eMTB Cleaning / Motor protection

[Cap'nJim]

Hi There.

I'm a self-confessed NOOB when it comes to the world of eMTB ownership having just received my Orbea Rise LT the other day. However as I have been researching about eMTBs, many sites seem to imply that the motors do not cope very well with dirt / water ingress and so many people experieince failures to the motor or electrical system. These articles generally go on to say about good ebike practises when it comes to cleaning and drying the bike, but I wondered if there were any other preventative steps I could take to further protect from this occuring?

For context I live in UK which is known for its wet / muddy climate so I'm keen to understand more on this before potentially causing damage my bike. As an additional opinion, I feel its a little strange that the bike industry is releasing products that potentially can't handle the enviroments for which they may need to operate in (mud / water) so would also welcome your opinions on this. Am I wrong / missed something here?

Thanks

 

[pagheca]

I am usually going out again two days later... thanks guys for all these suggestions. It takes longer to clean this s**t out of my ebike than from a full size car.

 

[InRustWeTrust]

thanks for the (many) suggestion.

An additional problem is that I do not have an area where to clean the ebike. I have a garden but I do not want to pollute it with washers or salty substances. I have to find out a solution. Also, I do not have a compressor, but I could by one...

Question: do you disassemble some parts like batteries, wheels to better clean it?

If you have a garden, you likely have an outdoor faucet, in which case you just need to buy a garden hose.
As several people have mentioned below, Muc-Off is biodegradable, which means you can wash your bike on the lawn without causing any damage.
If you insist on not washing it at home, you can either buy a portable bike pressure washer to clean it right there in the parking lot, or just swing by the nearest car wash

 

[steve_sordy]

thanks for the (many) suggestion.

An additional problem is that I do not have an area where to clean the ebike. I have a garden but I do not want to pollute it with washers or salty substances. I have to find out a solution. Also, I do not have a compressor, but I could by one...

Question: do you disassemble some parts like batteries, wheels to better clean it?

I prefer to wash my bike on the lawn, it is less hassle. The lawn gets some topsoil and the earth gets some water. The suds just blow away. Everything I now use is allegedly nature friendly, but even when it wasn't, I don't recall the lawn suffering. I don't wash my bike that often!
When the lawn is so wet that I would end up puddling the turf, I wash the bike on the tarmac drive. But that is further to carry everything, so it's a last resort.

The only time I dismantle anything, it is to fix it or to replace it (mechs, chains, cassettes, bearings, etc) My view is that if I'm dismantling something for a reason then I might as well give it a good clean, but not otherwise. You can be too obsessive about cleaning stuff. I have had my current bike over 4.5 years and it looks and rides like new.
But if I was going to sell it, then I'd get the toothbrush and the pipe cleaners out and get right in there and get everything gleaming without a trace of dirt, but not until then.

EDIT: And another thing!
Recenty, I removed the (removable) battery for only the fourth time in four and a half years. It was just to check that there was no mud/dust/dead leaves in the compartment. There was nothing there, well maybe a few bits of dust that took a wipe with a damp cloth to shift. But that was it!

 

[steve_sordy]

I am usually going out again two days later... thanks guys for all these suggestions. It takes longer to clean this s**t out of my ebike than from a full size car.

Then you should consider that either you are not cleaning your car properly OR, you are cleaning your bike all wrong! You don't take the wheels off your car to ensure that the back of the wheels are clean do you. Or that the brake calipers are all tickety boo? I'll bet that you don't lift the bonnet and clean out the engine compartment either. A full compartment degrease and clean is the sort of thing I would only consider when selling the car and probably not even then (although it did look fantastic on the one occasion that I did it).

I know that bikes can get very mucky in all sorts of complex places, but you do not need to restore every single nook and cranny to "as new" condition every time you clean the bike. What would you do on a week's biking holiday in the Alps? Yes, I thought so, very little, maybe even nothing at all.

 

[pagheca]

I never clean my car, actually...

p.s. I was joking

 

[steve_sordy]

I never clean my car, actually...

p.s. I was joking

I have never cleaned my current car, or the two before that. In fact, not since the hand car wash opened in Grantham behind the B&Q store. Many years ago, I stopped taking my car through an automatic car wash when I saw what it was doing to the paint finish (like wearing through the lacquer for starters).

I bought a Karcher wet&dry vac as part of my revamp of the garage. It is an extremely impressive bit of kit and it makes short work indeed of vaccing out the car. So it gets done more frequently than when I had to lug the big vac out from the house and stand it on a mat and keep moving it. The Karcher is on castors and follows me around. My 18-year old grandson was so impressed with it that he asked for one for Xmas to use on his car!!

PS: If you want a Karcher WD3 (they also make a slightly smaller version, WD2), shop around because some come with a load of extra tools for a few quid more. You can buy the extra tools for £10 on Amazon.

 

[Amber Valley Guy]

Best stuff I've found is snow foam....but use it in a greenhouse spray bottle diluted with water, spray it on (it won't foam), hose down with a garden hose on 'spray' ( no pressure) and a wipe down, maybe a car wheel brush on the tyres if covered in thick sticky mud. It even brings the tyre decals up like new. 10 mins job absolute tops.

 

[Rewopeel]

Hi There.

I'm a self-confessed NOOB when it comes to the world of eMTB ownership having just received my Orbea Rise LT the other day. However as I have been researching about eMTBs, many sites seem to imply that the motors do not cope very well with dirt / water ingress and so many people experieince failures to the motor or electrical system. These articles generally go on to say about good ebike practises when it comes to cleaning and drying the bike, but I wondered if there were any other preventative steps I could take to further protect from this occuring?

For context I live in UK which is known for its wet / muddy climate so I'm keen to understand more on this before potentially causing damage my bike. As an additional opinion, I feel its a little strange that the bike industry is releasing products that potentially can't handle the enviroments for which they may need to operate in (mud / water) so would also welcome your opinions on this. Am I wrong / missed something here?

Thanks

I'll only clean the bike when it's muddy, otherwise I'll just lightly brush it clean and wipe down the drive train and stanchions. When it's muddy I use a hose but not directly onto the motor, where I clean this with a semi wet sponge. I also cover up the assist switch with a small bag while washing. I ride it in all weathers but avoid bogging the motor at all costs.