Winter Cycling - E-bike during winter

Any ideas how an e-bike would handle in winter conditions (some snow, barely any ice if any, etc.)?

i don't think they would be too good in the snow.

I rode behind one once. It was one of the ones with the motor in the front wheel. There didn't seem to be enough control in the throttle for varying conditions. He'd hit a patch of snow, the front wheel would spin madly and he'd be all over the road.

But, he got it over that hill faster than me.

Sounds pretty crazy. Appreciate the sharing in observation :-)

I have been riding my e-assisted Xtracycle now for 2 winters. I haven't noticed any issues with ride quality.
I have noticed that in colder temps ~0 F, that my Cycle Analyst tends to act a little weird, all of the segments on the display don't work as well, making it a little hard to read.

I appreciate the input :-)

I have been riding my e-assisted Xtracycle now for 2 winters. I haven't noticed any issues with ride quality.
I have noticed that in colder temps ~0 F, that my Cycle Analyst tends to act a little weird, all of the segments on the display don't work as well, making it a little hard to read.Front or rear drive? Can you post details of the set-up?

i don't think they would be too good in the snow.

I love it in the snow!! BIONX say don't leave the battery out when it's freezing so I don't, but I haven't noticed any difference in power or battery charge running mine in the Swiss winter :)

I have upped the LED count and put on Shwalbe Crazy Bob tires :D and I also use my ski helmet with clear goggles most of the time. I also just sprayed my battery matt black.....and OMFG it looks SHWeeeeeeeeeeeeet :thumb:

OK so that previous was useless without a pic....apologies. My regular camera is still bust, so here's a phonecam pic of my new matte blacking (and a 26" Shwalbe Crazy Bob!)

185555

:D

I love it in the snow!! BIONX say don't leave the battery out when it's freezing so I don't, but I haven't noticed any difference in power or battery charge running mine in the Swiss winter :)
So that wouldn't really work for me then, as I typically park my bike on the balcony during the week-end and also every once in a while (at least once a week) I park it outside for a number of hours while going about my business :-(

Well you would take it off on the balcony no doubt and I think they meant leave it out overnight, I am sure for a few hours, it will be fine.

I'd say the front drive ones would be a little rough in snow, and I wouldn't touch one with ice. The rear drive should be great in winter. In the ice, well, you just take it easy like you normally do. When it's dry it would kind of suck if you still have your studs on (which you probably do because you're not gonna have spare wheelsets for this thing).

In the snow I would think the weight might make it a little difficult to handle, but it might actually help it not get pushed around in the unplowed driven stuff. If the motor is on the back wheel the extra power ought to help you keep in motion.

I would think the pedal assist would do better as it'd stop pushing when you do, so you wouldn't be losing more control as you forget to let off both throttles.


They're all Li-Ion to my knowledge, so expect your battery life to halve when it's really cold.

with the way my winter bike looks right now i would not drive an electric bike in the winter where i live. it would be a waste of a $600+ bike. all my bikes that i drive i usually get for free or almost nothing. the most i paid for one was $10 and it was at the local car junkyard and all it was missing was a rear derailer.

with the way my winter bike looks right now i would not drive an electric bike in the winter where i live. it would be a waste of a $600+ bike. all my bikes that i drive i usually get for free or almost nothing. the most i paid for one was $10 and it was at the local car junkyard and all it was missing was a rear derailer.

$600 ebike, lol.

Try about $2k for a modern one.

$600 ebike, lol.

Try about $2k for a modern one.
lol. i think in the summer i saw them on sale at Canadian Tire for about $600-$1000. that is why i said $600+. i would definitely not spend that amount of money only to destroy it with all that salt and sand.

Front or rear drive? Can you post details of the set-up?

My set up is a 450watt E-Zee (I have seen it pulling 675watts, if the Cycle Analyst is accurate) front hub motor, 10Ah LiFePo4 battery (mounted in a trunk bag/rack over the front wheel), I also have a thumb throttle as opposed to a twist grip throttle, which I feel gives me more control.

I actually think the front drive helps with the snow and ice, kind of like a 4 wheel drive in a ICE vehicle. I have felt the front helping pull me through the snow, I haven't noticed any negative issues on the ice with it either.

I also remove my battery at work and keep it inside, I charge it at home inside.

FYI, The scooter style e-bicycles are useless, at least with a normal electrically assisted bicycle you can put studded tires on it and stand a chance to pedal it.

I forgot to mention I also roll with studded tires.

lol. i think in the summer i saw them on sale at Canadian Tire for about $600-$1000. that is why i said $600+. i would definitely not spend that amount of money only to destroy it with all that salt and sand.

Yea, you don't want a lead acid driven x-mart special ebike....

My set up is a 450watt E-Zee (I have seen it pulling 675watts, if the Cycle Analyst is accurate) front hub motor, 10Ah LiFePo4 battery (mounted in a trunk bag/rack over the front wheel), I also have a thumb throttle as opposed to a twist grip throttle, which I feel gives me more control.

I actually think the front drive helps with the snow and ice, kind of like a 4 wheel drive in a ICE vehicle. I have felt the front helping pull me through the snow, I haven't noticed any negative issues on the ice with it either.

I also remove my battery at work and keep it inside, I charge it at home inside.

I can definitely see how it'd help on the snow! I'd still be afraid of it on ice.

Seems doable to me. Especially with studs.

obviously it is doable. you could drive a dirt bike in winter if you wanted to. they even have races on ice with dirt bikes in winter. the question is why would you want to let the salt and sand destroy a $1000+ bike?