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What’s can be better than slipping into fresh, clean, taut sheets, plumped pillows, the crinkle of a rejuvenated duvet cover and a perfect nights sleep? Blasting down the trails on your squeaky clean eMTB, of course!!
It’s essential to keep your electric bike clean; it’ll reduce wear and tear and ensure your eBike is in top condition every time you take it for a ride.
In this article, we will discuss some do’s and don’t and share one or two little hacks along the way.
Tip #1
Don’t clean your ebike upside down
As tempting as it is to turn your ebike upside down to clean the drive train, wheels and tyres, you will end up filling your bike up with water. Many electric bikes have drainage holes in the battery and motor casing to allow water to drain out with gravity. Turning your ebike upside down to clean it is just going to fill the bike up with water; REMEMBER it’s an ELECTRIC BIKE!!. In addition, by turning your e-bike upside down, you also risk scuffing and damaging your ebike cockpit. Handlebars, seat, display, brake and gear levers will all quickly start to show signs of wear and tear if you turn your bike upside down to work on it.
We recommend investing in a bike stand; with a bit of searching online, you should be able to find one for about £30-£40, which could save you a lot more money further on down the line.
Tip #2
Don’t use washing-up liquid or car wax shampoo
Fairy liquid might be great for the dishes and soft on your hands, but over time the salts in washing up liquid will rust your bike and damage the electrical components. Likewise, car wax shampoo could cause damage to your braking system. It’s best to use bike-specific cleaning products and shampoos as these will not damage the plastics and seals.
Tip #3
Turn your eBike off
It’s an Electric Bike, and you’re using water!!
Tip #4
Read the instructions
Your electric bike will come with quite a comprehensive user manual, along with a kind of helpful info it should tell you the best practice when washing your eBike. For example, most manufacturers recommend removing the battery before washing, but it’s best to check the manual beforehand. If you’re still not sure, it’s best to remove the battery, and it’s also a good idea to remove the displays if possible. Permanently mounted displays such as Purion or remote keys which control the eBike system should be covered with a cloth or film.
Tip #5
Use a jet washer sparingly
As tempting as it may be to blast your eBike with a jet washer to clean all those hard to reach places, you could end up damaging the electrical components and seals. If you use a jet washer, use it in the lightest setting and stand well back from your bike. A garden hose and spray head are usually sufficient; even so, be careful not to spray directly into the motor, battery, and other electrical components.
Cleaning your e-bike
Start with the drive train and chain, as this is usually the dirtiest part of the bike. A great little tool you can invest in is a Chain Scrubber. The scrubber saves you from removing the chain and has lots of brushes inside and a magnet that draws all the gunk of your ebike chain. Pour the preferred cleaning detergent into the reservoir, place the scrubber on the chain, hold the chain cleaner handle and turn the pedal to start cleaning. Various brands are available; prices range from about £10-£30.
Then using Weldtite Ecare 150ml Chain Degreaser Spray and a dishwashing brush (ask permission first), lightly scrub the cassette, de-railer and jockey wheels, removing all the dirt and grime, then use a rag to wipe down the chain.
If the ebike is particularly mucky, use the hose to presoak the bike, mix up some bike cleaner in a bucket of water, and gently scrub the wheels using a soft hand brush. Next, use a good old sponge to clean the frame and handlebars; a bottle cleaning brush is great for getting into all those hard to reach areas. Finally, give your bike a final rinse down, and then use a towel to dry it off.
Tip #6
Avoid touching with the brake disks
Disk breaks on eBikes are potent units but are very easily contaminated. There are two main signs of contamination; the first and most obvious is that your brakes make a loud squealing and whining noise when you pull on the leaver. The second sign is that you will notice a drop in braking performance, and grabbing a handful of brake may not even really slow you down, let alone bring you to a complete stop which could have disastrous consequences. Usually, you will get one or both of these signs when your brakes are contaminated.
Brakes can be easily contaminated by oily substances such as brake fluid, chain lube and other kinds of oils and lubes, even the oils in your skin can be enough to cause contamination. So, it’s a good idea to be very careful when using any aerosol type lube on your bike. In addition, once contaminated, it’s often tricky to resurrect your brake pads. While some home remedies have been known on occasion to work, the success rate is pretty low, and the only way to remedy this is to replace the pads and clean the rotor.
Final touches
After towelling the bike down wiping off any excess water, spray some Weldtite TF2 into all the moving parts, use a cloth to protect against spray drift. A good little tip is to spray some Weldtite into the cloth and use it to wipe the bike over. Weldtite has a built-in repellant to disperse water, repels dirt, cleans surfaces, leaves a protective film, and leaves a lovely finish.
Next, lube up the chain; as a general rule of thumb, when riding in dry conditions, use dry chain lube, and in wet riding conditions, you use wet chain lube.
Weldtite TF2 Performance Lube Teflon
Finish Line 8oz Cross Country Wet Chain Lube Aerosol
Weldtite TF2 Ultra Spray With Smart Head
Use some Weldtite TF2 Lithium Grease on the headset, wheel bearings, and bottom brackets; it’s easily applied and helps stop corrosion. Finally, use silicon spray lube on the forks and dropper.
