How do you guys wash your ebikes?
Posted by raw-moogle@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 57 comments
Hello everyone!
My bike got dirt and mud everywhere and I was wondering how I can safely clean it without damaging any of the electronic components. Any advice on how you clean yours will be appreciated, thank you.
Ur-in-a-tor@reddit
The electronics in my bike are all inside the frame. I hose the bike and then wipe it.
ThisAd7070@reddit
As do I !! Do people take the batteries out of their Tesla before washing it? Hahaha never had an issue, mind you I don’t power wash or spray directly trying to “fill the bike up” but hose/soap/water, cheers.
SerDuckOfPNW@reddit
Tesla’s are dry-clean only
ballisticks@reddit
I've seen many an idiot on FB groups spread misinfo about EVs not being able to handle the rain lol
ThisAd7070@reddit
Way too many ! People think their riding a taser ha ha ⚡️
RoundSyrup4424@reddit
Agreed. If your e-bike can't handle a washing, that's not a good e-bike.
Worldly_Abalone6341@reddit
1) remove battery.
2) put all open electrical components in plastic bags and tape them off to prevent water.
3) Use hose/power washer with foam attachment and soap all exposed areas only, avoiding motor wiring and inside of controller. Remove kick plate if you feel it necessary and want to do a deep clean.
4) clean with sponge or microfiber cloths, use plastic brush for wheels.
5) rinse the same way you applied soap, avoiding sensitive electrical areas.
6) Blow dry with compressed air or hand towels and lubricate moving parts that got wet.
Thats what I do anyway.
SerDuckOfPNW@reddit
Wouldn’t removing the battery expose more than just keeping it in place?
Worldly_Abalone6341@reddit
Not unless you planned to leave it next to the bike. Alot of battery's have a built in BMS on top its an electronic component with exposed electrical connections those connections arent water tight. When batterys are running damn near a dollar a kilowatt why even risk it?
SerDuckOfPNW@reddit
I think it depends on the bike. Mine, the battery has an o-ring so it is a sealed unit when installed. If I remove it, I expose the contacts and everything below.
The pet to charge the battery while installed is not on the battery itself, but part of the bike. It’s covered by a rubber stopper.
gary_7vn@reddit
Wet soapy rag and a brush for the hard to reach bits. No reason not to hose your tires and hubs. Any good bike 🚲 is "water resistant" i.e. IP 65
Kenichi_Smith@reddit
See I asked the question to my local repair shop and they said normally they'd say yes just hose the things down, but recently they had a customer's warranty on a Bosch motor declined for water ingress.
Was it a shit made motor to allow water inside in the first place? Maybe
But is it worth the risk?
lFightForTheUsers@reddit
Hand wash. I already keep a shit ton of wet wipes / body cleaning wipes on hand at home for other reasons. It's easy enough to just take them and use them to hand wipe down anything dirty.
Own-Park-7985@reddit
I just rinse it with a hose depends on the model but just avoid the electronics and to clean those use a wet towel
Sotyka94@reddit
Remove the battery, plastic bag over the motor, and another on the display. Then wash it with running water or low powered pressure washer, and try not to directly spray at the electronic parts.
Extra wash the chain with chain cleaner.
Rinse it, dry it with leaf blower/turbo fan. re-lube the chain.
No issue so far.
But tbh, usually I only maintain the chain and breaks, as the other parts being dirty is just visual, not functional issue.
raw-moogle@reddit (OP)
To be honest, I didn't think of using plastic bags. That's an excellent idea!
iH8MotherTeresa@reddit
Is your bike waterproof?
raw-moogle@reddit (OP)
Well, I have no idea actually. It didn't come with a manual or anything.
iH8MotherTeresa@reddit
Most are. Pull the battery and avoid spraying or soaking the electronics. Make sure it dries for a day or so before turning on the power.
waronhumans@reddit
Mine sure as hell isn't lol
Worldly_Abalone6341@reddit
This is pretty much what I do.
Denver80211@reddit
dawn dishwasher soap and water in a spray bottle, hose (keep it gentle), brush/rag for the chain
Rattlingplates@reddit
Never once, oiled the mechanical parts regularly though. 10k miles no issues.
ebike_reviewers@reddit
Regardless of the cleaning method you use, it's best to remove the battery (provided it's a removable battery) before cleaning to avoid unnecessary trouble.
LiveCheesecake6080@reddit
I would be careful with that. Batteries in the installed position are usually waterproof at least very water resistant. When you remove the battery, you leave an exposed connector. I personally leave it on and just rinse gently as if in the rain. Then you can use a rag and wipe.
No_Industry4028@reddit
Ride it in the rain
derping1234@reddit
A simple garden sprayer.
TJBurkeSalad@reddit
Garden hose and a rag.
Deep clean I will pull out the brass brush and disassemble the entire thing. Winter riding is hell on bikes and mine accumulate a lot of rust.
