Is battery removal realy difficult?

[Giox]

Hi, I've fallen in love with the Whyte EMTBs, the are the only ones that tick all my boxes, i.e. alloy, 625W removable battery, Rockshox suspension, integrated speed sensors, XS frame size for my 160cm wife.. The price is a bit steep, especially since I'll have to buy three, but I can manage. The trouble is that I don't have and can't put an outlet where I keep the bikes, and our car tow bar has a max tongue/nose weight of 50kg, so that I'll have to remove the battery to be able to load two bikes on the bike carrier (the third one goes in the trunk).
I've read that removing the battery is a royal pain, though looking at the Whyte video it doesn't look that bad.
Would you get three Whyte e-bikes if you had to remove the battery that often?

 

[gareth burton]

Quick addition, can you charge the battery off the bike ?
May sound silly to you experienced owners, but this will be my first foray into the ebike world.
Was going for a Cube but have fallen for the e-160S and without leccy in the garage will want to charge off the bike semi/regularly if possible.

 

[R120]

I would say my concern with removing the battery a lot would be damaging the wiring loom as you need to be careful with it when positioning etc, tis easy enough to do but fiddly, but it was the main reason I didnt buy one as I am in same position as you. When looking at the bike, I removed th battery in the shop, and both myself and the shop guys all agreed it wasn't really built to regularly remove.

 

[gareth burton]

I would say my concern with removing the battery a lot would be damaging the wiring loom as you need to be careful with it when positioning etc, tis easy enough to do but fiddly, but it was the main reason I didnt buy one as I am in same position as you. When looking at the bike, I removed th battery in the shop, and both myself and the shop guys all agreed it wasn't really built to regularly remove.

View attachment 39878

Thanks for that R120

I think I'll stick with it though as it looks even better 'in the flesh' than it does in the pics I've seen.
I can always charge it from an extension to the garage or even in the house when the LHG is in work !

 

[gareth burton]

As above.
Not technically difficult, but a bit (lot) of a faff.

Wiki definition: Faff - (British slang) an unnecessary or over-complicated task, especially one perceived as a waste of time.

Pretty much sums it up.

You have to lay the bike down or wrestle with it, to withdraw the battery.
And all that wear on the retaining bolt and electrical connection.

Can you not get leccy to the garage? or charge at the house, before you put it away?

Best of luck

Just about got her to agree to a bike, I'll broach the leccy to the garage bit after the bike arrives ?

 

[MadsB]

Just about got her to agree to a bike, I'll broach the leccy to the garage bit after the bike arrives ?

You won’t regret getting the Whytes! I’ve just ordered another E150S 29er for the other half!

 

[Giox]

I pulled the plug and ordered 2 180 S and a 160 RS size S as the XS seems currently non-existent. My wife tested a 150 S size S and it was small enough. I've found a tow bar with 85kg vertical load so I changed it. Bought also a new bike carrier because the old one only supported 15kg bikes, so now it can carry 3 bikes without battery or two with the battery. We'll see if I've done a very expensive mistake...

 

[Mikerb]

for guys in your situation is there not a viable remote/portable power supply option? A generator is an obvious one if you have a garage but no power supply...but even the quiet ones may be too noisy? An inverter may be an option?......at least the feed to it is low voltage so less hassle to run a cable from the house to the garage than running mains? Im lucky...I have power in the garage but also somewhere out of the way to store/charge bikes indoors in the winter but stuck with your situation I would be looking for some sort of solution that a voids constantly removing the battery. My wife's Cube battery is easy to take out but I never take it out to charge...my Levo battery removal is similar to the Whyte and the only time I take it out is once every 2 or 3 months to clean everything.

 

[Roger20]

You will need to perhaps do a bit of research into looking after batteries in winter if you are keeping them in a cold garage. Lots of info on this forum if you search hard enough but someone may be able to point you in the right direction.

I loved the Whyte and would have definitely bought it had it not been for the battery removal issue, especially in winter.

I was just looking at a heated cat blanket on this forum a moment ago but it's disappeared now! May have been a Focus section. Will try and find it.

 

[gareth burton]

OK... Screw the leccy in the garage bit, this arrived today, but guess who forgot to order pedals ?

 

[KenX]

OK... Screw the leccy in the garage bit, this arrived today, but guess who forgot to order pedals ?

Still a happy bunny though

 

[Rik08]

another great thread ??
I was initially put off by the battery removal of the Whyte and was going to buy Cube or Merida, but then decided to stick with British now we’re out the EU !
plus the E150rs 29er looks amazing in Moss !So the issue I have is my garage is about 2degC above ambient, so cold !
im worried about battery and keeping it in the bike, but as you guys say, the design does not look robust enough to repeatedly remove the battery (after every ride if I do 2-3 a week), so any suggestions would be welcome - Roger20 - I saw same discussion and have ordered the blanket from Amazon to use when charging the battery, but what about when bike is just sitting in garage and it’s cold ? Do I need to worry ?thanks guys

 

[Roger20]

another great thread ??
I was initially put off by the battery removal of the Whyte and was going to buy Cube or Merida, but then decided to stick with British now we’re out the EU !
plus the E150rs 29er looks amazing in Moss !So the issue I have is my garage is about 2degC above ambient, so cold !
im worried about battery and keeping it in the bike, but as you guys say, the design does not look robust enough to repeatedly remove the battery (after every ride if I do 2-3 a week), so any suggestions would be welcome - Roger20 - I saw same discussion and have ordered the blanket from Amazon to use when charging the battery, but what about when bike is just sitting in garage and it’s cold ? Do I need to worry ?thanks guys

Should be fine with a blanket, although not necessarily essential. I believe they work better (ie maximum range?) when starting off at room temperature. On my old Cube I had a neoprene blanket round the exposed battery and got better range than my mates, who ran out one time. With that 500Wh battery we were often pushing maximum range in winter but that's no longer really an issue with the bigger Bosch and Specialized batteries now.

