More and more people are jumping aboard e-bikes and taking advantage of their many benefits ranging from commuting to leisure cycling.
As with all bikes, keeping on top of the maintenance will make them safer and more pleasant to ride, as well as helping the components to last longer. This is especially important because – although prices are coming down – e-bikes generally represent a considerable investment.
We spoke to Steve Mills, the co-owner of Take-Charge Bikes, an e-bike specialist who has been in the business for 13 years, for his advice on how best to maintain your e-bike, and the most common pitfalls for riders.
Mills explains that the best electric bikes are quite robust and don’t really need much more maintenance than regular bikes. The service time is principally related to the same mechanical aspects as you would deal with for any regular bike – but there are some elements which are different that it is recommended to be aware of.
E-bike maintenance tips
1. Good battery care
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The most significant difference between a regular bike and an e-bike is the battery. “Although there is a motor, that is still fundamentally mechanical and quite akin to the rest of the bike. Batteries, on the other hand, have very different requirements,” Mills tells us.
“The main thing is to keep the battery at an ambient temperature; anything too hot or too cold is going to negatively affect it. Keeping the battery inside your home will do a lot to prolong its life.
“When it comes to storing the batteries for any length of time, you should ensure that the battery isn’t empty – but also don’t leave it sitting there on charge for anything like days or weeks. Batteries are quite expensive, so you really don’t want to misuse them.”
When it comes to deciding where to store your battery, it helps to consider whether these would be good conditions for a pet. If not, it’s not good for your battery.
2. Spoke tension
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Hub motor style e-bikes can present their own problems for spokes which you wouldn’t expect to happen on a standard bike, due to stresses caused by the force of the motor.
Mills points out: “On a hub motor, particularly rear hub motors, you find that after a few years spoke breakage becomes a slightly more common occurrence. But if you are getting your bike serviced, spoke tension will be checked and adjusted, so this would be less likely.”
3. Cleaning the drivetrain
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