This T-Cycle made Battery Mount for Suspended ICE Trikes comes with a shelf drilled to allow the mounting of many different batteries. Batteries are dense and difficult to carry. This mount lets you attach your battery to your ICE trike down low and out of the way. In fact, it lets you put the battery so out of the way that you can fold the trike with the battery attached! Down low is important for handling and stability—you don't want something as heavy as a battery on top of a rear rack. If you have been struggling with how to carry your battery, this elegant, simple solution is what you've been looking for!
FAQ
1. Why do I need a special battery mount?
Batteries are heavy, so it's best to carry them down low and in a place that won't affect handling. A rear rack or seatback bag are not good solutions- the battery is up higher than it should be, and it tends to be awkward when it's time to fold or transport your trike. This mount is designed to have the rigidity to securely hold your battery, while not interfering with your seat, suspension, rear rack, or the ability to fold your trike. An electric drive is a big investment, and how to properly hold the battery is an important consideration. It was not easy to design this mount, there are not a lot of places a battery can go where everything works.
2. How does it attach?
It attaches with a special mount through the suspension pivot, along with a stabilizing attachment up at the rack mount near the seatback adjustment. The suspension pivot is very strong, and is a great place to attach something heavy like a battery. We supply spacers for the rack attachment point that work with or without a rear rack in place.
3. Can I still fold my trike?
Yes, the battery winds up on top, just ahead of the rear hinge.
4. Is it strong enough?
My battery is pretty heavy. Yes, the attachment mechanism and the mount itself are designed to carry batteries weighing up to 20 lbs (9kg).
5. Is ICE OK with this?
This mount is the result of extensive thought and prototyping involving ICE and Icletta, our EU distributor and the ICE distributor for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This mount has been in use in Europe for 3 years; we haven't introduced it more broadly until now because we have been production capacity limited.
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
Attachment is straightforward and only takes a few minutes. The first step is to attach the main support arm to the suspension pivot.
The main support arm goes inside the suspension pivot tube on the right (drivetrain) side of the trike. Remove the 8mm bolt and cap from the arm and insert the arm inside the pivot tube. The arm and the cap have shims to work with the different tube IDs ICE has used over the years. The largest shims come preinstalled on the arm and cap. If they fit inside the tube, use them. If not, try the next size down, and if that is still too large, use no shim at all.
Once the arm is properly fitted inside the pivot tube, configure the cap to the same size and install it from the other side. Position the arm so the outer end is parallel to and underneath the power side chain tube. Tighten the 8mm bolt that holds the cap.
Next, attach the vertical plate to the support arm. Rotate the plate so the slot at the top lines up with the rack attachment point. If you have a rear rack, use the short spacer and bolt to attach to the threaded hole in the rack attachment point. If you don't have a rear rack, insert the threaded bushing into the empty 8mm hole in the rack attachment, then use the long spacer and bolt to attach to that.
Attach your battery. The mount comes drilled and tapped for Ansmann or BionX batteries, and you can easily adapt other battery systems. Batteries designed to be strapped to a rack can be strapped to the shelf and/or the vertical plate. The shelf and plate are designed to be drilled for additional mounting holes if needed.
ADDITIONAL INFO
- Unfortunately, this battery mount is incompatible with the ICE rear rack that attaches using the pivot tube. In this case, we suggest checking for unobstructed straight tubing on your main tube (at least 0.625in long) and using our Fully Configurable Battery Mount with a 1.75' clamp.
- We originally developed this mount at the request of Icletta, our EU distributor. They are also the ICE distributor for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Electric bikes and trikes are very big in Europe, and Icletta wanted a first class way to hold the battery. We consulted with ICE and Icletta as the development progressed.
- The design goals for this mount were:
- 1. Allow the battery to be firmly held down as low as possible, so handling would not be affected.
- 2. Position the battery and mount so they would not interfere with the fold in any way, and
- 3. Allow the attachment of a wide range of battery types, with specific versions for the BionX, Ansmann, and Falco batteries
- Folding is unaffected, and the battery winds up in a convenient spot after the fold. And, the design very simply provides for mounting all kinds of batteries, including very heavy ones.
- All parts machined from 6061-T6 aluminum and black anodized. All fasteners are stainless steel.
- The primary attachment is to the right side of the suspension pivot tube. A special Z shaped arm goes under the power side chain and attaches to the inside of the pivot tube. A mounting plate goes up from outside the chain up to the rear rack attachment point by the seatback adjustment QR. A shelf attaches the the bottom of the mounting plate to hold the battery. The shelf is drilled and tapped to accept the BionX downtube mounting rail, but other batteries can be easily mounted. The Ansmann battery system is designed to attach to a vertical plate, so it doesn't need the shelf at all. Batteries in nylon packs can be strapped to the shelf and to the vertical plate.
- We also make an adapter plate for larger batteries.
- The battery Shelf is 6 x 3.25in (15.25 x 8.25cm) and has 15 M5x0.8 threaded holes for attaching batteries or battery adapter plates. 13 of the holes are in 2 rows with bottle boss spacing used by many batteries.
- Spacers and mounting hardware are provided for the rear rack attachment point for trikes with and without a rear rack. Only one or the other sets of hardware is used.
- Both the vertical plate and the shelf are made from 1/4 inch (6.35mm) thick aluminum. This means it is both very sturdy and easily drilled to modify needed for your particular battery system.
- Compatible with all suspended ICE trikes from 2010 onwards. Earlier suspended ICE trikes with the large twin tube swing arms will not work, but all later trikes will. This mount is very specific to the suspended ICE trikes, so it won't work with other brands. If you have a rigid rear ICE Trike, we make a separate model for that. We have a Universal Battery Mount that works on nearly all trikes, but doesn't work with the fold on an ICE trike like this ICE specific mount does.
