it there.
- First, hold the battery in the area where you would like it to go to get an idea of where the shelf and frame clamp need to be.
- Remove the clamp arch, hold the clamp against the frame, and reinstall the arch.
- Be sure to route any cables over the clamp, so they don't get pinched.
- Tighten the frame clamp, then attach the plate as needed.
- Attach your battery to the shelf with 5mm bolts (the bolts needed should come with the battery). That's it!
ADDITIONAL INFO
- Frame clamps are available in all common main tube sizes: 1.125, 1.25, 1.375, 1.5, 1.625, 1.75, and 2.0 inches; and 40, 50, 54, and 60mm; and the square tubing of Greenspeed Magnum, Anura, and GT20. We can often shim to other sizes, email for more information on that. Shims usually run $12-$15.
- The frame clamps require a 5/8 inch (16mm) area of straight, round, obstacle free main tube. Cables passing by is OK, but it's important there is nothing welded onto the frame right where the clamps might need to go. If you have any questions, you can email us a photo of your frame and we can determine what locations would work.
- For unusual situations, we have a dual battery mounting plate that attaches under the main tube. Contact us for details.
- Mounts are machined from 6061-T6 aluminum and black anodized. Frame clamps are 5/8 inch (16mm) wide. The frame clamping bolts are m6 stainless steel, so they are able to support batteries up to about 15 lbs (6.8Kg). Battery mounting holes are m5x0.8, threaded through 0.25 inches (6.35mm) mounting plate.
- The battery Shelf is 4.9in x 2.9in (12,6cm x 7,5cm) and has 18 m5x0.8 threaded holes for attaching batteries or battery adapter plates. The holes are in 2 rows, plus a square pattern.
- Recommended maximum battery weight is 15 lbs (6.8Kg). These mounts are very stout and can probably handle more, but due to the wide range of conditions out there, we rate them for 15lbs, which is actually a lot of battery.
- The Frame Clamps are made in a variety of sizes for almost every tube used on recumbent bikes and trikes, so it is usually possible to install this mount on many trikes as well as some bikes. The mount can go on the top, bottom left, or right side, or both sides, depending on your needs.