What should I do with my Glide 2?

[Squiddy]

Hello everybody - I need some advice please! I have a lovely Claude Butler Glide 2, which is a very comfortable bike in great condition - but unfortunately the battery got very swollen at the end of last year and I had to dispose of it. I wasn't even able to keep the case. Should I trade it in for something new - or get a replacement power source? (I've done a bit of exploring online and asked in a few local bike shops, all to no avail - but this forum kept popping up so I guess this is where to find the people who might know the answer!)

 

[flecc]

You might be able to get another battery to fit into your rack by measuring the space dimensions and posting them in here.

The original was a 36 volt LiFePO4, but any Lithium ion 36 volt battery will be ok. Batteries are expensive though, reckon on £250 upwards.

Someone else may be able to suggest one to fit, but you may need to alter the connection arrangements.
.

 

[Squiddy]

Thanks flecc! £250 is still a whole lot cheaper than a new bike of the same quality and I'd like to save it if I can. The battery slotted into a space over the back wheel and underneath the pannier. It's at least 30cm long, 6.5cm high and 14cm wide. Here's a photo of the current connection.

 

[flecc]

Not one I recognise I'm afraid, someone else might know. I can see in the photo below that it has the controller mounted just ahead of the battery, but you'll need someone knowledgable hands-on to sort out the connections if adding a non-standard battery.

The correct name is Claud Butler without the e after Claud, an old established brand but long owned by others. They don't appear to do e-bikes any more, but you could contact the brand owner to see if they can still source batteries:

support@tandemgroupcycles.com

They also have a network of dealers so may be able to refer you to one who can help.

 

[Squiddy]

Oh, that's really helpful, thank you! I have tried contacting the Claud Butler webshop without success, so maybe this will be a better option!

 

[wheeliepete]

If you like the bike and it is still in good condition, then a replacement battery would seem the way to go. Like flecc has mentioned, your controller and wiring are in the compartment in front of the battery. Lots of that style of battery on ebay, but expensive and low capacity. Yosepower have a rack battery with good LG cells, but maybe too wide for your rack and your controller may not fit. You could consider putting the controller and wires in a small waterproof saddle bag. The wires look long enough to do this, depending how high you have your saddle.

https://www.yosepower.com/en/product/Original-Rear-Battery-LG-Cell36V16Ah(592Wh)-Electric-Bicycle-Li-ion-Battery+3A-Charger-black-DIY-75.html

This 15.6Ah would be ideal, but out of stock at present.

https://www.yosepower.com/en/product/Rear-Battery-LG-Cells-36V10.4Ah/15.6Ah-Electric-Bicycle-Li-ion-Battery-for-Mifa/Prophete-DIY-96.html

 

[Benjahmin]

That looks like the battery/controller arrangement on my wife's Woosh Big Bear. Might be worth a shout.

 

[Squiddy]

Thanks for the help everyone! I've had no luck with Tandem Group but the Yosepower battery Wheeliepete suggested seems to be back in stock and looks as though it may fit the existing pannier - and the Big Bear battery Benjahmin mentioned can be bought as a complete kit with a cradle/rack, so it might be easier to swap the pannier rack to hold a new battery properly and get someone who knows what they are doing to rewire the connections?