Power bank advice
I need to use a power bank for a three day charity ride later this year as I will be out on the road for 12 hours each day. Can someone tell me the approximate capacity of the Karoo 2 battery please? I want to know the minimum capacity to get in a power bank.
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The specs page says 2500 mAh, I presume that’s at the usual Li-ion nominal voltage. I have used a 5000 mAh powerbank on rides up to 15–16 hours, with the battery saver on I have only had to recharge once per ride, with the stick-formed battery strapped to the bars with the Karoo lanyard for an hour or so. I guess such small ones are increasingly difficult to come by these days and bigger ones might need a more elaborate support mechanism.
Do pay some attention to the manufacturing quality of the powerbank as well, I have had the USB connector detach from a cheapo (conference swag) powerbank in much less demanding use and would not want to use one of those again for any use, never mind being exposed to all the vibrations from the road. (This actually happened onboard an airplane, I then quickly opened the powerbank to remove the loose connector to make sure it does not cause a short circuit or anything...)
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I came across this powerbank with garmin connector. Might be a convenient option?
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Found this Anker powerbank to be MORE than up to the task for long rides. You can recharge the computer off the bike with native usb-c connector, or run a small cable between the Karoo and the bank if you stow it in a bar bag or such https://www.anker.com/uk/products/a1653-usb-c-portable-charger-5000mah?ref=select_your_product&variant=44575530123428
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Do you need to run off the battery and power bank for 3 days straight or will you have the opportunity to charge each night?
I did a 3 day trip with the Karoo 2 and kept a Mophie Powerstation (10,000mAh) in a top tube bag. Each day averaged around 9 hours moving time, 11 hours elapsed, but for longer stops I turned off the K2. Starting each day fully charged, I think I would have made it on just the Karoo battery, but towards the end of the day when I hit around 20% remaining I would plug in just in case. It was way more than enough given I could charge up at night, but I chose the Mophie so I can also use it to charge my iPhone.
Note that you will likely need a cable with a right-angle USB-C plug in order to charge on the go.
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Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. As I will have the opportunity to charge the Karoo 2 and power bank each night I think I will try the Anker Nano Power Bank (22.5W, Built-In USB-C Connector). I have time before my three day ride to check out that it will do the job I need.
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