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Like any vehicle or piece of machinery, regular electric bike maintenance is the only thing that can prolong its lifespan. An electric bike has many components that make it perform optimally. Knowing how and when to maintain these parts is essential for every bike owner.

For instance, knowing how often to lubricate or how to care for your bike's tyres are the key to saving yourself the cost of regular repairs. So let us delve into some quick e-bike maintenance tips every owner should know if they want their bikes in top shape.

Tips to Keep Your Bike in The Best Shape

Lubricate Regularly

E-bikes, like regular bikes, have a lot of moving parts. To reduce friction and the subsequent wear and tear it causes, you need to lubricate all the bike's moving parts. Various lubes and grease on the market offer excellent lubrication for all your bike's moving parts, including chains and gears.

There are two main types of lubes, wet and dry lubes. The wet lube is the ideal protection for riding in wet conditions. It protects the chain and gears from rust caused by rain and mud. On the other hand, dry lube is needed to protect against dust and mud sand.

Apart from applying lubes, another thing you should think about is grease application. Using grease for your bike is a sure way to elongate some of your bike parts. Applying grease to your bike's bearings and bottom brackets prevents wear and tear to these parts.

Applying lube to the chain and gears depends on how much you use the electric bike. To be safe, you can apply lube twice a month and grease every other month. It would be best to be careful when using lube or grease, so it doesn't come in contact with battery terminals or other electrical points.

Check All Bolts

Another essential maintenance tip is to ensure that your bike's bolts are tightened regularly. Now, there's a science to your e-bike's bolts. The proper position for them is tight but not too close.

These bolts hold the tyre in place, while some keep the brake pads or throttle in position. When these bolts come loose, they affect the overall performance of your electric bike and put your life in danger.

Imagine losing a brake pad while riding because you refused to pay attention to a loose bolt. When it comes to checking for bolts, you can never go overboard. Before every ride, check your e-bike to ascertain all bots are tight enough.

For rusted bolts, you can apply grease to take them off, then use lube or grease to remove rust before reapplying. Never get on your e-bike without checking its bolts.

Clean as Often as You Can

Regularly cleaning your electric bike goes a long way in ensuring your bike remains in top condition. Note that we said clean, not wash. Your bike has parts like the battery that washing might make it damaged.

Using a wet rag is the best way to clean your bike. The rag can easily wipe off dust, mud, dirt, debris, or even excess lube and grease. Doing this weekly or twice weekly will prevent these foreign objects from getting into sensitive areas of your bike and damaging them.

Avoid using a high-pressure hose if you still want to wash instead of cleaning. Using a high-pressure hose to clean your bike could damage your battery's terminals and cause a fire hazard.

The better way is to use a low-pressure stream of wash that hits gently and minimizes damage. Whichever method you use (low-pressure washing or wet rag), ensure you wipe the bike dry after cleaning. It is important not to leave the bike wet as that increases the chance of rust.

Tyre Pressure Is Important

You should know your tyre pressure. When you check the side of your bike's tyres, the manufacturers have written sufficient tyre pressure for your tyres. Anything above or below that could cause damage to your tyres. Causing further damage to your e-bike and injury to you.

A simple pressure gauge allows you to check your tyre pressure within seconds. If you don't have a meter, you can still know if the tyre pressure is low by touching or pressing it. If it deflates to touch or the part on the ground seems hollow, the pressure is low.

A tyre pump is another item you need besides a simple gauge. All you need to do is apply your pump and inflate it back to recommended pressure levels for deflated tyres.

Take Note of Your Brake Pads

Riding on an electric bike with damaged brake pads is akin to risking your life. Imagine moving at a reasonable speed, and you see an obstacle ahead and need to brake. You apply the brakes, but nothing happens. There's no reduction in speed or sudden halting of the bike. What do you think will happen?

The above scenario might be fiction, but the probability of occurrence will be high if you refuse to check your bike's brake pads at least fortnightly or every three weeks. If you notice you have worn out your brake pads, please replace them before taking the bike for a ride. The safety of your life might depend on it.

Battery Care

Your bike's battery is the reason it's called an electric bike. None of the electric features would function in the absence of the battery. Therefore, you must care for your battery to enjoy riding your e-bike.

Ensure you follow the manufacturer's instructions on charging and storage. Also, ensure you use the correct charger for your e-bike's battery. If you don't do these things, you might damage the battery and have to replace the battery.

Ebike batteries are one of its most expensive parts. Do everything the manufacturer says in the manual to ensure you enjoy the battery for as long as possible.

Cost of Electric Bike Maintenance

Depending on the parts you want to change, and if you do it yourself or consult a professional, the annual cost of maintaining an e-bike is between £100-150. This cost goes towards procuring bike parts, grease, and others.

Due to professional fees, taking the bike into a repair shop for service will increase this figure significantly. If you carry out DIY repairs, your maintenance costs go down greatly.

Why Should You Service Your Ebike?

Servicing your ebike is the only way for your bike to run smoothly. It also elongates the time of optimum performance of both the e-bike and its constituent parts. You remember that servicing your e-bike allows essential components like the motor or battery to run for as long as possible.

It would be best if you made it a habit to service your e-bike every six months or a thousand kilometres, whichever one comes first. Just like your annual physical ascertain you are in top shape, so does the twice-yearly service ensure your e-bike is in excellent condition.

The Lifespan of Ebike Parts

All e-bike parts have their average lifespans. You need to place these parts when you have used them for a stipulated period.

Chain

An e-bike chain can last as long as four years, depending on how regularly you lubricate it. The average e-bike chain will cover about two thousand miles with prompt maintenance and service.

Battery

Batteries are at the top or close to the top of the food regarding e-bike parts. Treating your battery right, you should get between 3-5 years of good service from it. When you get your battery from Eskute, you have a two-year warranty that allows you to get a replacement battery for free.

Tyre

Properly maintained tyres could last as long as three thousand miles or three years. To get your tyre, this extended means you must ride your bike on smooth terrain, maintain proper tyre pressure, and have adequate speed.

At the minimum, your tyres should last at least one thousand miles or a year. Riding on a damaged bike frame could also shorten the tyre's lifespan.

Motor

The electric motor of your electric bike is the part that lasts the longest. On average, the electric motor should last 10,000 miles or ten years. At the minimum, your bike's electric motor should last 3,000 miles.

Conclusion

To enjoy your e-bike, you need to carry out regular maintenance. Regular service twice a year is pivotal to increasing your e-bike's lifespan. Also, ensure you check your bike every day before setting out, as that gives you a clear view of your bike's health.

Remember, maintenance is easier if your bike is from a reputable manufacturer. All Eskute electric bikes have a warranty that reduces maintenance costs significantly. Contact us today!