Jsullykc816@reddit
My bike is UL6 I just hose it off…
unseenmover@reddit
every once in a while. But i do intentionally keep it kinda dirty so it doesnt attract attention..
InvestigatorSenior@reddit
For aluminium frame with decent clear coat I've been using rag and water with a drop of dish soap.
For my carbon bike with paper thin paint that rubs off if you look at it wrong I started to use ceramic waterless wash by Silca. While it's expensive it makes paint and plastics look like milion bucks and cleans well. Ceramic coat makes dirt easier to wash off and is hydrophobic as well.
To be clear I've applied proper ceramic coating (bikeceramic to be specific) when the frame was new and I'm using ceramic wash as a top off among other things. It works really well so far.
Worldly_Abalone6341@reddit
Can you apply ceramic coat to any surface?
InvestigatorSenior@reddit
I'm not an expert but I'd bet there are some that you can't. Intuitively anything soft won't hold ceramic coating for long I've skipped rubber chain guards on my bike. But any paint matte or gloss works. I've tried to coat plastic fenders and it worked. Same goes for black anodized fork crown and lower legs.
Ceramic wash on the other hand does wonders on plastic, rubber and paint. The only things you should avoid are brake surfaces and fork stanchions.
raw-moogle@reddit (OP)
I didn't know about this. My bike has an aluminum frame but I'll look into these, so I can make my bike look pristine. Thank you!
TheGratitudeBot@reddit
Hey there raw-moogle - thanks for saying thanks! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and you’ve just made the list!
Cydonia921@reddit
Just going to drop this here, since this is what I do.
Cold-Committee-7719@reddit
My stuffs all internal and water resistant. When it dirty I break out the sponge and Dawn dish soap.
RoundSyrup4424@reddit
Scrubbling bubbles, wait, then hose off.
When really needed, add any good bike degreaser to the mix.
Wipe it dry.
Get a coat of ceramic wax on all painted areas and plastics.
Don't forget to lubricate the drive chain right away too!
Midnight_Ravin@reddit
I go to a coin operated car wash and just hose it down with the low pressure power washer. Just avoid direct and prolonged water contact with the electronicals.
Mr_Driver_@reddit
Just been through a uk winter with my first ebike (mountain bike). I hosed and cleaned it exactly the same as a normal bike. No problems. Just dont wash it upside and try not to spray water into the motor/electrics and if it does get wet, give it a chance to dry out completely for a few days and hopefully it'll be fine. These things should be able to get wet without breaking
rooplstilskin@reddit
Its an Ebike. It was meant to get wet.
Not sure why so many people baby their bikes.
Wipe/spray with soapy water.
Hose off.
Not hard, and nothing on your bike will get damaged.
Be sure to re-lube the chain and gears.
Dont remove the battery before the hose. Battery and battery cavities just need a wipe. Leave them in for the wash. Everything else is gravy unless you damaged the bike.
Taiyoryu@reddit
Clean and wash according to manual
atlasraven@reddit
A broom and wet wipes for sensitive spots.
NumaNuma92@reddit
I remove the battery, cover the breaks and spray on some muc off cleaning chemicals, let it soak in for a minute, then i grab the hose the wash it off. At the end i go over it with a towel to dry it. My battery is underneath, so i avoid spraying water near that area.
Duct_TapeOrWD40@reddit
Mine is a converted MTB, so it's easy. Remove battery, don't wash the controller and hub, and wash everything else normally in a car wash. The hub and controller is splash proof, so the minimal water won't damage them especially without the battery. Then hand wash the critical parts with minimal water.
raw-moogle@reddit (OP)
If I remove the battery, won't the water getting in the socket be an issue?
Duct_TapeOrWD40@reddit
Apply a plastic cover if necessary. And leave the area around any elecronics for hand wash.
NumaNuma92@reddit
I remove the battery, cover the breaks and spray on some muc off cleaning chemicals, let it soak in for a minute, then i grab the hose the wash it off. At the end i go over it with a towel to dry it. My battery is underneath, so i avoid spraying water near that area.
raw-moogle@reddit (OP)
That's a good idea, thank you!
Bad-Luck-Guy@reddit
In a car wash?
Duct_TapeOrWD40@reddit
Yes, in a manual car wash. If you clean up the mess you can clean anything on wheels, even agricultural machines. Bicycles are no exception.
Bad-Luck-Guy@reddit
I immediately pictured an automatic car wash and the image was hilarious.
TopRepulsive4766@reddit
Bucket, sponge, and rags.
We take the batteries out first.
Captain_EFFF@reddit
By living in New England and getting caught in the rain that wasn’t part of the weather report that I checked every day leading up to a ride and the morning of.
raw-moogle@reddit (OP)
Unfortunately, by living in Greece I get the Saharan dust along with the rain which results in mud.
Relative-Display-676@reddit
Clean the drive train and oil the chain. That's all the washing I do. Last thing I want is for electronics to get wet.
5ma5her7@reddit
Just wipe it with a rag?