An electric bike is an investment. And whether you’re an electric bike owner or just looking to dip your toe in, you’ll likely want to know how to protect your investment. If you stay up to date on routine maintenance, keep your chain oiled, and your tires aired up, your e-bike should be protected for good, right? But what about something less obvious, like rain messing up you’re highly electric bike?
To protect your e-bike in the rain, avoid deep puddles and heavy downpours, and be sure to dry the bike off when finished riding. You can add extra weatherproofing to improve the “water resistance” the bike likely already has. When riding, break early and go slower to minimize the chance of a crash that could damage the bike.
To preserve and protect your e-bike from the rain, the best thing you can do is minimize your time riding in the rain. However, riding in the rain is sometimes a necessity (and completely okay). When you are riding in the rain, be extra cautious–it’s not just the wetness you need to worry about but the increased chance of a crash at all. And while almost all electric bikes are “water resistant,” very few manufacturers will go so far as to say they’re “waterproof.”
How To Protect Your E-Bike From Rain While Riding
Protecting your e-bike in the rain while riding is the key to ensuring it has a long lifespan and does not develop any mechanical issues. Increasing the protection of your electric bike also helps keep you safe and dry, so it is a win-win. Here are the top methods of keeping your electric bike protected from the rain.
Add Extra Water Sealant
Almost every brand and model of electric bike has some level of water resistance. Whether they are specified as full-on waterproof or just water-resistant, adding extra sealant can only help.
You can use silicone sealant like this Gorilla Clear Silicone Sealant (on Amazon) to provide a better moisture barrier around screw heads and the battery casing, controls, and wiring harnesses. This is a DIY modification; it’s not difficult and might not look the best, but it can help. We’ll dive deeper into how to waterproof your e-bike later on.
Keep the Chain Oiled and Clean
If you’re riding in a particularly rainy climate, it is good practice to be mindful of the oil on your chain. Repeated rain can strip away the oil and leave the chain grinding against the drivetrain.
When things are grinding, they get worn down easily. The chain can get stretched and fall off the drivetrain or snap entirely. Even worse, a tooth on the drivetrain can snap off.
Ensuring everything is well-lubricated will keep the e-bike running smoothly and will prevent you from breaking down on a busy street in traffic. Not only is this unsafe, but it is frustrating as well.
For riders in abnormally wet conditions, consider using a chain lubricant rated for wet conditions, like this Finish Line Wet Bike Lubricant (on Amazon) designed for “extreme conditions.”
Increase Your Visibility
If you’re having trouble seeing vehicles and other e-bike commuters in the rain, chances are they would have difficulty seeing you too. Installing lights is one of the best ways to increase your visibility to others.
Headlights, like this BV Bicycle Light Set Super Bright 5 LED Headlight (on Amazon), have multiple settings: solid, on, and multiple flashing settings. These extra bright lamps really increase your visibility and ensure other drivers and bikers see you.
We’ve all been on the road before where something has seemingly popped up out of nowhere, whether it’s an e-bike or a deer. Now think back on that experience; you likely would have noticed them sooner if they had a big, bright flashing light attached to them.
To even further increase your visibility, you can opt for flashing taillights, like this Rechargeable LED Tail Light 2 Pack (on Amazon) and this high visibility 247 Viz Reflective Vest and Bands also (also on Amazon).
Brake Early
Braking early while you’re riding your e-bike in the rain is one of the best safety precautions you can start implementing immediately. Stopping before you think you need to is essential to avoiding collisions. Think of your extra stopping time as a safety factor.
Sure, you can brake later and harder and save a few seconds on your commute, but is the chance of wrecking your electric bike and succumbing to potentially serious injuries really worth the extra seconds you saved?
Take it Slow
Along with breaking early, you should ride slowly and cautiously while it is raining outdoors. This might be a no-brainer for some, but if you go too fast on slick streets, you can lose traction and fall over.
Having your e-bike slip out from under certainly isn’t any fun. Your bike can get damaged, you can get injured, and you’ll end up getting even wetter.
Don’t ride fast in the rain just to get out of it sooner – the risk of wiping out is too dangerous, especially in busy areas.
Add Some Distance
Don’t tailgate other e-bikes and vehicles in the rain while you are riding your e-bike. For one, you will have a greater stopping distance, meaning you will be more likely to rear-end someone if you have to slam on the brakes.
And for two, you will get even more soaked with water as the tires from the other vehicles will splash up water from the road towards you. Therefore, for your safety and to stay drier, you should follow all types of vehicles at an extra-safe distance.
Avoid High Traffic Areas
If you have a lower-traffic option on your route, taking it can be the safer option. You can do everything to be as safe as possible and improve your visibility, but in some cases, that isn’t enough.
There are unfortunate cases of e-bike riders getting into accidents or collisions besides doing everything right- due to another person’s mistake.
Coupled with the higher risk that the rain and slippery conditions bring along, it is best to limit the number of other commuters along the way to reduce your overall risk. Even if the lower traffic “scenic route” adds ten minutes extra to your commute, the stress reduction is totally worth it to most riders.
