Battery for Giant Twist

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
Hi All,

Anyone have any tips as to where I could get a Giant Twist Battery from. I keep emailing and phoning NYCeWheels but cannot get a responce from them to any mode of enquiry (phone always go to answer).

Anywhere else, should I try a bike shop?

Thanks

John
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
30,348
Yes, your local Giant cycle dealer can get you one John.

You can enter your location on this web page to find your nearest agents.

Tick the Giant Electric box below to get the right sort of dealer.
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JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
Thanks Flecc, I'll give them a try.

I fancy joining in on a well known 60 miles charitable cycle run, but have been accused of 'cheating'. Wishing to further the course of e-bikes, naturally I want to use my Twist, but I think even 2 batteries will really struggle. Any tips?

John
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
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Switching off at every opportunity will give you the best chance John, everywhere where it's flat enough or downhill for you to just pedal. That will stop any drain at those points.

It's worth also pumping the tyres very hard within the M-Plus pressure range to give you the least rolling resistance, putting up with the discomfort. That will also greatly increase the number of times that you'll be able to manage on pedals alone. If the discomfort proves too much, you can always quickly let a bit of air out.

Use all the downhills to gain as much speed as you dare to get a "free" run up the other side or along the flat, and avoid using the brakes at all if possible, since each time you brake, you're squandering the energy you or the motor put in.

All the best for the run!
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Flying Kiwi

Pedelecer
Dec 25, 2006
209
0
Buckinghamshire
I fancy joining in on a well known 60 miles charitable cycle run, but have been accused of 'cheating'. Wishing to further the course of e-bikes, naturally I want to use my Twist, but I think even 2 batteries will really struggle. Any tips?

John
Since we've discussed batteries before (I think it was via pm), you're already prepared for the price shock (£250 RRP down to .... whatever you can haggle them down to - ask them about a 9Ah one, if they can still get them). I was considering doing the London to Brighton ride last year but I left my employer about the time they were deciding on a team and the individual spaces were all filled - end result, I never participated. My suggestion is if you cant change the rules to have it timed with a 4 hr break half-way (purely for shelter from the midday sun of course in this very hot weather and nothing to do with battery recharging :eek: ) then you need to just use the power on the up hill bits and use your bike computer to work out when you've gone far enough that you can leave the power on (assuming you dont want to use it just for the hill climbs).

I've had my fair share of cycling purists accuse me of cheating. My favourite was at a supermarket when I told the chap I was only taking advantage of modern technology to improve my options and by using gears on his bike he was doing the same.

Now I have 2 batteries (and my £10 second hand one still has a fair bit of usable life left in it - 16 miles from the last charge coming back from Reading with a hill) I must say it's very handy for covering long distances with the confidence you're not going to be stuck going up a hill just as the battery dies. The other less straight forward way around it would be incorporating the world famous patent pending Grandad mod :cool: If you do get a spare Twist battery, you may also want to get one of these Giant Bicycles | Â*partsaccessories - Giant trunk rack bag to carry it in - it's a near perfect fit :D
 

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
Thanks for the advice guys. Im not in the mood to let the cycling purists win, but I dont want to die either. I generally do find it quite hard pefaling on the Twist without assistance. I cannot use the 5th gear on the SRAM on the flat, but can use the 4th with some effort, which I suppose is really what is expected.

I wouldnt mind doing the Grandad mod, but its well beyond my ability and knowledge / experience. The best I can hope for is to get ahold of a 9Ah battery, and re-cell my current one to 9Ah too, that would give me 18Ah which if I used in the eco mode then maybe with judicoius use, could carry me the 60 miles.

Is this plausible?

John
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
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It might be if the territory was flat enough John, but in my hilly area I've found the Eco mode has no value.
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Flying Kiwi

Pedelecer
Dec 25, 2006
209
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Buckinghamshire
Thanks for the advice guys. Im not in the mood to let the cycling purists win, but I dont want to die either. I generally do find it quite hard pefaling on the Twist without assistance. I cannot use the 5th gear on the SRAM on the flat, but can use the 4th with some effort, which I suppose is really what is expected.
I'm surprised to read that John. My identical bike is quite pedalable on the flat in 5th so I'm wondering if fleccs comments about tyre pessures may point in the right direction. Both tyres on my bike are pumped to 45 - 50 psi. I dont find the ride to harsh because the suspension seat post and front suspension present on the Comfort models we both have helps smoothen things out.

