utility cycling

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Looking for advice on replacing my battery (slrpnk.net)

submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by andrewrgross@slrpnk.net to c/utilitycycling@slrpnk.net

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My husband bought a Stark Drive bike through Kickstarter about 6 years ago. It's served us incredibly well, and we've put thousands and thousands of miles on it, but the battery is now truly cooked.

I think it's time to finally buy a replacement, which sells for $600: https://starkdrive.bike/accessories/17ah-battery-pack/

Before I do, though, I just wanted to get some expert opinion. Are there any other options that are cheaper or more environmentally conscious? Are there places that can capably disassemble the battery locally and rebuild it with fresh cells? Would doing so have any advantages against just buying the new one? Thanks.

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[–] Grass@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That is a sneaky place to mount the battery. Rebuild should be possible as long as the shell isnt epoxied together or have plastic clips that will break, but battery pack building is a true pain in the ass IMO. I wouldn't do it again myself and it was an easy one in the typical hailong shell.

I'm also not sure anyone would be able to do it any cheaper than just getting a new one. I was considering offering that service when I had an electronics repair business going but as I said already, one was enough for me.

I couldn't find anyone in my region already doing that when I was researching competitors. There were some battery recycling places that did laptop battery rebuilds, but laptops are generally pouch batteries now and the ones that still do it only really do old ibm or lenovo laptops and didn't seem interested in doing bike batteries. Maybe your area might have someone or a business that can do it though.

[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net 1 points 3 weeks ago

Okay, thanks! I kinda suspected this, but it's good to get a confirmation.