to ebike in the rain or not

[electric.mike]

i don't know how much rain you have all had but large areas of Grimsby where under water this morning, not the weather for me to ride my ebike, the thought that occurred to me was a lot of the forum members use there bikes for commuting, or may not have a car,what do you do in weather like this.
will some ebikes cope with every thing the British weather can throw at them, or do they get put away until things improve.
this seems to be an aspect of bike purchase that is important but doesn't get talked about.
mike

 

[redalpha3]

I'm afraid I'm a fair weather cyclist now , Mike. I am fortunate in that I don't need to commute. I put it down to one of the advantages of retirement. However, I've used ignition sealer to make the bike electrics as weather proof as possible and on the odd occasions when I've been caught in a downpour I've not been let down. The forums hardened commuters will no doubt have tips and tricks. It has been seriously wet up here too. Kayak weather.

 

[flecc]

Most e-bikes need some prior attention if they are to be ridden at length in the rain, but proofing is mainly a matter of common sense.

The Q bike is my utility bike, as it was in Quando form, and as such it's ridden in all weathers. The only time it was ever affected by water was when I washed it down after riding on a muddy trail in Dorset and laid it on it's side in the car, Water ran into the controller and drying out was needed, my fault entirely of course.

My Giant Twist is fully waterproof, one of the few bikes that really are, and it stood three years of wet riding without a sign of trouble, though David at A to B tells me his got water into the handlebar switch. It was easy to open up and dry though.
.

 

[Sector]

Bin bags recommended

I've had a Quando for 4 months now and I use it every day for work. It hasn't faltered yet despite wintery and wet weather.

It is only 2.5 miles to work, but then the bike is left outside while I'm in the office.

The only precaution I take is to put a bin bag over the seat. The bag covers the top of the battery, and seems to keep most of the water off the control unit also. The bag needs to be tied down if its windy.

I like the plastic bag idea because it helps to keep the seat dry for the return journey. In that repect the saddle that came with the bike was a disaster. I forgot the protection one day and the mock-suede cover soaked up the water like a sponge. Very unpleasant to ride on!. My Quando now sports a Halfords gel sadddle with a plasticised "leathercloth" cover.

 

[Ian]

Many bikes have electrical components and connectors in the bottom bracket area, right in the line of fire from water thrown up from the front tyre. A large mudflap on the front mudguard really helps, it also reduces dirt on the chain and keeps your feet dry... well drier anyway

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

Raindrops keep falling on my ...battery

i don't know how much rain you have all had but large areas of Grimsby where under water this morning, not the weather for me to ride my ebike, the thought that occurred to me was a lot of the forum members use there bikes for commuting, or may not have a car,what do you do in weather like this.
will some ebikes cope with every thing the British weather can throw at them, or do they get put away until things improve.
this seems to be an aspect of bike purchase that is important but doesn't get talked about.
mike

My main concern with riding in the rain is the Battery connection at the bottom of the carrier. It seems to me that there is no way that water can be kept out of those "two prongs" when the rain starts to come down.
I had thought of a tailor-made waterproof cover that would envelop the battery, controller and battery fitting - but Flecc said it would restrict air flow needed to cool 'things down'.
Would that not be acceptable just whilst it was raining and splashing about?
Mind you - I don't chose to cycle in the rain, but if one is caught out in it a few miles from home it's hobson's choice.
Peter

 

[Ian]

MIt seems to me that there is no way that water can be kept out of those "two prongs" when the rain starts to come down.
Peter

I don't think water on those "prongs" will cause a problem Peter, contrary to popular belief water is not a good conductor of electricity and any small current leakage in that area will not be a problem. Where water does cause problems is in the the control circuits where small current leakage's are significant and will cause malfunctions. There is the problem of corrosion to be considered, but the prongs are easily accessible for cleaning and protection with petroleum jelly.

Ian.

 

[flecc]

Many bikes have electrical components and connectors in the bottom bracket area, right in the line of fire from water thrown up from the front tyre. A large mudflap on the front mudguard really helps, it also reduces dirt on the chain and keeps your feet dry... well drier anyway

Two of us above have no trouble on the road with the Quando layout, probably because of the longer distance from small front wheel to bottom bracket/controller area, and the bottom bracket being closer to the road. It's also got a wide front mudguard and a quite good front mudflap.
.

 

[JohnInStockie]

I ebike whatever the weather. As I have chosen to ebike rather than drive, I dont really have a choice, the bike MUST be all weather transport. To be honest, if any manufacturer is releasing bikes that cant be ridden in the rain, well, thats just plain dumb in this country, and hopefully someone will put them out of business (or they improve their act) quickly!

 

[Tintaglia]

A few days after what was, shall we say, a "slightly damp" day at Presteigne I took the front wheel out of our old Ecoped and opened up the Schachner motor to see if I could limit the motor whine by re-packing it with grease. To my surprise I found a least half a mug of water sloshing around in there. There is no rubber seal when you open the motor so I suppose that's how it got in. I used silicone to re-seal it.

The whine was caused by wear on the gears and didn't respond to treatment.

 

[TwistNgo]

I ride my bike in all weather conditions, i've had no problems as yet.

My tip would be to invest in good quality breathable waterproofs. I've got a great lightweight breathable waterproof jacket I got from Millets, the make is The North Face. It cost me about £65.00 I think but its worth every penny, I get to work sweat free but dry.

 

[nigel]

Nigel

If possibile
i am a fair weather rider as i have removed mudguards from torq to give a more racey look but if it rains But if i do get caught out i will spend up to 20 mins drying So given the choice its only dry weather for me.NIGEL