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It's heartbreaking for bike enthusiasts to see bikes or pedelecs that have been snowed in for days in winter, exposed to the salt of the roads without any protection, constantly rained on and weathered, and not moved at all. And if you go to the service counters in the garages in spring, some customers are surprised that you can't simply bring their bike out of hibernation with a cloth, a drop of oil and a magic spell.
A bike, and especially an e-bike, is a means of transport, a technical device and not least an object of value, and it is worth taking care of it both financially and in terms of safety and riding enjoyment. And this applies in particular to protection against the cold, wet, salt and long downtimes. Here are the measures you can take yourself to make your bike winter-proof - simple, cheap and uncomplicated compared to the benefits and savings in spring. So let's get started right away!
How do you winterise your bike?
You have to make a decision before winter: Should the bike be made fit to ride on in winter, or do I want to do without it for a few weeks and mothball it? More than half of the steps are identical. Basically, it's about cleaning mechanical parts and applying a protective coating, and in the case of pedelecs, preserving electrical contacts and maintaining battery performance. The second step is the correct storage of all these components over a longer period of time.
However, all preservation begins with thorough cleaning. The easiest way to do this is to go to a self-wash cabin for cars. With a spray lance, you can not only rinse off the coarse dirt, but also reach places that you can hardly reach by hand or with a brush.
But beware: the jet is very hard and concentrated! If it hits the gaps in the bearings from a short distance or, even worse, the seals between the battery and frame and other electronic parts, water can penetrate. The water displaces lubricant in the bearing, which can rust and then run rough. And what water ingress can do to the electronics is self-explanatory.
An affordable luxury are Mobile cleaning devices with rechargeable batterywhich gently clean the bike with low water pressures, whether in the farthest corner of the garden or the garage entrance. In the car, the compact battery-powered devices can be taken to the edge of the forest if necessary, where they can hose down the bike before loading it. Specially designed for cleaning bikes is the High-pressure cleaner from bike cleaning expert Muc-Off with three different lances for hard dirt on the frame (actually for the motorbike), surface dirt on the tyres or drive unit and one with a gentle spray mist for sensitive parts. The highlight, however, is the attachment for soaping.
Legal cleaning instructions
Washing cars without an oil separator on private property is prohibited, but this does not explicitly apply to bicycles. Nevertheless, in the interests of environmental protection, oil residue should be removed with a cloth before washing off! If you only use a brush and sponge instead of a high-pressure cleaner, you can use car cleaner for all frame parts. The drive unit is best cleaned with a special chain cleaner. Tip: The latter can also be used for the entire bike if you need to clean it "dry". Simply brush off any loose dirt beforehand. Dirt and old oil are not dangerous: the most they can do is stain the paintwork in the long term. However, they bind water, which does not run off but is retained. This favours corrosion and occurs particularly on moving parts such as the control bearing, the brake pedestals or the hubs.
Winterising your bike checklist: Preserving and oiling
- Drive including sprocket and chainrings with a chain oil that is not too liquid. Never use vegetable oils such as olive oil, and dry lubricants are also not recommended for winter storage. Prefer "wet lube" products.
- Mechanical trains with precision mechanics oil to make them operable and frost-proof. To do this, allow the oil to seep drop by drop into all cable housings. If in doubt, turn the wheel/handlebar so that the cable housing is pointing roughly upwards and allow the fluid to creep along the cable. Three drops per opening are sufficient.
- On all moving parts Drizzle two or three drops of precision mechanics oil precisely into the contact point, moving the parts against each other, e.g. on the brake lever or the hub bearings. If you use a spray for this, do so very precisely with a dosing lance (small tube on the spray head) - the spray mist on the brake flanks or discs would be counterproductive.
- Leather saddles and grips Protect from too much water when washing and treat with plenty of leather grease before storing. Plastic and rubber parts can be treated with a Silicone pen from the car shop, but a dark storage location is sufficient. Vaseline is even said to freshen up rubber, but we do not recommend this.
- Frame and lacquer can be preserved with hard wax, which is even very useful for steel parts. However, liquid sealants such as Ceramic Protection from Muc-Off are better: they are easier to apply and the repellent effect against water and dirt lasts well into the summer.
- Due to the oils and waxes surfaces become sticky, dust tends to adhere and a kind of abrasive paste forms over a longer period of time, which causes extra work when "mothballing" in spring. Therefore, cover valuable bikes with an old sheet or so-called bicycle garages; these are pre-moulded plastic covers for 10 to 20 euros >> e.g. available here.
Spring bike cleaning - better to do it in winter
Of course, this also applies to the chain, sprockets and derailleurs. You would probably clean and grease the drivetrain before the first spring ride anyway - so why not do it now when you are winterising your bike? The layer of oil lubricates in summer and protects in winter. The drivetrain should be cleaned with a hard brush to remove coarse deposits. Tip: hit the brush on the chain from above so that dirt is pressed out of the gaps between the links. Then drizzle chain cleaner onto a cloth and wipe the chain several times with firm pressure. Soap and the like are rather bad at this point; it must be rinsed off very thoroughly in any case: Where there is soap residue, oil will not stick.
A veritable war of faith is raging around chain cleaning machines, narrow boxes through which the chain is guided in an S-shape over brushes. The cleaner is located in the box. Many mechanics say that the cleaner is too effective, that it also removes the lubricating film between the plates of the chain, and that the chain then becomes permanently clogged. Incidentally, the residues of the cleaner evaporate after just a few minutes. If you have leather parts on your bike, you should wrap them in cling film before wet washing. Cleaning the tyres may seem superfluous, but it has the advantage that you can see damage or signs of ageing more easily. Steffen Jüngst from Schwalbe confirms that this effort is definitely worthwhile once a year, especially for cargo and city bikes.
