Lapierre Overvolt AM with Snake battery (rattle noise from battery)

[RRebikes]

A friend of mine has a 2 months old Lapierre Overvolt 727 with snake battery, the bike has been used for approx 165Km and after just approx 100km it started with a rattle noise from the battery in the frame.
We could already see marks/grooves in the battery from the movement/vibration.
Has anyone else heard/seen or have any similar experience?

 

[100 Cols]

Yes Sir. It was a phenomena that I fixed/hacked simply by gluing a small furniture felt pad on the battery (to the topmost side of the "highest" battery section, close to the frame opening) and also wrapped few slices of old inner tube inside the cover of the battery opening (at the "root" of the tab that the lock attaches to). 2 minute job, hard to explain, but I can post a photo later if needed.

The rattle was really scary , but since the "bodge" I have enjoyed 2000 totally rattle free kilometers (got this on September, huge aid for my femur recovery process).

Edit: the rattle was much less pronounced on my first Overvolt, which was totaled during the accident last March, but nevertheless the rattle was there too. Manufacturing tolerances... and should have been solved by the manufacturer in the first place IMHO. Never bothered to complain though, as the fix was so easy and cost less than two cents. Otherwise the bike has been really faultless, deeply in love, passionately

 

[R120]

Rattlesnake

 

[mark.ai]

Never heard any rattling on mine - there is a small bit of rubber glued to the inside of the downtube just opposite the battery opening, presumably to keep the battery tight. When I close the battery cover I have to push it slightly for the lock to connect so there is definitely some pressure there holding the battery in place.

 

[RRebikes]

Yes Sir. It was a phenomena that I fixed/hacked simply by gluing a small furniture felt pad on the battery (to the topmost side of the "highest" battery section, close to the frame opening) and also wrapped few slices of old inner tube inside the cover of the battery opening (at the "root" of the tab that the lock attaches to). 2 minute job, hard to explain, but I can post a photo later if needed.

The rattle was really scary , but since the "bodge" I have enjoyed 2000 totally rattle free kilometers (got this on September, huge aid for my femur recovery process).

Edit: the rattle was much less pronounced on my first Overvolt, which was totaled during the accident last March, but nevertheless the rattle was there too. Manufacturing tolerances... and should have been solved by the manufacturer in the first place IMHO. Never bothered to complain though, as the fix was so easy and cost less than two cents. Otherwise the bike has been really faultless, deeply in love, passionately

Pictures of the hack would be great and appreciated

We have made a complaint to the dealer and the distributor here in Norway, hopefully, the complaint will end up at the Lapierre factory.

We also have some ideas on how to fix it, always good to have input from others and what their experience is

 

[100 Cols]

Here you can see the furniture felt pads on both of my two batteries and the battery cover with few strips of old latex inner tube at the root of the locking tab:

The felt glued on top of the factory rubber opposite the battery opening is another, even simpler option. Tested that today, no rattle:

 

[RRebikes]

Thanks for the pictures.

We did some similar modifications today and got rid of the rattle.

But now it seems to be an issue with either the battery or motor, as the range on the bike seems to be going drastically down.

I have posted a thread in the shimano motor section about this

I see you have 2 batteries! Did you buy an extra battery?

 

[100 Cols]

Yes, I bought an extra battery as I like to ride longer distances now and then and get lost in the wilderness of close by mountains

 

[Trail Doug]

Out of interest, how well does the spare battery fit in a backpack?

 

[mark.ai]

Fits easily for me - I can post some pics later but just going out for the day ...

I either curl the spare battery up at the bottom of the backpack like a "U", or put it vertically down one side and curled over at the top. Or you could put it curled over at the top like a "n".

On my XL frame I've found it can actually fit curled up inside the bike frame triangle too, so I might get a frame bag to carry it, so there is less weight in the backpack.

 

[Trail Doug]

Thanks for the info Mark, a couple of pics would be great if it's not too much trouble. I also need an XL frame so that it may be possible to use a frame bag or fabricate a mount to fit inside the frame is interesting. I intend to do full day/overnight bikepacking rides so a second that is easy to store is a must.

 

[mark.ai]

Here are some pics of the battery and rucksack I use (it's a 20L one and I've put a ruler next to it so you can see the size).

Battery is inside at the bottom:

Like this:

Laying on top in the different positions I described:

 

[mark.ai]

And this is showing the battery positioned in the front triangle:

I've been looking at Custom Bikepacking Gear - Rockgeist Bikepack USA - Asheville NC for a frame bag - he can make custom ones to fit any size & shape, plus he can make them attach to water bottle cage mounts which should make it really secure at that point.

 

[Trail Doug]

The snake battery certainly gives great flexibility over storage even if it is a little bigger than the standard Shimano battery. I reckon the in frame storage could be made to work however make sure that the suspension rocker doesn't impact against the battery as the suspension compresses.

I had discounted the Lapierre due to the snake battery but the more I look at it the more I can see how versitile it could be.

 

[mark.ai]

The snake battery certainly gives great flexibility over storage even if it is a little bigger than the standard Shimano battery. I reckon the in frame storage could be made to work however make sure that the suspension rocker doesn't impact against the battery as the suspension compresses

Yep I've tried letting the air out of the shock to check the movement - the high point moves pretty much horizontally forwards. So as long as the battery is high enough that end I think it could work. I'll definitely get around to trying it eventually! And will report back.

 

[Trail Doug]

A frame back designed to fit in the front triangle with a simple L shaped Alu frame/support mounted to the bottle cage to keep the battery off the rocker and up against the top tube as much as possible would be great. It could be either a seperate item to the frame bag or an integral part of it. With a frame bag I'm also thinking pan and stove equipment would fit nicely inside the battery loop putting most of the heavy gear as low as possible.

 

[mark.ai]

with a simple L shaped Alu frame/support mounted to the bottle cage to keep the battery off the rocker and up against the top tube as much as possible

Great idea!

 

[AK 727i]

just used furniture felt sticky pads on each segment of the battery as the rattle came back today (thought i had nailed it) - thanks for sharing

 

[Kalbasalybov]

Good afternoon guys. I have a lapierre overvolt 627i, I need a spare battery for it. Tell me, has anyone seen such a battery in a separate sale? It is called power snake battery.

 

[Cheekychops1111]

You still looking for a spare battery, I have a brand new unused, no longer required as I got rid of the bike. Cheets

 

[Cheekychops1111]

Good afternoon guys. I have a lapierre overvolt 627i, I need a spare battery for it. Tell me, has anyone seen such a battery in a separate sale? It is called power snake battery.

You still looking for a battery, I have an unused one from my 927i. Let me know

 

[moraff]

You still looking for a battery, I have an unused one from my 927i. Let me know

Sent you pm.

 

[Brenster]

You still looking for a spare battery, I have a brand new unused, no longer required as I got rid of the bike. Cheets

hey, do you still have that battery for sale ?

 

[Cheekychops1111]

hey, do you still have that battery for sale ?

Sorry, sold it last week.

cheers

 

[Brenster]

Sorry, sold it last week.

cheers

can i ask what it went for, need a guide on what i should pay for one, cheers