Show Your Bike Some Love: Three Ebike Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Love-Connection Strong

Three Tips To Keep Your Ebike Love-Connection Strong

In a serious romantic relationship, social norms dictate the celebration of an anniversary (or Valentine’s Day) with a standard menu of gifts and activities: candles, dinner, wine, flowers, chocolate. And these once-annual events are good prompts to celebrate your love. Think of these events like your annual electric bike tune-up. If you’re a fair-weather rider, each spring you roll the bike out of the garage and bring it down to your local bike shop for a standard menu of service. This can include a deep clean, relubrication, brake and derailleur adjustments. Heck, maybe you even throw in a new set of tires or a cushy saddle.

But we all know that one holiday isn’t enough to maintain a relationship! A single tune-up isn’t enough to maintain your electric bike’s performance for a full year. Never take your partner for granted – regular check-ins make for the smoothest ride and we have three Ebike maintenance tips to keep your love-connection going strong!

Tire Pressure

This is the easiest thing to do to keep your bicycle operating properly. The tire manufacturer puts a suggested PSI range on the sidewall of the tire for a reason—too much pressure leads to an unpleasant gun-shot volume explosion, but too little pressure proves equally damaging. Riding a tire that’s low on pressure reduces efficiency, sure, but also can lead to pinch flats and damaged rims and bent wheels. Taking a minute or two to check your tire pressure and pump them up before a ride will make your ride more pleasant. Think of it like giving your special person a smooch before you leave for work in the morning.

Chain Lubrication

The bicycle chain does a lot of work! It undergoes a lot of stress, and is one of the first parts of your Ebike to need a little love. New bike chains come with a thin layer of oil from the factory. This oil keeps them from rusting, but also can attract dirt and become sticky. The first thing to do with a new bike is to degrease the chain and apply lubricant. There are many of options of lube to choose from, any will do the trick (it’s the thought that counts).

And keep cleaning it and re-applying lube as you put more miles on your electric bike. Have you ever been out in public and overheard a couple fighting? It’s uncomfortable being an observer to such a personal moment! That’s how other people feel when they can hear your noisy chain coming down the bike path. Keeping that chain lubed means smooth shifts and quiet spins on the trail.

After a lot of riding, that chain will stretch and you might not get the precise shifts you’re used to. At this point, it’ll be time to replace the chain and the rear freewheel, as those two components wear together. 

Brakes

Much like your tire pressure, your brakes should be checked for proper function before each ride. In addition to being an important safety feature, misaligned brakes can lead to obnoxious rubbing noises and premature brake pad wear. This is one of our most important Ebike maintenance tips.

The brake rotors often become contaminated with oil and grit from the road. When they start squealing at you, it’s probably time to give them a thorough cleaning. There are a few bike brake specific cleaning products on the market, but isopropyl alcohol also does the trick. Just be sure to use a product that leaves no residue behind.

In Summary

While the big events get all the attention, it’s the underappreciated and often overlooked electric bike maintenance that keeps a relationship strong. Think about all the love your bike has given you! Trips to the ice cream shop, a boost of power when your legs were too sore to pedal, long rides on the beach….be sure to show your bike a little love as well and you’ll be together for the long haul.