Anyone found a way to carry a spare battery - not in an EVOC backpack

[Al Boneta]

Explain please? What sort of rides do you use an ebike for? A lot of our trails climb 1000ft vert every mile. Then we get long rides across the tops of the mountains. Yes, these rides are easy for some people, but not most. Why not use an ebike and just carry another battery and do 10k-12k vert and 60 miles? Ive been doing these rides for the last 20 years on a regular bike and now that Im older (almost 50) the ebike is so much more fun. The last 4 years Ive been on a fat bike.

View attachment 22998

What’s there to explain? If I wanted to ride 60 miles, I would use my Stumpjumper. If I was going to do the Leadville 100 I would use my Epic.
My usual Ebike ride averages 20-30 miles with 4000-5500ft of climbing. That’s nothing to brag about since that bike has a motor. I’m 44 and the only reason I ride Ebikes is because after 30 years of mountain biking and working in shops, they have reinvigorated my interest in bikes in general.

 

[B-man]

What’s there to explain? If I wanted to ride 60 miles, I would use my Stumpjumper. If I was going to do the Leadville 100 I would use my Epic.
My usual Ebike ride averages 20-30 miles with 4000-5500ft of climbing. That’s nothing to brag about since that bike has a motor. I’m 44 and the only reason I ride Ebikes is because after 30 years of mountain biking and working in shops, they have reinvigorated my interest in bikes in general.

I thought ebikes were mainly used for longer rides, not shorter rides. That's backward of what we use ebikes for. We use ebikes for super long 6-10 hour rides on 10-20% eco and use our normal bike for shorter 2-4 hour rides. I get almost the same workout just an epic day.

 

[Al Boneta]

I thought ebikes were mainly used for longer rides, not shorter rides. That's backward of what we use ebikes for. We use ebikes for super long 6-10 hour rides on 10-20% eco and use our normal bike for shorter 2-4 hour rides. I get almost the same workout just an epic day.

View attachment 23120

At 10% eco you might as well be riding a non-pedal assisted bike.
My hats off to you riding for 10 hours, I just don’t have that big of a chunk of time to ride.
These photos are amazing by the way.

 

[B-man]

At 10% eco you might as well be riding a non-pedal assisted bike.
My hats off to you riding for 10 hours, I just don’t have that big of a chunk of time to ride.
These photos are amazing by the way.

Im usually set on 20 or 25%. The only time we've used less is to finish without a dead battery and so walk mode works. In a 10 hour ride, we get 7-8hrs of actual move time according to GPS. We stop for lunch. We stop for a swim in the mountain lakes. We stop for pics. I normally completely drain my 700wh battery every ride.

Now if I can just find a full suspension fat ebike. I ride year around.

 

[Goodepitt]

This is how I have been carrying my second battery for a couple thousand miles. I sewed a custom bag that holds it so snuggly. Heavy? yes, but no extra weight on my old back is priceless. The plus is... This rig rides so smooth with the extra weight. The minus is... the hike-a-bikes can be a little arduous.
View attachment 23033

How does it affect the steering? Seems like a lot of weight to turn in tight single track.

 

[Tom Noyes]

It toughens your upper body up a little but it has worked great for three of us with no other options to carry a second battery. We have done dozens of rides like this over the past two years. I works great, but I did custom make the battery holder, and that will be an obstacle for most people. There is a lot of engineering that going into this little contraption. I give it a 8 out of 10 for handling. 10 out of 10 for holding the battery solid on rough trails and while jumping.

 

[JJLevo19]

I wanna carry a spare but I dont want that mahoosive EVOC bag..
has anyone managed either a smaller bag or secured it to the frame etc ?

I am 166cms and use the Evoc e trail bag to carry the levo 19 battery. When I first purchased the bag it seemed really big for my height but to fit the battery in nice and vertical the bag only just fits in.

The only way would be to have a slimmer bag possibly but with the back protection on the Evoc bag and once clipped in the weight and size isn’t to bad.

I still hit decent jumps and don’t change my riding with the bag loaded up with the battery, snacks, 2ltr water bladder and tools.

I have the straps firmly pulled up and on some of the jumps it moves slightly on landing but you will be very surprised how comfortable it is to ride with.

As noted on another post I extended the battery strap section to take our longer batteries after noticing Toris video which was for a gen 1 battery which is smaller but it just fits without cutting anything.

