Having an eBike is probably one of these things that made your life drastically easier. It gets you out of traffic, brings you anywhere at any time, and adapts itself to your desired pace. Most importantly, it needs much less bike maintenance than a conventional bike. However, just like your computer or your phone, your eBike deserves to be treated with care. These couple of bike maintenance and bike cleaning habits will make your eBike last longer and ensure your rides stay smooth.
Before we dive into it, we want to remind you that these gestures are small routine ones, so if you are faced with a more complicated problem, please bring your eBike to a professional.
First, let’s talk about how to make your battery last longer… and it all happens in the charging!
Just like your phone or any other device with a battery, its performance gets impacted by the weather. It is crucial for your eBike’s battery that you charge it in a temperate room and not in a humid garage, for example. Another important tip is to use the well-known 30:80 charging rule. Charging your battery when its level is between 30 and 80 percentage requires less voltage and will make your battery last longer.
Our last tip for you would be to never leave your battery on for too long if you park your eBike in the sun! Like your phone, it may overheat and lose its battery faster than it should.
However, bear in mind that these maintenance tips are only made for your battery to perform the best it can, it won’t improve its power time. If you want an upgrade in the battery, check out what we have to offer here!
Now, let’s see how you can go about bike cleaning in a safe and proper manner.
Most of the time you should be able to clean minor stains on the frame with a damp wipe or sponge. The only thing you should be really careful about when performing bike maintenance is the choice of utensil as a hard brush or an abrasive sponge can damage the paint. It would be a shame to get a scratch on your perfectly black Amsterdam electric bike.
If the stains are more important, do not hesitate in using special bike cleaning products such as Muc Off. This bike cleaning process might be disturbing at the moment, but it will definitely reveal itself worth it in the long term by avoiding needless damages, as this is what bike maintenance is all about. Lastly, you can finish your bike cleaning routine with a protective spray or polish that will keep your eBike frame free from erosions and make it shine like a brand new one!
Always take special care of the (non-carbon) chains!
With up to 116 moving parts, you could see the chains like the heart of your eBike. In fact, the chains are what transfer the power you put on the pedals to the drive wheel. So, a properly cleaned chain will save you a lot of energy and will make you enjoy much smoother rides. On a more technical aspect, the chains experience friction with other parts of the eBike such as the crank rings or the jockey wheels. Consequently, adhering to bike maintenance and having a well-cleaned chain will also prevent further damages to your eBike.
Now, there are two ways of cleaning your chain. The easiest one is to use a wipe with some degreasing solvent and to go around both sides of the chain. Just add some lubricant after that and it will make your rides feel immediately smoother. For deeper cleaning, you can get a chain cleaning device which can easily be found at a lower price. However, that also means cleaning the device afterwards!
We know, we know…for many riders, getting their hands dirty to clean the chain of the eBike is not the best feeling. If you are part of this group, we have a solution! You might want to consider our automatic gearing and Enviolo hub system bikes. Both use a carbon belt drive system that is resistant to the weather and require minimum maintenance from you!
All in all, if you love your electronic bike as much as we do, we recommend you take great care of it by adopting these three simple bike maintenance and bike cleaning habits. Proper bike care will ensure a longer life for your eBike and more LEKKER rides for you!
If you would like to upgrade your eBike or are looking for a new one, feel free to go on our website and have fun discovering our eBike ranges!