I wouldnt mind doing the Grandad mod, but its well beyond my ability and knowledge / experience. The best I can hope for is to get ahold of a 9Ah battery, and re-cell my current one to 9Ah too, that would give me 18Ah which if I used in the eco mode then maybe with judicoius use, could carry me the 60 miles.
Thats a bit keen at this stage isn't it? Your battery is still way to new and has loads of life still to consider recelling already, with a Dec 2006 new bike and battery, you'd be throwing money away!

Is this plausible?
You're not related to Bill Gates are you ;) If you pm Grandad any questions you have, perhaps he may have time to help out with answers. What bits aren't clear enough for you? If you're one of those people who just doesn't do 'technical stuff' perhaps you have a friend/workmate who does (and can be bribed to help out)?
 

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
Thanks Kiwi - but I have my tyre pressures up at 60psi. I have tried cycling on the flat with battery assist in 5th, no problem, switch off the power and I drop down to about 11mph which means I have to change gear, and thats a struggle still to maintain.

Plus I am not getting a good range at all from my battery, I think it must have been used some before I got it as I now recharge each way on my 10.5 mile commute. Also, the original Giant Battery was only 6.5Ah, recelling to a 9Ah (or more if possible) would cost about £200 max, and so if I am using a less than optimum battery, say 4Ah or so, it would be considerably beneficial (about a months petrol equiv).

I have noticed that when upside down, although the back freewheels well, the front will only free wheel about 3-4 turns from a strong hand spin. Any ideas? I have checked and rechecked the settings for the dynamo, cant see anything wrong there...

John
 

Flying Kiwi

Pedelecer
Dec 25, 2006
209
0
Buckinghamshire
I have my tyre pressures up at 60psi. I have tried cycling on the flat with battery assist in 5th, no problem, switch off the power and I drop down to about 11mph which means I have to change gear, and thats a struggle still to maintain.
I forgot you'd changed tyres from the original ones - 60 psi in the originals would be well above the limit. Is there a possibility your front roller brake is binding a little? Have you loosened off the cable to ensure this isn't happening. I've never counted the number of free spins I get out of my front wheel but if the bikes upside down, your auto headlight may load the dynamo hub (unless the headlight is turned off altogether). I may do the spin test today and let you know if its more than 3 or 4.

Plus I am not getting a good range at all from my battery, I think it must have been used some before I got it as I now recharge each way on my 10.5 mile commute.
But that doesn't mean a full charge only lasts 10.5 miles, just that you cant get 21 miles out of it. The best I've got from one charge is 18 miles (much the same as for you from what I remember in a previous post). This is perfectly OK for other than light weight riders so as long as you're refreshing the battery every 15 or so charges with the button on the charger, nothing further needs to be done. I was dissapointed that I wasn't getting the over 20 miles range I thought I'd be getting (based on reading Twist reviews before the purchase) but I've learned to live with that.

Also, the original Giant Battery was only 6.5Ah, recelling to a 9Ah (or more if possible) would cost about £200 max
I know what you mean, by todays standards, 6.5 Ah at 24 Volts isn't much capacity. It's just as well ther Twist is very efficient at making the most of that energy. I still think you'd be throwing money away by doing anything to your battery now. I'm planning to recell my second hand battery but as I've found I can get 16 miles out of it currently, I'm going to keep using it until it gets (much) worse. In the mean time NiMH (and other technology) battery prices will come down and higher capacities will come along so when I eventually do need to recell, these factors will be in my favour - who knows, 13 Ah D cells may be avail by then (giving 36 mile range). Also I like the look of some of the info about the latest batteries thats been provided on this forum - although at about £600 for the FeO4 (?) ones, thats still to expensive for me.

I suggest unless you have money to burn or are unwilling to go down the Grandad mod path, you're better off doing the 60 mile ride with what you have, using the techniques suggested here to conserve your charge.
 

coops

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 18, 2007
1,225
1
Manchester U.K.
JohnInStockie said:
I have noticed that when upside down, although the back freewheels well, the front will only free wheel about 3-4 turns from a strong hand spin. Any ideas? I have checked and rechecked the settings for the dynamo, cant see anything wrong there...
The lack of freewheel, if its due to friction, would affect efficiency John - anything which makes the bike harder to pedal for you will make more work for the motor...

