E-bike Maintenance For Beginners!
Much like any motor vehicle, e-bike maintenance is a must! They have many intricate components that need to be maintained and eventually replaced after a certain amount of time and use.
There’s nothing worse than having critical pieces fail when you’re on a trip, or maybe you get stuck in a bad neighborhood on the way to your destination.
If you don’t have the skills to do the maintenance yourself, you can look for “electric bike repair shop near me” to ensure you find a specialist.
The following article will help you understand how to maintain an e-Bike and we’ll show a few things which you can do at home to keep it in the best possible condition.
Table of Contents
The Battery is a Priority
It is important to make sure that the battery is always charged and in the best conditions.
If you’re not using the bike very often, you might want to keep the battery at a limited charge.
It is recommended to have it charged at around 30% to 60%. This is to ensure the quality does not deplete too much, leading you to get a new one sooner than what’s necessary.
When riding, you should consider using the eco mode as much as possible. This mode is the lowest setting available so it will extend the lifespan of the battery.
Keep in mind that wind resistance and excessive carry weight can double the motor usage and therefore, the battery power.
Read More: eBike Batteries – The 2021 Beginner’s Guide
Tires Can Save Your Life
Never overlook caring for the tires as they are responsible for providing grip and traction on the road of course.
If you don’t take care of the tires, you might slide out on the bike! Many people have had accidents because they lost control and slid in front of oncoming vehicles.
If you run into a low pressure tire, you must fix it as soon as possible. This is to avoid damage if you encounter a harsh bump on the road.
Even though a low pressure tire increases the contact surface of it – meaning more grip – it will also create more resistance when pedaling therefore, battery consumption.
Many experts always carry a kit with patches to make changes on the fly.
The usual tire pressure for a mountain bike is between 25 to 35 psi. On the other hand, a road bike can be up to 70 psi and hybrid around 40 psi.
The Importance of Brake Checkups
Who wants to be without brakes? Not us, and you either! If you ever lose control or the road turns when you were expecting it to go straight, the brakes will keep you from falling here!
Before riding a bike, you need to check the brakes for obvious issues. These issues include loose components and excessive wear on the pads or rotors.
Most times riders don’t check the conditions of the brake pads.
If you find any of these issues, it is important to replace the brakes immediately.
When you’ve been using the bike for a long time, you might just need to replace them due to standard wear and tear.
But when you take your bike to a repair service, they should automatically check the brakes and let you know if they need replacing.
The Bike Chain Should be Top of Your Care List
Whether you use the bike for casual rides or you’re commuting every day, the chain will need to endure some tough wear and tear.
You should take a look at the chain before every ride (e.g. tension) to check it’s in optimal condition.
Additionally, consider cleaning the bike chain after any off-road session, say if you’ve been in the mountains for example, for the best performance.
As an additional tip, grab some lubricant for it. There are many different kinds around so it is a good advise to ask a bike shop about the best products.
The lubricant is effective to reduce grime and dirt sticking to the chain and you should always apply some after you’ve washed the chain, as that will clean off any existing grease.
A Full Inspection Once A Week is Helpful
With an electric bike, the components can sometimes fail and some of them might not even last the expected lifespan.
If you own an electric bike, you should try to inspect it at least once a week, that way you’ll notice any flaws or worn components before they become troublesome.
If you look at some of the previous tips, you can use them as your maintenance checklist.
When doing the inspection, the four (4) most important components to look at are: the brakes, the chain, the battery quality and the tires.
If these are all in peak operating conditions, the bike should be workable and good to go!
While the above-mentioned sections will be on top of the list when checking, you need to look at the major components as well.
For instance, the frame and motor tie into these small sections, but doing a complete check once in a while can help you find potential issues.
Read More: eBike Frames – How to Check Potential Issues.
What About Servicing the Motor?
Electric bike motors have evolved since the first generation was manufactured.
I have to say they were no heavier and easier to service as they comprised less part to be checked.
The most state of the art motors have more complex parts to deal with as many manufacturers want to offer more efficiency and power.
For this same reason, manufacturers recommend to take their motors for service to authorized bike shops or even back to them. This way to keep the warranty intact.
The only thing you can do is to keep an eye on efficiency changes of the motor. This also includes:
– Uncommon or excessive noise while riding.
– Power drops.
– Increase in resistance when pedaling.
Read More: Electric Motor Bike Guide – What to Know About It
If All Else Fails, Visit A Bike Shop
Finally, we mentioned the bike shop at the start of the article, the fact of the matter is that the experts will know far more about the electric bike than we do.
If you have an issue and you cannot figure out what is going on, you should consider visiting the e-bike specialists near you.
Like any professional service, it will be a little more expensive to do this, but if you leave the components unchecked, a problem can cause serious injury, or become even more expensive when it affects other components.
Wrap-Up
Your e-bike is one of the best tools you can use to commute from one location to the other.
It will save you money on gas and improve fitness. However, these bikes will require regular checkups and maintenance.
Doing e-bike maintenance is important to ensure your overall safety the quality of the ride.