It should only take about 15 minutes or so to give your electric bike a thoroughly good clean. You can also be on the lookout for any faults or problems with your eBike. When cleaning your e-bike, you just need to be a little more careful because of the electrical and other high-end components. As long as you are sensible and not blasting it with a jet washer and cautious when using sprays and lubes, you shouldn’t run into any problems.
In 2005 Electric Bike Sales opened the first electric bike shop in the country; we really are the UK’s foremost experts in all things e-Bike. So please get in touch with our fantastic team of trained technicians if you have any problems with your electric bike and we’ll soon have it as good as new.
Some great ebikes you will love
2021 Cube Touring Hybrid One 500 eBike in Grey
Equipped with a powerful Bosch Generation 3 motor and Powertube battery, reliable, easy-to-use Shimano 9-speed gears, the Cube Touring Electric Bike will make easy work of any trip. The luggage rack is perfect for carrying your laptop and lunch or a load of kit for a long journey. Powerful Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and full-length mudguards shrug off the British weather, and a 100mm suspension fork and wide, grippy tyres make the roughest of terrain more comfortable to ride. Cube have even added an integrated lighting system and kickstand. So hop on, and go…
2020 Raleigh Motus Grand Tour Low Step Electric Bike
Where effortless style meets un-rivalled performance. Designed in Britain and made in Europe. The Motus Grand Tour is perfect for inner-city commutes, relaxed tours and weekend trails. The Bosch 500WH semi-integrated battery will allow you to ride for up to an impressive 135 miles on a single charge, and snappy disc breaks provide excellent stopping power in any weather.
2021 Haibike HardSeven 5 500Wh Electric Mountain Bike
Still not sure which ebike is for you? Well, this eMTB could be just the bike for you!! This hybrid electric bike is at home on and off-road, perfect for commuting to work and a whole heap of weekend fun.
120mm travel, powerful disc brakes, nimble 27.5″ wheels and a robust Bosch Performance Line motor with an integrated 500Wh battery. Adventures – here we come!
Features:
- Frame material – Aluminium
- Drive unit – Bosch Performance Line, 65Nm, 25km/h
- Battery – Bosch PowerTube 500Wh
- Fork – SR Suntour XCM32 Boost DS, Travel: 120mm
At Electric Bike Sales, we don’t hire sales staff, only technicians who will guide you through the process and help you find the perfect ebike.
Low-maintenance electric bikes
2021 Riese and Muller Delite Mountain Rohloff Electric Bike
The Rolls Royce of eBikes, if you fancy an ebike built for you, then look no further than Riese and Muller. From their factory in Germany, they will build your dream electric bike to your exact specifications.
The Delite mountain
Head out o town and into the adventure: if you love the challenges offered by off-road trails, you will love the Delite mountain. This full-suspension eMTB with Control Technology boasting a Fox Float full suspension with 150 mm travel and a powerful, fourth-generation Bosch Performance CX motor, combined with up to 625 Wh of battery power. The Schwalbe Hans Dampf tires make the Delite mountain a genuinely exceptional off-road talent.
The mission: not staying on track.
For our full range of Riese and Muller ebikes, please click HERE. We stock quite a number of Riese and Muller ebikes. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for more info.
2021 Riese and Muller Swing3 Automatic Electric Bike Black
The Swing3
Extend the urban limits as far as the horizon.
Not confined to leisurely cycling around town. The Riese and Muller Swing3 heads out on tours, uphill and down dale. With a smooth-riding experience from the powerful Bosch motor and a sensitive front suspension fork and suspension seat post. Complete with, matching baskets for the handlebars and rear luggage carrier.
2020 Riese and Muller Supercharger2 GT Rohloff Electric Bike
The Supercharger2 is guaranteed to take you there – no matter how the destination. Perfecta daily commute with only occasional battery charging, extended trips or spontaneous extra outings: the Supercharger delivers maximum freedom.
Don’t hang around; you have your destination in your sights. That’s the precise reason why Riese and Muller developed the new Supercharger2. It simply wants to ride, ride with its latest generation of powerful Bosch motors. Designed with comfort in mind on those long trips and with the DualBattery and its incredible range anxiety-free 1,000 Wh. So ride fast, far and without long breaks and giving you as much freedom as you want from an E-Bike.
Gazelle Grenoble C7+ HMB46 Bosch Electric Bike
Superb vision and visibility thanks to cleverly integrated bright LEDs with sidelights. The low maintenance, user-friendly hub gears and super comfy saddle with tool-less adjustable handlebars make commuting a pleasure. The chain and gears are entirely enclosed, and the spoke guard stops loose clothing from catching in the wheels. Equipped with a thick single-speed eBike chain, which improves durability, and because it doesn’t have to bounce up and down external cogs means that it will never come off, especially when you’re already in a rush!
Contact
0203 743 3333
sales@electricbikesales.co.uk
You will find our stores at:
Cambridge
118-120 Newmarket Rd, Cambridge CB5 8HE
Oxford
125 Magdalen Rd, Oxford OX4 1RJ
York
32 Walmgate, York YO1 9TJ
Bristol
35 Lower Redland Rd, Bristol BS6 6TB
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