[LoveMyBike]

Hi, Everyone:

One of the beautiful things about the Hill Topper Kit is that I noticed is that it really blends in seamlessly into a bike's design and rider use. With that in mind there are 2 things I'd like to see considered: the type of throttle and the shape and size of the battery.

1. BUTTON THROTTLE - I think the push button throttle should have a lock mechanism that keeps it pressed down and which could be released by simply pressing it again. This would save you the bother of having to constantly hold the button down when you want to cruise.

2. BATTERY SHAPE (lead acid and the new Lithium you are offering) - I think the batteries should come in 2 shapes to accomadate different mountings. The present vertical rectangular boxed shape is fine for hanging it off the seat mountings. But what about people who can't mount it that way? For example, my bike is a semi-recumbent and has a backrest so I can't mount it in the conventional manner of hanging it off the seat. What I will have to do is simply lay it on my rear bicycle rack and then strap it on. The present shape of the battery is possible to strap down on my rack but it would be more stable if it wasn't as high in dimension. A long rectangular, narrow and less high shape would be better for me. Maybe something 12" long, 2" thick and 3-4" wide.

Thanks for the listen.

[Mike]

Hi MyBike,

1. It's a good suggestion you have for cruising situations. The reason we've opted for a 'momentary' or 'always-hold-on' switch is for safety. Like with a jet-ski or other device, it's good to have an auto-shutoff feature so that when you need to slow down in a hurry you don't have to think about re-clicking a button and can just let go and move your hand to the brakes.

2. Yes, we're always discussing different battery shapes and layouts for the exact reasons you mention. I think 12'' would be pretty long for most points on a bike. In the future we can offer more than one configuration. Right now we really want to make our system simple to produce so we can keep all the costs affordable for as many people as possible, and keep the system rugged and reliable at the same time.

Thanks for the great ideas!

Mike

[LoveMyBike]

Hi MyBike,


2. Yes, we're always discussing different battery shapes and layouts for the exact reasons you mention. Mike

Hi, Mike:

I was reading in another thread that in September you were considering a 10-mile Lithium Battery pack that would weigh 3 pounds and be the size of a cellphone and the entire complete kit (motor hub wheel and controller along with battery) would retail for $499. Is this still a consideration?

I mean, that would just rock because it satisfies my needs of just getting that extra boost for a few miles, without adding weight. Such a kit would add a total of 9 pounds to my bike (6 pound wheel hub and 3 pound battery) and the really important thing would be the small battery/controller pack which I could just put in my knapsack attached to the back of my backrest.

Can you please consider the 3 pound/10 mile/$499 kit as a future option? I would place an advance order right now if you can.

Thanks!

[Mike]

MBike,

Hey, that's very helpful feedback. Thanks! The points you make are exactly what we're thinking, and we certainly will keep the 10-mile "feather weight" lithium on the drawing board.

The reason we're launching the 20-miler before the 10-miler is mostly for production and process control and development reasons. Since we're building and designing our own lithium batteries from the ground up instead of buying them off the shelf somewhere, we wanted to start with a bigger battery to cover as much of the market as possible (in combination with our 10 mile SLA kit).

To keep the forum threads clean and on-topic, and for more discussion specifically on this Big v.s. Small lithium, please use the thread at: http://www.cleanrepublic.freeforums.org/lithium-batteries-big-or-small-t14.html

For more size/shape brainstorming in general (as your topic title suggests) go ahead and post in this thread.

Due to the great response from people like you about this "small lithium" combination, we are sure to keep working on the concept. All the design ideas from you and others help us to decided what to produce and on what schedule.

Cheers!

Mike

[WhiteTiger]

Since you seem to have available quite a bit of flexibility as to battery shape, how about a round battery that will dock-n-lock into a holder that mounts to the frame at the water bottle screws found on most bikes? Even in lithium it couldn't be too much in terms of range, but it could be cheaply made totally stealth with a plastic case that looks like a water bottle (or even installed into a cheapy bottle).

I'm just thinking that even if it has only a five mile range ability, it would be so well camouflaged that it would be a good low hassle option for those "run to the little store" trips.


Tiger

[Mike]

That is a possibility. For a 5-10 mile lithium battery we could pack that amount of cells and a battery management circuit board into a volume about the size of water bottle, maybe an inch or two longer, but the same diameter. I suppose that anything that fits in a bottle rack could also be fitted with some straps to clip under the seat for people that did not have a bottle rack...

hmmm, I'll think on that.

Great idea!

Mike

[Alan]

That is a possibility. For a 5-10 mile lithium battery we could pack that amount of cells and a battery management circuit board into a volume about the size of water bottle, maybe an inch or two longer, but the same diameter. I suppose that anything that fits in a bottle rack could also be fitted with some straps to clip under the seat for people that did not have a bottle rack...

That would be FANTASTIC! Lots of bikes nowadays come with dual water bottle bosses (some touring bikes even have 3 - one under the downtube). It'd be a great place to mount the 10-mile lithium battery option...low and centered on the bike. Even if it's a couple of inches longer than a standard bottle, it would simplify installation/removal.

You've got another buyer here...just as soon as it's available!