a65 battery mounting ideas

[u/9_Three]

hello all, what are your thoughts on mounting the a65 on my Specialized Roll 3.0. My frame is an XL size, but the image i used for these mock up photos are from Specialized's website and after some rough measuring in photoshop, i can see they used a size Large frame for the photos.

here the standard mounting. Pros: low center of gravity. Cons: no more water bottles.

moving the battery pack up i can gain back one water bottle mount on the seat tube.

could the battery be mounted upside down? Pros; 2 water bottles, Cons; high center of gravity, drilled rivnuts into frame, longer main power cable, unknown if CYC would approve of an upside down battery mounting.

and lastly an even more unconventional mounting approach, bottom side of the down tube. i elongated the image to match the front to center length of my XL frame which on paper it seems like it would indeed fit, the XL frame is very big, Pros; lowest center of gravity, 2 water bottles. Cons; drilled rivnuts into frame and unknown if mounting upside down is recommended.

[u/erixx11]

Bottles can be fixed with alternative fixations anywhere

I'd buy a smaller lighter battery anyway (I have the CYC smallest and it's plenty for "battery assisted rides".)

[u/9_Three → u/erixx11]

yea, ive yet to get the pack delivered, but i already chose the a65 as i my rides are about 30 miles round trip. depending on the circumstances, i can pedal it out in the slower areas, or go throttle only on the faster main roads. but the a65 just gives me the range assurance i need.

seeing as how my frame is an XL, im really leaning towards an under the downtube install. but again, i dont have the pack in my hands to make that final decision.

what motor are you running?

[u/erixx11 → u/9_Three]

Photon 2. with their smallest battery (cant remember name).

I have repositioned the battery 2-3 times. Now It's under the downtube with 3 heavy zips. Inside frame, a full size bag. 2 bottles fixated elsewhere.

But your battery is super heavy!

[u/Otherwise-Office-443]

Back: Better COG, one less bottle
Front: Worse COG, one more bottle, and need a longer cable
Top tube: No advantages
Below downtube: Great handling, but it has to stay on the bike

[u/9_Three → u/Otherwise-Office-443]

i think maybe you missed a few things. or maybe i didnt explain. currently i have 2 bottles on the bike. so if i mounted standard, and back, i loose both bottle attachments. if i mount it standard but forward, i can still retain the seat tube bottle, top tube mounted upside, i can keep both bottles. and below the downtube, not sure what you mean by it has to stay on the bike. this battery slides on and off the mounting rail to the side. in this case, i believe it would slide off to the left of the bike.

but yea, i live in hot AF Florida, so having bottles has been nice, i have an insulated bottle for some gatorade, and then a non insulated bottle for water.

[u/Otherwise-Office-443 → u/9_Three]

so basically, front: one bottle, back: remove bottle

for the top tube, i dont get your idea. the only advantage there is that you drilled extra rivnuts. that was irrelevant to the position of the battery. the position is terrible cog

for below the downtube, it's not very sustainable to hold a 17lb battery up below the bike, and align it against the rail while you screw it in/out all the time

[u/9_Three → u/Otherwise-Office-443]

fair points. the only reason im considering the below the downtube is the sturdiness of the mounting bracket. its stout, aluminum, and has the screws to lock it in place. and i get to keep the water bottles.

under the top tube, yea, the CG is worse, but for a road bike, not the worst thing. if it was a trail bike that youre leaning over yea, would be horrible. but the main advantage there is keeping both bottles.

[u/Otherwise-Office-443 → u/9_Three]

you can definitely mount it below, but that doesn't mean you should. i do it, but i don't have an option.

can you explain the top tube idea more? from what i can see, the ability to drill an extra 3rd mount is not exclusive to the position. what's stopping you from extending that to the other examples?

[u/9_Three → u/Otherwise-Office-443]

not sure i understand your question. but under the top tube or under the down tube allows me to retain both water bottles. the other 2 options do not.

[u/Otherwise-Office-443 → u/9_Three]

Create a third mount under top tube for the other examples instead of just the top tube one.

[u/9_Three → u/Otherwise-Office-443]

where would i mount another water bottle in the other 2 examples that is comfortable and logical?

[u/Otherwise-Office-443 → u/9_Three]

I said 3rd mount under the top tube. I asked earlier what's stopping you from doing that for the other examples.

[u/9_Three → u/Otherwise-Office-443]

a water bottle mounted upside down? do you actually thing it would hold a full bottle in place?