I'm looking at a Bionx system to go on my recumbent bike. I want to kind of hide the battery in order to reduce attention. (Yeah, I know. As if the recumbent doesn't draw any attention or anything...:rolleyes: ) There are two placement options that I see for the battery. One is on the bar towards the handlebars and the other is on a rear rack. I don't like the idea of carrying so much weight in the back, but I think I can more easily hide the battery behind panniers there. (I will also be carrying stuff, which will need to be loaded towards the back.)

Any ideas?

The easiest is to get the bag type of battery. So it looks just like any other rack bag.

If you're good with electronics you can try disassembling the battery pack and making a more discreet type of battery pack to fit your bike.

I thought of painting my bionx battery black to match my frame so that it doesn't stick out as much. But I'm still searching around for better ideas too.

I just saw a web page for a new eBike, I think it was from Giant, they had faux panniers that hung on the rack (sorta like an eZip rack) in front of/over the rack mounted batteries. That seemed to make sense. But, I know on my eZip, people notice the motor first. 'What's that, a generator?' When I say it's a motor, then they say 'Oh, the grey things are batteries'.

I have on order the BionX unit for my Tadpole Bent. I ordered the Bag Battery option. It goes on the back rack and is of Nylon or something like that with zippers at the top and on the sides. I saw a video of it being used. It is really neat looking, and it still has storage on top and on the sides...Not as large as panniers but appears to be a good option...IN my case it was $70 additional. Maybe not quite as visible as the standard battery container but I don't think you are going to fool anyone anyway!
I wont have it shipped until we get home from a months vacation so am not having it shipped until that time.....I will report on it around the last week in August.
Murray Fisher d
murrayfw@charter.net

I came up with a concept a few years back where the batteries would be hidden inside the frame. And when I saw "inside" I do mean INSIDE! The tubes that make up the frame would be large enough to hold D sized cells.

All you'd have to do is remove the seatpost, pull out a sort of end plate, adapter thingy and the cells would simply slide out. You just need 30 or so cells to make the necessary Bionx battery pack. This would just be a really stealthy way to hide the cells inside the frame. And except for the motor at the rear and the throttle, no one would know it was an eBike.

You would have two ways of charging the battery. Either plug it in directly to the charger or remove all the cells and put them into a charger.

If I could build frames, I could attempt to make this bike a reality.

I came up with a concept a few years back where the batteries would be hidden inside the frame. And when I saw "inside" I do mean INSIDE! The tubes that make up the frame would be large enough to hold D sized cells.

All you'd have to do is remove the seatpost, pull out a sort of end plate, adapter thingy and the cells would simply slide out. You just need 30 or so cells to make the necessary Bionx battery pack. This would just be a really stealthy way to hide the cells inside the frame. And except for the motor at the rear and the throttle, no one would know it was an eBike.

You would have two ways of charging the battery. Either plug it in directly to the charger or remove all the cells and put them into a charger.

If I could build frames, I could attempt to make this bike a reality.

I'd be careful if I were you. Cells often heat when discharging and can explode. This has happened to me twice. You'd end up with an ejection seat!

I came up with a concept a few years back where the batteries would be hidden inside the frame. And when I saw "inside" I do mean INSIDE! The tubes that make up the frame would be large enough to hold D sized cells.

All you'd have to do is remove the seatpost, pull out a sort of end plate, adapter thingy and the cells would simply slide out. You just need 30 or so cells to make the necessary Bionx battery pack. This would just be a really stealthy way to hide the cells inside the frame. And except for the motor at the rear and the throttle, no one would know it was an eBike.

You would have two ways of charging the battery. Either plug it in directly to the charger or remove all the cells and put them into a charger.

If I could build frames, I could attempt to make this bike a reality.


Very creative, but needs to be tested for safety. ...I'm just talking about covering a Bionx battery with a bandanna or something.

I have on order the BionX unit for my Tadpole Bent. I ordered the Bag Battery option. It goes on the back rack and is of Nylon or something like that with zippers at the top and on the sides. I saw a video of it being used. It is really neat looking, and it still has storage on top and on the sides...Not as large as panniers but appears to be a good option...IN my case it was $70 additional. Maybe not quite as visible as the standard battery container but I don't think you are going to fool anyone anyway!
I wont have it shipped until we get home from a months vacation so am not having it shipped until that time.....I will report on it around the last week in August.
Murray Fisher d
murrayfw@charter.net

One thing that is occuring to me is that the battery belongs in the back. Then, if it does explode, the chemicals will be buffered by my seat (recumbent) and my hair. Much better than having something blow up in your face and eyes.

I just don't like putting all the weight back there, since the motor will be in the back already. I've got to think about what this will be like, hauling it up and down steps.

...And I am still waiting on this thing to be delivered. :mad: It ticks me off, since I'm not on the current "green bandwagon." I've always ridden, and I'm just choosing this to get me over a longer distance than I used to do. :mad:

The Bionx kit for my recumbent is still on order... but lo and behold, the Bionx battery seems to be just about exactly the same size as a North Face fanny pack. I'm planning to trim the unnecessary bits from the pack and use it a convenient fig leaf. Soon, I hope.

As it turns out, I've got the thing installed and I've been riding it for a while. The battery was installed in the back, and is generally covered by the camelpack and duffel bag that I'm hauling.

The only thing that has drawn attention is my speed. I had a police car pull out and then ride beside me for a bit a few weeks ago. I was going about 17 mph when I went by the parked police car. 17 mph is no biggie for many cyclists without a motor, but something about a 40 year old woman with a bent and a smile while going at that speed seemed to get their attention. :D Since I was going under legal speed for an ebike and following all rules for traffic, they just checked me out and then went on.

The only other time it's been noticed is when it's sitting and another cyclist sees it. I usually get, "Hey...do have a motor on that thing?"

Nobody has said anything to me on MUPs or canal paths. I don't use throttle there, and I tend to pedal a little more slowly. The law says that I just have to have the motor "disengaged" in those settings. Apparently, I'm going slow enough to not appear to have it engaged. I think that's the point to the law anyway.

hay theres a idea

The exploding cell thing was a big concern, actually...paranoia...or maybe even phobia, of mine. I did a lot of research before making the final purchase. While there is a always a risk of any battery exploding, the Lithium Manganese is relatively stable unless placed under extreme temperatures (like in a fire). The absolute best is the LiPo/ lithium phosphate (I think), which are pretty much stable no matter what. That's what's being ultimately considered for mass production in electric/ hybrid cars.

...The more research I did, the more I realized how low my risk was. In fact, the battery in my cell phone and laptop most likely have a higher risk of exploding, and I've abused those all over the place. ...Not to mention the fact that my Bionx battery is encased in a thick plastic shell. It could still explode out of the shell, but I think the impact and chemical spray would be muted.

Bottom line is that we're all messing around with batteries, which can be volatile. Some of the crazy home projects really freak me out, but I guess people who do those already know what they are doing.

I like the idea of painting the battery to match the frame

I thought of painting my bionx battery black to match my frame so that it doesn't stick out as much. But I'm still searching around for better ideas too.

I just got my PL350 kit and am already considering painting the battery case - most of the bike is black, with yellow (cables) and red highlights (stripes, lettering). The BIONX case stands out - but the rear hub isn't that bad.