Control and conservation
Incidentally, brake surfaces and tyres should be spared when using preservatives. Brake flanks or brake discs can be cleaned with a little thinner or Brake cleaner can even be degreased again on a cloth after preservation, but please wear rubber gloves when doing so. Important for the electronic components of a pedelec: Always keep water away from the contacts! Should a mishap occur, allow to air dry.
According to Marco Klimmt from the Battery Assembly Centre (BMZ), spontaneous short circuits are not to be expected. If current problems persist after washing and drying, he says you should check the open contacts for corrosion - usually recognisable as a greenish crust - and clean them with a fine wire brush if necessary. DO NOT use a screwdriver or similar to scratch around in the recessed contacts of the battery! Contact spray such as WD-40 can be used as a "last resort" to displace the water and reverse corrosion. However, our expert in the interview advises against this.
Cleaning is followed by conservation and possibly storage. We have drawn up checklists for this. The time required for all measures, including washing, is a maximum of 90 minutes. Considering the effort involved in travelling to the workshop, the cost of any new parts required and the long wait for the bike in spring, this is time well spent.
The MYBIKE cleaning box to winterise your bike
Here are our product tips (illustrations from left): Muc-Off X-3 Dirty Chain Machine for mechanical chain cleaning, the Pressure washer incl. four attachments, WD-40 Mild Wheel Cleaner without propellant gas and associated chain cleaner spray, Muc-Off HC B-1 corrosion protection for spraying as well as the creamier Hydro-Dynamic chain oil, the Chain oil spray from WD-40 (as a tip for chains that are already corroded), Yellow chain cleaner from Muc-Off with pump sprayer and and Muc-Off bike cleaner, the thread of which fits into the foam lance of the high-pressure cleaner.
Checklist: How & where to mothball? How to winterise your bike properly
Once you have winterised your bike, the next important step is storage. This allows you to mothball your bike properly so that you can reactivate it in just a few steps when the first sunny days arrive:
- Lower the air pressure in the tyres, heavy wheels or very thin tyres to around 2 bar, all others to just under 1 bar. This protects the tyre carcass.
- Ideally, the bike should be stored hanging, otherwise rotate the wheels by 90 degrees every few weeks so that the tyre does not remain in the same place throughout and does not "go flat".
- If you have hydraulic brakes with rubber bands, keep the brake levers pulled towards the handlebars; this usually saves you having to bleed the brake system in the spring.
- Store in a dark, mild and dry place; rubber and plastic parts do not like direct sunlight or temperatures far from room temperature. Metal corrodes more quickly in humid air. This would mean unnecessary ageing.
- For those who can "only" use uninsulated cellars or garages: Wrapped in cling film, a bike will survive the winter as if in a time vacuum. Caution: It must be absolutely dry beforehand!
- Store the pedelec computer and battery indoors. Between zero and 20 degrees is best for the battery capacity, you remember to charge it regularly, and in the rare event of a battery fire, at least you will notice it sooner.
- Especially in cellars and garages, cover the open contacts; it is best to wrap the openings tightly with cling film or, in the case of frame-integrated batteries, close the cover flap completely.
- According to battery expert BMZ, the charge of the battery should be 30 to 50 per cent when stored; deep discharges below the "empty" indicator lead to damage. However, modern lithium-ion batteries should only lose two per cent per month when unused. Never leave the charger connected (permanently)!
- Ideally, charge at 20 °C (according to the BMZ), always insert the battery before riding in winter and expect a temporary loss of capacity of up to 40 per cent at temperatures below 0 °C. Officially, pedelec batteries should not be used below -10 °C.
Interview with product manager Adrian Stanciu from Brose
MYBIKE interviewed product manager Adrian Stanciu from Brose on the correct way to handle the motor components of a pedelec over the winter.
MYBIKE: Ride or store - which is better for e-bike systems?
Adrian Stanciu: There is no right or wrong. When stored, the bike is protected from the elements such as cold, wet, frost and salt. This extends the service life, especially of the battery. However, the components are not designed for storage, but for year-round use. Proper use and proper care are better than infrequent use and incorrect cleaning.
How should the pedelec be stored correctly?
The bike should be dry and not too cold or too warm. Batteries feel most comfortable at around ten degrees Celsius, so the temperature should be between zero and 20 degrees. Below minus ten and above 40 degrees it becomes critical, as the battery ages much faster. Under the right conditions, however, it can be stored in an installed state.
Do I need to maintain the electrical contacts on the battery?
The seals are designed so that the contacts do not require any additional protection. Regularly removing snow or road salt from the housing or cover can be helpful, but products such as contact sprays are not recommended. You never know what substances they contain and how they react chemically with the seals.
How can you protect the drive and battery in cold, wet periods?
By washing it properly. The engine should be cleaned after driving through road salt and then rubbed dry to prevent corrosion. Otherwise, clean only when necessary - washing too often can push dirt under the seals. Use a low-pressure water jet, keep it as short as possible (especially at joints between components, editor's note) and do not get too close - especially in the areas of the bottom bracket and electrical contacts. The battery should not be removed when cleaning. The seals protect the contacts from water; accidental contamination and corrosion can occur if the battery is removed.
Should the motor and battery be insulated when travelling in winter?
The frame of the motor is normally enclosed with plastic covers, and the housing also serves as a cooling surface. The motor should therefore not be additionally insulated. Shielding the battery from cold temperatures, on the other hand, maximises its capacity and extends its service life. There are thermal protection covers that are attached to the outside of the frame. But be careful: you must not forget to remove the insulation in summer, otherwise the battery may overheat.