 

[Craig5]

Hey folks what size battery's are we talking about? The 500 or 700 battery, I'm after a spare 500 to carry, and will need a pack to carry it. Preferably with a back protector.

 

[EMTBNewbie]

My wife and I were thinking of maybe some long trips on the bikes and an extra battery would be brought along. Would need our camping stuff too. I first looked at pool cue backpacks but they are to thin with out any other major storage areas. Then I thought of hunting backpacks designed to hold rifles. For the cost I may order this. $70 and fold out areas for long

Combo Rifle Case Backpack

Other similar packs can cost $200-$400. The Combo Rifle Case Backpack has a unique contour shape giving it an excellent close-to-the-body ride. Carry your firearms with ease by using this pack to to take off the load. Perfect for hunting and range trips, it features 2 configurations to best suit...

outdoorkingonline.com

another option I saw was the hunting backpacks that held them strapped to the side. Just stick the long battery in there. Or if somethingcheaper is a Amazon backpacking backpack that’s long and has a frame.

 

[boBE]

Maybe a bag made for a photographic tripod would work?

 

[EMTBNewbie]

Maybe a bag made for a photographic tripod would work?

edelkrone BackPACK

Capture the Perfect Shot with Ease - The edelkrone Backpack is the Ultimate All-in-One Solution for Your videography Gear. With a generous size of 70 cm, it's one of the largest bags on the market, able to fit all your gear with ease. And if you're an edelkrone fan, you'll love how it can...

edelkrone.com

Perhaps this could work but no pocket for hydration bladders.

 

[ebkilla]

I was so curious about the DaKine Drafter pack I found in the shop after reading your question. So curious took my YT Decoy battery down to see if it fit. It absolutely fits in the 10L and 14L pack but I would recommend the 14L as the 10L doesn't leave much extra room for gear. I was also curious about how the bladder would offset the battery but that problem is solved by having the bladder in the base of the pack per their design (pretty slick..). Best thing ever is this pack has and external frame to keep it off your back to help ventilation, not to mention being comfy as hell with that battery in there. It looks bad ass too, feels like nothing on your back.

 

[Grannyjones]

It must be very uncomfortable carrying a battery in a backpack. It's bad enough wearing a backpack at all.

 

[ebkilla]

It must be very uncomfortable carrying a battery in a backpack. It's bad enough wearing a backpack at all.

I have always ridden with a Camelbak since the beginning of time so having a slightly larger pack with a battery for those days that you want to do an epically long ride having a little extra weight is not really that big of a deal. I would say that 80% of my riding one battery is fine. You would be surprised at how comfortable some of these new packs are.

 

[Andrew]

Does anyone know if the Dakine Drafter 10l or Syncline 12l will hold a Gen 1 Levo battery?

 

[ebkilla]

Does anyone know if the Dakine Drafter 10l or Syncline 12l will hold a Gen 1 Levo battery?

The Dakine Drifter 14L fits my huge YT Decoy battery, I think the Levo battery is just slightly smaller/shorter. It might just fit the 10L Drafter I would bring the battery into a shop that has one and test it out.

I just did and epic ride yesterday for the first time using my Drafter 14L. The external frame on the pack makes it so comfortable to ride with. Great experience highly recommend.

 

[Andrew]

Cheers ebkilla,
I’ve no shops near by / easily accessible for me before the weekend but Amazon can get me either of these for the weekend.

Im torn between those 2 bags, unsure which will fit the battery (if any) and which is suitable for my small frame.

I am small 5ft 5in 60kg and don’t want a big bag or a heavy bag, so a small, sleek, light, comfortable bag is needed and both of these bags look close to what i would need, however it sounds like the drafter may be slightly better as it has some sort of back protector, is that correct?
If it fits the gen 1 battery I’ll head out this weekend with my new bag and do an epic ride.

There appears to be a Dakine Drafter 8l version, Do you think the battery would fit into the 8l version or is this too small as the 8l may be better for my small frame?

 

[ebkilla]

Cheers ebkilla,
I’ve no shops near by / easily accessible for me before the weekend but Amazon can get me either of these for the weekend.

Im torn between those 2 bags, unsure which will fit the battery (if any) and which is suitable for my small frame.

I am small 5ft 5in 60kg and don’t want a big bag or a heavy bag, so a small, sleek, light, comfortable bag is needed and both of these bags look close to what i would need, however it sounds like the drafter may be slightly better as it has some sort of back protector, is that correct?
If it fits the gen 1 battery I’ll head out this weekend with my new bag and do an epic ride.