Lower Tire Pressure
You might have heard of lowering the tire pressure of your car to increase its traction in winter conditions. The same idea applies to e-bike tires in the rain too. When you lower the tire pressure, the overall surface area of the tire coming into contact with the road increases.
This increase in contact increases traction, which in turn gives your bike a better grip on the road and reduces slips, skids, and slides.
Typically bike tire pressure is around 100 psi for dry conditions on the pavement. For wet conditions, consider lowering the tire pressure by 10% to 90 psi. This slight reduction will make riding in the rain safer and protect your e-bike.
Avoid Puddles Like the Plague
At first glance, puddles may not look all that bad. After all, a thin layer of water on the street never hurt anyone, right? Wrong. Puddles are masters of concealing large potholes, which can pop your tire, bend your rim, or worse- make you completely wipe out.
Besides the potential damage to the electric bike and your well-being, the splashing water from the puddle up onto your e-bike isn’t good for the chain or frame.
Think of all the motor oil, other automotive fluids, and dirt that gets mixed in with the rainwater. You certainly wouldn’t take a bath in it, so try to avoid getting it on your e-bike too.
Weatherproof Your Gear
Many people use their electric bikes as their daily commuter vehicles. Maybe you’re traveling back and forth to the office, and you have your laptop computer in tow. Whatever precious cargo you carry with you, electronics or not, waterproofing their containers are essential to keeping them dry.
Nothing is worse than showing up to work with a dead, water-damaged phone or laptop to start your day.
Save your electronics by getting weatherproof gear. It’s not hard to find and is surprisingly inexpensive. For example, this Krosher Water-Repellant Laptop Backpack (on Amazon) is extremely affordable.
Weatherproof Yourself
Along with weatherproofing your gear, you should weatherproof yourself too. Just think about it: you probably don’t want to show up sogging wet once you get to your destination. Riding in the rain can be hard on your body. If it is a mild day outdoors, the water can make you very cold if you do not stay dry.
When your hands get wet and cold, it will be harder to open and close them to control the brakes, turning, and other controls. That is why waterproof biking gloves are essential if you are electric biking in the rain.
Additionally, adding a cycling cap with a brim (to prevent water from leaking down into your eyes), along with waterproof boots, jacket, and pants to your rain-riding ensemble, will keep you dry all the way to your destination.
Install Tire Fenders
Tire fenders, like these Free-fly Adjustable Bicycle Fenders (on Amazon), go over the top of each tire and shield you and the other components of the e-bike from tire splashback. Remember how nasty puddle water can be? Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to have filthy, gunk water sprayed all over you and the e-bike when you can easily prevent it.
Don’t Skip the Routine Maintenance
Routine maintenance is perhaps one of the most important methods of protecting your e-bike in the rain and during any other riding conditions. During a tune-up, the chain will be checked for proper tension; it will be cleaned and oiled, the drivetrain will be checked, the brakes will be tested or replaced if necessary.
Additionally, any other safety concerns can be determined and repaired because they cause you any issues.
Imagine having bad brakes in the rain– it is already hard to stop in rainy conditions, and having bad brakes is just asking for an accident. This is just one example of why routine maintenance is an essential factor in protecting your e-bike in the rain.
Dry the E-bike Off
After every amazing electric biking adventure that occurs in the rain, you should dry off your e-bike. Leaving moisture lingering on the electric bike isn’t the best choice. The longer moisture is present on something, the more time it has to corrode things and work its way inside cracks and crevices.
Additionally, when you are drying off the e-bike, you can easily remove things like mud while still wet before it hardens into a nearly unremovable paste.
How To Protect Your Ebike From Rain When Storing Outdoors
If you own an electric bike, the last place you should store it when not in use is the outdoors, especially on rainy days. Instead, store it indoors– in your garage, shed, basement, or even your dining room. Anywhere indoors is better than outdoor storage.
However, if you must store it outside, put a waterproof cover over it to protect it, like this bike cover on Amazon.
Storing an e-bike outdoors is a bad idea because repeated rainfall could eventually break through a seal and ruin electric components. Water will strip the lube of the chain and create rust.
Lastly, the hot and cold temperature cycling outdoors isn’t great for the battery either. If the outdoor temperatures where you live are extreme, try to stash your e-bike in a garage or somewhere temperature-controlled. If all else fails, just bring the battery indoors.
For long-term storage across, for instance the whole winter, this is worth thinking about and doing to preserve the battery’s life.
How To Waterproof Your Electric Bike
If you are up for a DIY project, you can add some additional waterproofing to your electric bike. The first and easiest thing you can add is dabs of silicone sealant like this Gorilla Clear Silicone Sealant (on Amazon), to where the wire enters the front wheel, openings of screws, and any seams along with the battery case. Silicone sealant will add an extra layer of protection and prevents water from dripping inside.
Lastly, you can add extra waterproofing to any exposed wiring harnesses by wrapping them snuggly in handlebar wrap or rubber strips. Wrap in a fashion, so the strips are overlapping to best protect from water ingress.