Main problem with lithium batteries is to avoid charging when they are freezing which can permanently damage them. The warning notice on the back of my Specialized battery shows -20 to 60C for storage, 0 to 45C for charging and -20 to 60C for riding. Just bring it in the house to charge if it's really cold.

 

[Mikerb]

I do not believe removal or replacement of the battery on a Whyte is that problematic...it is just a bit fiddly, mostly in respect of refitting it. The main issue is that the cables run along downtube alongside the battery so they need to be positioned in order not to jam the battery when pushing it back in. The bike preferably needs to be on a bike stand for removal but can be just turned upside down for replacement. I am lucky in that I have space inside the house for my bikes so I do not need to remove the battery but if I had t leave it in a cold garage/shed I would be more concerned about dampness rather than cold...especially after a wet ride. As others have said above, starting a ride with a very cold battery will likely reduce range and charging a battery when really cold is best avoided. I would have thought the latter could be a voided by using some form of thermal blanket with battery operated heating wires ( even a normal electric bed blanket) for 20 mins or so before charging. After a ride, using some form of insulating wrap...polystyrene/pipe lagging etc.....around the down tube may help to stop the battery getting super cold.

 

[Rik08]

Just tried to remove battery ! Jeeez it’s in there tight ! Gave up as didn’t want to damage anything! This was on workstand, even the weight didn’t help !!

 

[Rahr85]

The battery comes out easily enough with a bit of a wiggle but i only bother taking it out when i am trying to work on the bike and still want to charge it. Putting it back in is a bit more annoying as the bolts never line up well.

Good thing i factored this "annoyance" in when choosing the bike as i'd rather have a bike that handled better than one with a more easily removed battery.

 

[Rik08]

The battery comes out easily enough with a bit of a wiggle but i only bother taking it out when i am trying to work on the bike and still want to charge it. Putting it back in is a bit more annoying as the bolts never line up well.

Good thing i factored this "annoyance" in when choosing the bike as i'd rather have a bike that handled better than one with a more easily removed battery.

Luckily it’s warmed up a bit so I can charge it in the bike in the garage !!

 

[Mikerb]

a light smear with a grease on a few critical points resolves the issue of it sticking in place. Its just a very snug fit.....which means it does not rattle!!

 

[gareth burton]

Been worried about this cold snap and the e160 living in the garage with only 1 ride in the last 2 weeks, so decided to take out the battery for the first time. Glad I did too. When I slid off the the battery cover, there was a screw there that shouldn't have been. One of the screws from the top 'plate' of the battery has undone and dropped out. Luckily there's not a big enough gap for it to have escaped lol.
Checked the other 2 while I was there and they were both a little loose.
Have to say the battery came out without any drama, without being on a stand (I did have to lift the back slightly) and with only me 'at the wheel'.

 

[SteveSSS]

Hi, does anyone have anymore feedback on removing the battery?
I'm close to pulling the trigger on the E160 but the only thing that concerns me is getting the battery out on trips away. I've done a few trips this year, where I've had to pull the battery out on my current bike to take it into my accommodation to charge overnight.
So would removing and refitting a battery at the trail- head (no bike stand, basic tools) each day over a week, a couple of time a year put you of buying a the Whyte?
Thanks

 

[Roger20]

I wonder whether you would be better choosing your accommodation more carefully. Taking the battery out several times could be a pain and suggests you might be leaving the bike in a car or van overnight? I would be thinking about investing in a heavy duty Kryptonite chain lock and asking the accommodation owner if they had somewhere safe to store/lock the bike overnight with power for charging.

 

[Giox]

So would removing and refitting a battery at the trail- head (no bike stand, basic tools) each day over a week, a couple of time a year put you of buying a the Whyte?
Thanks

No, after a while you get used to it. If you put two screw in the golden holes to help your remove the battery

I do it all the time for three bikes, still unpleasant but nothing more.

EDIT: Complete instructions here: Battery removal hack - EMTB Forums

 

[Mikerb]

No, after a while you get used to it. If you put two screw in the golden holes to help your remove the battery
View attachment 66065
I do it all the time for three bikes, still unpleasant but nothing more.

EDIT: Complete instructions here: Battery removal hack - EMTB Forums

Its a good hack!! I have pushed the 2 screws through the ends of a short length of webbing ( doubled over) each with a penny washer on top so it makes a comfortable loop to pull the battery out. Makes the "tool" easy to stash and keeps it light.

 

[Rmh1]

Can the battery be charged while off the bike?

 

[Jamze]

Can the battery be charged while off the bike?

Yes. All Bosch batteries have a charge port and LEDs on the end.

 

[Ark]

Can the battery be charged while off the bike?

if your replying to this because your buying one of the 2022 E-160 then they changed the design so the plug part is at the top of the frame instead of the bottom.

The battery just slides out and in on 2022 models