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Electric Bikes - Is it safe to ride my e-bike in the rain?

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sf1901

01-06-08, 04:46 AM

mike-on-da-bike

01-06-08, 09:12 AM

i ride my currie setup in light rain it dont hurt it but why would you want to go out in heavy rain in the first place?stay home and kiss your girlfriends when it is raining

Abneycat

01-06-08, 12:29 PM

I have been commuting 32 miles round trip with my e-bike. I have an Crystalite rear hub 4680 Pheonix with SLAs. I took the time to water proofed my battery bags, my control for the weather, and covered up all my wires from getting wet. The only area that I'm concerned is my rear hub, would they get soaked enough to mess it up? Considering that it's only rain, no flooding or submerging my hubs into any high water. Is it ok?

Please tell me your experience and your commute.

Crystalyte's product is good in rain, and excellent if you take the time to treat it as you have. One other suggestion that I would make is to create a drip loop for the wiring on your motor and controller, so that any rain will not simply slide along the wiring and into your equipment. Just leave a small loop of wiring below the exits and it'll do well to keep more moisture out.

If you have a lit throttle, you'll also want to put a little sealant around the edges of the lit section, as its really just a thick plastic sticker over the lights and it will eventually leak as well.

On the rear hub, its externally painted so as to not rust, and internally it generates enough heat that any water entering the hub during use won't stay long. People have submerged hub motors and had them work fine before, and I wouldn't be worried about yours having trouble. Simply try to keep moisture introduction low, because internal bearings and such can still rust.