How to maintain and keep riding your e-cycle over winter

E-cycles are a great choice for winter cycling. The e-assist means you’ll get to your destination more quickly, while you’re still putting in enough effort to warm up on those cold mornings.

There’s no reason to stop riding an e-bike throughout autumn and winter, even in heavy rain. The bikes are designed to protect the battery from downpours. Similarly, as you ride the battery will warm up with use, protecting it from the cold.

Caring for your e-bike over winter is much the same as caring for a non-motorised bike, and we’ve got some great advice. However, there are some extra things you can do to ensure your e-bike is ready to go all winter.

Looking after your battery

The biggest difference between an e-bike and a standard bike is, of course, the battery, and it’s caring for this properly that will keep your bike on the road throughout winter. Most e-bikes are powered by lithium-ion batteries. These are susceptible to drops in temperature. They also perform worse in high temperatures and humidity, but that’s an article for another – warmer – day.

At 5°C and below, your battery will lose efficiency and capacity, meaning it won’t hold its charge as well and won’t charge back up completely. Below freezing, battery power can drop by as much as one-third.

These changes are temporary, and the battery will be back to its old self once temperatures rise again. But during winter, you’ll find that your battery will take longer to charge, won’t charge as well and won’t take you as far on a single charge.

There are some things you can do to improve the health of your battery when it’s cold.

Store in a warm, dry environment

In an ideal world, we’d all keep our bikes in the house, but it’s fine to keep your e-bike in a garage or shed, or even outside if well covered. However, you should never store the battery outside or in an unheated space in winter or you risk damaging it.

Remove the battery and keep it indoors, ideally in a dry room at temperatures between 5 and 20 degrees. If you’re at work, bring it into your workspace with you and store it somewhere safe.

Charge it inside

Similarly, you should always charge the battery in a warm, dry room. The cold increases electrical resistance, meaning it’ll take a lot longer to charge. Charging it in the cold could also cause damage.

You should also never charge the battery while it’s still cold. After a chilly ride, bring the battery inside and leave it for a couple of hours to warm up. Don’t try to speed up this process by putting it next to a heater. Lithium-ion batteries are very sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and this could permanently damage them.

The battery will take longer to charge to capacity, so make sure you give it plenty of time. It’s better to do it once you get home in the evening rather than leave it to the next day and end up being late for work or your Saturday club ride. If you can, charging it while at work will ensure you’ve got enough juice to get home.

Cover it up

If you’re riding a lot in very cold weather, you might want to invest in a neoprene cover for your battery. These are simple sleeves that fit around the battery to protect it from the cold and rain, keeping it warm and dry in even the most extreme conditions.

Rides and riding style

There are some small changes you can make to how and where you ride to keep your e-bike on the road throughout winter. First, as with car batteries, multiple short journeys will drain your battery more quickly. If you can, avoid doing too many of these. This isn’t always possible, especially if you’re riding to work or the shops, but you could maybe try combining trips or occasionally taking a longer route to or from work.

Similarly, a lot of stopping and starting during a ride will put extra pressure on the battery. This is less of an issue than with cars as cycles can more easily pass through traffic, giving a smoother ride. But planning routes with fewer traffic lights and pedestrian crossings will also help.

Cycling in the cold won’t damage the battery. As the battery works it will heat up, staying warm enough to protect it even in freezing conditions. A couple of tweaks to your riding style can help reserve power, though.

Start off slowly with lower e-assistance to give the battery time to warm up. After about 20 minutes, you can speed up and increase the e-assist. The higher the e-assist, the higher the discharge which will keep the battery warmer.

Cleaning and maintenance

Keeping any bike clean and well maintained is essential over winter. Our advice on getting a bike ready for autumn and how to clean a cycle is as relevant for e-bikes as it is for standard cycles. But there are some extra things you should do for your e-bike.

Winter rain will wash dirt and debris onto the roads, making your bike extra dirty at this time of the year. Grit and water can work their way into the electrical contacts, potentially affecting the connection and reducing power transference. Clean the contacts regularly with a soft, dry cloth to prevent corrosion and dirt build up.

It’s also a good idea to check your brake pads more often than with a non-assisted bike. An e-bike’s extra weight means it’s heavier on the brakes and the pads can wear out more quickly.

If you’re riding a lot in the cold, especially if you’re planning on some longer rides, you might want to invest in a spare battery that you can take with you or safely store at home or work. E-bike batteries are safe – just make sure you get yours from a reputable dealer.

The E-bike Positive campaign, which Cycling UK backs, has a list of retailers who have agreed to only sell batteries and chargers from trusted suppliers.

Winter storage

If the temperatures really dip and you want to take a break from cycling, you’ll have to store your battery properly. As with any bike, an e-cycle can be stored in a shed or garage even for a prolonged period. But the battery never should be.

Remove the battery from the bike and keep it in a warm, dry room, with a temperature range of 5-20 degrees Celsius. Charge the battery before storing it; however, if it’s going to be left unused for more than a month, you shouldn’t charge it to 100%. Optimal levels can be between 60% and 80%, depending on the manufacturer, so check the manual.

The battery will discharge even if you’re not using it, so check it regularly and charge it again if the level has dropped below what’s recommended by the manufacturer. This will ensure that your battery is still working when you decide it’s time get back on the e-bike.

You’re now set for e-cycling throughout the winter – or for taking a bit of a break if that’s what you decide.