Batteries and bikes....not eBikes!

[mistermo]

Here in the heartland, we had nice weather on Thanksgiving. I decided to celebrate with a rare weekday, afternoon ride. My celebration turned sour as I encountered one dead battery after another and realized the simple joy of riding a bike had become too cluttered with modern day tech:

My rear derailleur battery was dead (SRAM)
My GPS battery was dead
My rear blinking light battery was dead

This got me thinking about all the other batteries necessary for a ride that will eventually require attention too:

Front derailleur (SRAM)
Power meter (I didn't use it)
Front shifter coin batteries (SRAM)
Cell phone (duh)
Front light (I don't have one)

Why would anyone buy a silca bluetooth pump requiring yet another?

In all, I counted 8 batteries on my bike, including cell phone. Time to get Ekar and a dynamo hub.

[charliedid]

Word. As they say.

I had a BMC with original Ultegra Di2 and sold it promptly after suffering my first on ride dead battery.

I haven't got time for the pain.

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by mistermo

In all, I counted 8 batteries on my bike, including cell phone. Time to get Ekar and a dynamo hub.

Mason will sell you a bokeh with ekar and a dynamo.

[eddief]

invest in Tesla. he who hesitates is lunch.

[kppolich]

Monthly calendar reminder "Charge eTap Batteries" makes life pretty easy.
That, paired with a charging station near bike stuff is well worth it for Garmin, Lights, Etap charger, Phone charger, and HRM clip. One stop shop.

[oldpotatoe]

At least it would be nice if ‘they’ standardized plug ends. For my various electronic gizmos that need charging, I count 4 different plug types.

[soulspinner]

As I approach retrogrouchiness at 64 I want mechanical shifting until my hands dont work. I can work on mechanical and Campy has treated me very well over all the miles. YMMV.

[soulspinner]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

At least it would be nice if ‘they’ standardized plug ends. For my various electronic gizmos that need charging, I count 4 different plug types.

Cant make enough money if they are all compatible

[Mark McM]

The issues of dead batteries is one of (but not the only) reasons I'm not a fan of electronic shifting.

Battery life of GPS computers is also a reason that I would prefer a non-GPS bicycle computer.

I like to be able to just jump on my bike and ride at a moments notice. Most other resources on a bicycle that need periodic replenishment can be done in just a few minutes (air up the tires, fill up the water bottles, lube the chain), so even if depleted they have little impact other than a short delay in the start of a ride. But recharging batteries can take an hour or more, and can seriously impact or even cancel a ride.

[Dave]

SRAM AXS batteries are easily handled by carrying a spare. The coin batteries in the shift levers should last over a year, so annual changing is a good idea, to avoid surprises. The derailleur battery life is good, but I carry a spare. I use the spare to replace any dead battery and then charge the dead battery and use it as the new spare. Making a shift with both front and rear derailleurs before a ride is a good idea to verify the light is green. That's most easily done with the bike in a work stand. I've caught several red light warnings that way and not yet had a battery die on a ride.

The new bike computers that drain batteries quickly are probably the easiest to forget to charge. I still use the old style with 2032 coin batteries that usually last a year, but not always.

I have 4 coin batteries on my bikes and two rechargeables for the derailleurs on each of two bikes.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by Dave

The new bike computers that drain batteries quickly are probably the easiest to forget to charge. I still use the old style with 2032 coin batteries that usually last a year, but not always.

For years, I used a coin cell computer, that did just about everything I'd want. It interfaced with speed sensors, cadence sensors, heart rate sensors, and had a built-in altimeter and temperature sensor. It could record many hours of data at 1 second intervals. Its battery lasted a year or more, and would report low battery states in itself and any of its sensors, for a week or two before the battery gave out entirely (giving plenty of time to replace the battery).

The only thing I wanted that it couldn't do was interface to a power meter. Unfortunately, just about the only computers that can interface with power meters are GPS computers, which have batteries lives measured in hours instead of months. Ironically, most power meters use coin cell batteries, which last a year or more. I'm certain that a computer can be made without a GPS receiver that can interface with power meters and run for a year on a coin cell, but apparently the designers believe that power meter users want a GPS also.

[Spaghetti Legs]

I was recently reflecting on this myself and I just have GPS, front/rear light-cameras, and rarely used power meter. One of the reasons I haven’t seriously considered e shifting yet. The other is maintenance; not sure if an electronic RD goes on the fritz if I’d be able to fix it.

Thogutb for another thread as well. Do bike shops do drive train repairs on e-bikes - you know, motors, inverters and such?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by soulspinner

Cant make enough money if they are all compatible

No kidding...bike biz is learning that fast, or has learned it..

[ntb1001]

That’s why I have a mechanical bike and one with electronic shifting!!


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