I don't know the twist setup & I'm no expert, that's for sure: have you made sure the brakes or anything else isn't rubbing? If not, could be the front wheel bearings?

Stuart.
 

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
No such thing as a 9Ah battery

Just for info, I have had a response from both the UK and the USA, both dealers have said they know of no such thing as anything other than the 6.5Ah Giant battery, and they have contacted Giant to confirm.

Can anyone advise as to the truth of the existence of a 9Ah Giant Twist Battery?

John
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
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Yes, it definitely does/did exist John, and someone who bought one through a Giant dealer about a couple of months ago finally received one and advised me of that.

The 9 Ah was introduced only just before the series was discontinued and was advised to A to B magazine by Giant. For several months Giant caused much dissatisfaction by supplying old stock 6.5 Ah ones as 9Ah, including to A to B (!), claiming mislabelling, which it certainly wasn't, the mileage range proving that they were the smaller size.

It's in the lap of the gods what you do receive from Giant though, but at least there's only one price, £250.
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Leonardo

Pedelecer
Dec 5, 2006
207
0
www.jobike.it
It is just a question - not a suggestion (sorry John)...

What do you think of that Cyclone Li-Po 24V 17ah battery for a Grandad style solution? It costs around 300 £ shipping and charger included and it has 17ah! (and maybe also a very little more volts than the NiMH?). Unfortunately there are no info about weight and size.
 

JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
17Ah !!!!

Thanks Leonardo - what a good find, 17Ah !!!! Thats about 3 x what I have now, which would mean somewhere between 30 and 50 miles !!!

If noone can spot any problems doing this then I think I am going to have to print out and reread Grandads mod in detail to see if its within my capability. :)

John
 

coops

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 18, 2007
1,225
1
Manchester U.K.
Hi John, before you jump in with both feet.... :D If I've understood Leonardo correctly, he was asking about that battery as a possibility for the twist, rather than recommending!

From what I hear (and that may be wrong...) lithium batteries can vary a lot in quality (performance) & durability (lifetime), aswell as safety! Personally I wouldn't go for them without a strong recommendation (especially for that sort of money!) and some sort of guarantee: I think if I was to try a Li battery it would be one of the newer ones like the nanophosphate ones, and maybe even then only once their longevity in ebike type use is proven, or as a small trial buy a lightweight, small capacity battery, like the 2A 36V (maybe can be recelled for 24V?) "powertools" type for £70-80 to see how long they last :).

Stuart.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
30,348
It is just a question - not a suggestion (sorry John)...

What do you think of that Cyclone Li-Po 24V 17ah battery for a Grandad style solution? It costs around 300 £ shipping and charger included and it has 17ah! (and maybe also a very little more volts than the NiMH?). Unfortunately there are no info about weight and size.
I think that's going to be very heavy Leonardo, and frankly I'm a bit cautious about the Cyclone company. For a start it isn't likely to be 24 volts, Li-polimers for 24 volt bikes are usually shown as 26 or 27 volts, since they use seven cells each of 3.7 volts nominal voltage, but a touch higher when charged.

In Britain we have the Powacycle bike models Salisbury and Windsor, which have versions with Li-polimer batteries, These batteries are 26 volt 10.5 Ah at £199, so just as good a price, but having the advantage that they are about the same size as the 6.5 Ah Giant Twist battery. This is the Powacycle battery page. I don't know if they are available in Italy, but perhaps Powacycle here could send one. Look at the bikes on that Powacycle site and you'll see the battery in those is like the twists.

The slight extra voltage should not affect the Giant bike, but perhaps raise the performance just a little.
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Leonardo

Pedelecer
Dec 5, 2006
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www.jobike.it
You are right Stuart. As far as I know, Cyclone in not a "new entry", so I guess that their batteries should be better than those of the anonymous chinese suppliers, but I don't know anything about this battery. That's the reason why I was asking your opinion.

edit:
Flecc, we were writing together. Thank you. I'm just sorry for John, I hoped it could have been a good idea for him.
 
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JohnInStockie

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2006
1,048
1
Stockport, SK7
Leonardo - not a problem, this is a learning experience. Maybe if I can get to understand batteries, I can save some time and money. All contributions are very welcome. :)

John
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,760
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Although Cyclone have been around for a while, their kit motors leave quite a lot to be desired and have had much criticism on the US market regarding finish and quality control issues. I was interested in buying from them once but got the impression that only getting their hands on the money interested them. That didn't leave a good impression.
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