HOW TO CLEAN YOUR EBIKE

Keeping your ebike clean between rides is very important. It’s not just about your ebike looking great (though you obviously want it to). It’s about maintaining your electric bike and making sure it runs as well and for as long as possible. Allowing too much dirt and debris to build up can affect your ebikes performance and, in the long run, can even cause damage to its electrical components.

Of course, you need to be careful around those components when it comes to water and cleaning products. After giving you our cleaning tips, we’ll run through a few things that you should NOT do while cleaning your electric bike at the end of the article. But first, here is a step-by-step guide to keeping your ebike fresh.

1) Use a brush to clean the dirtiest parts of your ebike. These are usually the parts of the frame that are closest to the ground, the pedals, and the tires. Avoid any nearby electrical components or open points like the hub bearing (the center of the wheel) while cleaning, as well as the brake pads and rotors. 

2) Take a moist sponge or rag and wipe down the frame of your bike, taking care to be thorough and catch every bit of dirt or debris that you can. You’ll find that they are often most present and easily missed on the underside of the frame, and in corners. Avoid getting any moisture on the bottom bracket or the points where the headset and seat post meet the rest of the frame. 

3) Now it’s time to give your ebike a rinse to get rid of any lingering dirty water or soap. For this, a clean wet rag is best (do NOT use a high-pressure hose).

4) Use a fresh, dry rag to dry everything off and catch any lingering last bits of dirt that you missed.

5) Once your ebike is dry, lubricate your chain, first making sure to rub it thoroughly with a dry rag to be entirely sure that it is both dry and clean.

6) Finally, remove your battery and use a fresh dry rag to clean the battery, the battery contacts, and the space on the frame in which the battery sits. Do NOT use any water or a moist rag for this, as it could cause damage to the battery.

Follow these steps, and you’ll have a sparklingly clean ebike for every ride. And while we don’t want to sound like your parents, it’s worth remembering that the more often you clean it, the quicker and easier each clean will be, as you’ll avoid any long-term buildup of dirt.

Finally, as promised, here are a few things to always avoid when it comes to cleaning your ebike:

· DO NOT use high pressure washers or hoses on high pressure settings to clean your ebike; if might seem like a quick and easy fix, but these powerful jets can damage your ebikes components. In general, avoid water and use moistened rags instead.  

· DO NOT get water on the ebikes hub bearing at the center of the wheel, chains, gears, brake pads, bottom bracket, or where the handles or seat connect to the frame; these openings can let water through leading to damage in the motor.

· DO NOT use soaps or cleaners meant for cars, which can cause damage to the ebike.

Happy cleaning, and happy riding!