There appears to be a Dakine Drafter 8l version, Do you think the battery would fit into the 8l version or is this too small as the 8l may be better for my small frame?

You can always order from Amazon and then return if needed. You would be surprised at how small the pack is (overall external size), I wish it was a a bit larger area wise even if it held the same amount. I did a careful analysis of their sizing and dimensions wise the 10L and the 14L are very close I think just 1 cm in height difference. I honestly think I could fit it in the 10L as well just a very tight fit. Maybe take a look at both the 8L and 10L then make the final call. Looking at how large my battery is an the pack side by side I can't believe it fits but the numbers don't lie. The Decoy battery also has a very square rather than rounded cover which makes it a bit larger for packs. I can't wait to do another epic with it, dreaming about my ride from yesterday... The thing that really made the difference for me was the external frame, makes it so comfortable. You won't be disappointed, hope this helps.

 

[Richywalker64]

Not sure how long the internal Spesh batteries are but I have a bracket on my top tube for my BT-E8010 Shimano battery
I also have a Evoc back pack but found there is too much weight over the back of the bike and i can't keep the front wheel down on technical climbs

 

[Rickster]

Not sure how long the internal Spesh batteries are but I have a bracket on my top tube for my BT-E8010 Shimano battery
I also have a Evoc back pack but found there is too much weight over the back of the bike and i can't keep the front wheel down on technical climbs

View attachment 86063

OMG looks like a ball basher to me ! But if it works for you

 

[Richywalker64]

Haha I hope not, I haven't tested it yet
The plan is to just use it for long adventure type rides, nothing too extreme

 

[Swissrider]

I wanna carry a spare but I dont want that mahoosive EVOC bag..
has anyone managed either a smaller bag or secured it to the frame etc ?

Have you actually used the EVOC bag? I thought it would be too long for me (I'm 5.8") but its actually the most comfortable rucksack I've ever used (and I've spent my working life carrying rucksacks). I have the one with a back protector, which seems a good idea and it is the ebike version with a special compartment for the battery. I wear it every ride. Most of the time, I've just got tool kit, first aid kit and maybe some spare clothes and TBH, I hardly notice it. I have carried a spare battery - I had to modify the pocket a bit so I could fit battery from a Levo in and although it initially feels quite heavy, once I'm on the bike it's not too bad for the occasional ride when I need a very long range. Ebikes are heavy enough, and if one somehow straps a spare battery on, it makes it very heavy to lug around and forget any ideas of it being remotely playful!

 

[DKO]

Here's how I solved the problem. Inspired by many, including folks on this forum with the modified handlebar bag, hunting gear suggestions... In the end, LBS suggested a "gun rack" (say what??) Sure enough, it worked beautifully and tested on super-steep and bumpy trails (e.g. Henry Coe). Works like a charm and looks even better without the battery

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y67QJPL

Kolpin Rhino Grip XLR Bar Mount
This kit (2 grips) comes with two rubber straps. I got two extra rubber straps (just in case) and have been using them, although the grips are already rubberized and the battery does not really move in any direction even with the two straps (but i still use all four)

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/kolpin-replacement-rhino-grip-xlr-rubber-strap

(this kit includes 2 extra straps, identical to the ones that come with the grips)

Caveats: have not tried jumping with the battery strapped. Second battery (which i carry on the way out) is lighter weight (500W), although, after the swap, on the way back, the heavier 700W battery is just fine in the grips. There is enough flex in the grip to provide little damping when things get bumpy. The grips accommodate the (M2) battery with the rock guard (no need to swap out the rock guard on the trail)

 

[Andrew]

This looks interesting! It’s extremely aggressive when the battery it off, it’s absolutely ingenious.

I’d be tempted to give this a shot, I’m awaiting delivery of my 10l Drafter, I’m hoping that this works and solves my issue, however this also looks fantastic and while I may not use this for my battery, I’d be tempted to use this for my fishing gear.

There are some ingenious ideas to this thread.

im still looking for ultra brite lights, a way to mount a phone charger to the bike so if anyone has any ingenious ideas-about them please post them

 

[BeBiker]

It must be very uncomfortable carrying a battery in a backpack. It's bad enough wearing a backpack at all.

It's only uncomfortable carring a depleted one home.
I always want to throw it away

 

[Tim1023]

It's only uncomfortable carring a depleted one home.
I always want to throw it away

...but it's much lighter when it's empty!!