Help! Woosh bike battery, need help with mounting frog battery, somewhere somehow, safely

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,386
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
There are rubber feet under the cradle to make sliding the battery in/out easy so the mount is very similar to what you have with a downtube.
 
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Deleted member 33385

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There are rubber feet under the cradle to make sliding the battery in/out easy so the mount is very similar to what you have with a downtube.

Sorry, I had assumed that the battery base in your picture was plastic, but it might be anodised or painted aluminium. My battery base is soft aluminium, embedded and glued into plastic, and there are bending-stress points in between the bolt spacings, because they don't sit directly over the struts of my pannier rack:


41965



I didn't want to drill into the aluminium alloy pannier rack struts - I'd have had weaker struts, because it's only aluminium. When the battery base is held flat against the straight tube of a frame, there is no chance of the battery base bending. The pallet wood, in my case, evens the bending stresses acting on the soft aluminium part of the battery base via very tightened bolts, and prevents the battery base from bending, and therefore fracturing over time. I only had hex bolts to hand at the time (ie nearby hardware shop), and pallet wood seems low tech (and it is) but it's a stiff-ish, light, strong and rot-resistant material, which also acts as a buffer between the soft plastic battery part of the base, and the harder aluminium alloy of the pannier rack. I may replace it with a thick wodge of aluminium, when I can be bothered to do so.
 
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Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,386
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
The one we use is the original Hailong case and it does not have aluminium strip.
you have a different base. I think yours is a Polly case.
 

Rileyy

Pedelecer
Feb 8, 2021
27
6
Manchester
Probably me having a dim moment, but why riv-nuts?
Why not simply nuts and bolts?
Me and my mate just spent 3 hours+ trying to mount rivnuts. No point they're barely holding anything.
What do You guys think about this, it be strong enough?(photos)
(Tbh just one of those 3 bolts seems to hold it pretty strong)
I will also get velcro straps to wrap around the battery and the rack.
 

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Deleted member 33385

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If the hole for the rivnut is too big, the rivnut won't gain purchase on the pannier strut metal:




If the bolt is too short, it won't reach the rivnut.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,386
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Me and my mate just spent 3 hours+ trying to mount rivnuts. No point they're barely holding anything.
How to install rivnuts: have you got the rivnut tool?

You only need a couple of millimeters of metal. The rivnut is like an eyelet, it fastens to itself by self deforming.

It's done in seconds with the right tool.


You'll find lots of practical information are on the web page.
https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?cdkit
You don't need any special tool but if you have never done this before, Read this article.
Or watch this video:
 
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Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,386
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Btw woosh helped a lot but the screws provided are waaay too short that's why no rivnuts :
they are perfect for use with the supplied rivnuts.
The domed head is low profile enough for the battery to slide in and out.

Go get the tool at screwfix or toolstation. It's one of the must have tools.

 
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Deleted member 33385

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Btw woosh helped a lot but the screws provided are waaay too short that's why no rivnuts :


Cor, everything is black! Hard to tell what the heck was what!

Ignore that first video I posted - that's for embedding a rivut into sheet metal.

If this black bit is the pannier base:


42017


..and you're trying to secure the battery base to that pannier base: Your bolts are the right size and all you have to do is tighten the bolt into the rivnut under the pannier base, while holding the rivnut (to stop it turning as you turn the bolt). Use a pair of pliers or something to hold the rivnut still, under the pannier base, while you tighten the bolt into it (bolt going through both the battery base and the pannier base). When the bolt is tightened, the rivut will expand and pull the pannier base toward the battery base, holding them tight against each other. Part of the the rivnut will expand larger than the hole you drilled into the pannier base, as you tighten the bolt into it. Don't tighten it too much!

Three bolts and rivnuts spaced as in Woosh's diagram should hold it securely. Velcro is always a good idea, in addition. Velcro on it's own won't be enough.

The bolt you circled in green (bluey green?), should expand the rivnut enough, for a secure hold.

If you can't keep the rivut from turning using pliers, molegrips (or something else, which won't squash the rivnut) while you tighten the bolt - best get the tool. Or just get the tool first.

And let us know what happens!
 
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Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,386
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
What do You guys think about this, it be strong enough?(photos)
You should turn the base 180 degrees around.
The battery wires should be to the saddle side not to expose them to snagging.
 
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Deleted member 33385

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Btw woosh helped a lot but the screws provided are waaay too short that's why no rivnuts :

The great things is, you're almost there - bit of tightening, drilling etc...
 

montwo

Pedelecer
Feb 11, 2019
85
57
It's for security.
The battery covers the domes of the 3x M5 bolts. There is no way to undo those bolts with rivnuts.
If you have nuts, they can be undone.
If you use locknuts (the ones with the nylon inserts) they'd be secure (or as secure as the rivnuts). Try to turn the nuts and the bolt will turn with them. And fixing is as simple as it gets.
My battery's fixed to my seat tube with riv-nuts, but I'm under no illusion about how secure it is - a crowbar between the base and the tube and the bolt heads will pull straight through the battery base.
 
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Deleted member 33385

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If you use locknuts (the ones with the nylon inserts) they'd be secure (or as secure as the rivnuts). Try to turn the nuts and the bolt will turn with them. And fixing is as simple as it gets.
My battery's fixed to my seat tube with riv-nuts, but I'm under no illusion about how secure it is - a crowbar between the base and the tube and the bolt heads will pull straight through the battery base.

@montwo Hard to argue with a crowbar. Is your battery base plastic?

@Rileyy locknuts are pretty cheap, probably much cheaper at your local hardware store:


...just hold the locknut still with a spanner, as you tighten the bolt. Avoid over-tightening, especially if your battery base is plastic (it's hard to tell what anything is made of, when everything is matte black).
 
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Deleted member 33385

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BTW: Normal nuts are not a great solution, they'd constantly need tightening. Could fall off, causing problems. You really don't want your battery rattling about.
 

Rileyy

Pedelecer
Feb 8, 2021
27
6
Manchester
You should turn the base 180 degrees around.
The battery wires should be to the saddle side not to expose them to snagging.
Not possible, the way the rack is designed it wont fit, that’s the only way we could mounted. anyway woosh could You please sens me extension cable.? The cable I got from bafang kit is waaay too shot.
@montwo Hard to argue with a crowbar. Is your battery base plastic?

@Rileyy locknuts are pretty cheap, probably much cheaper at your local hardware store:


...just hold the locknut still with a spanner, as you tighten the bolt. Avoid over-tightening, especially if your battery base is plastic (it's hard to tell what anything is made of, when everything is matte black).
We’ve couldn't fit those rivnuts and we got the same locknuts You’ve posted and a. bit longer bolts to mount the battery mount, it works great. Sadly I use the bike yet without an extension cable for the battery.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,406
16,386
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
Riley, please measure and email Andy the length you need.
Run the cable underneath the rack or tape it to the round bar under the rack to protect it against sun light and rain.