E-Bike vs. Water

[evodistraction]

I’ve read some technical articles about water and E-bikes not mixing well. Does this mean if I’m out riding and it starts raining am I going to have issues getting home? What if I am traveling with the bike on a carrier and I run into heavy rain? Just how waterproof are these E-bikes?

Evo

 

[Snoop]

It probably depends on the manufacturer, so I would check with them.

Regarding my Aventon Pace 500.2, they just recommend avoiding wet weather when possible, and avoiding “heavy” rain, streams, and not to submerge.

Here is a snippet from my owner’s manual.

 

[m@Robertson]

As @Snoop noted, it varies bike to bike.

I build my own, and despite the fact I have electrical components that are supposed to be IP65 (able to withstand water projected from a nozzle) when I am commuting in the rain, I spend a few minutes before the ride placing some plastic over top of my display and around throttle / PAS selection panel. Stuff like your PAS and speed sensor you can take for granted as water-resistant.

Under no circumstances would I submerge a motor doing something like fording a creek.

 

[JethroXP]

Biktrix says their bikes are weatherproof, but also recommends not submerging in water. I've ridden in the rain plenty of times without issue.

Are Biktrix bikes weatherproof? | Biktrix Help Center

Our bikes have been ridden in really rough conditions, such as rainstorms and snowstorms, and have performed without any issues. Our motors are IP65 certified (dust and water ingress resistant). That being said, our motors and batteries should never be submerged in water.

biktrix.stonly.com

 

[Greg47]

I was in rain recently with mine (2) on bike racks on my travel trailer. The display on my egg rider, stopped working, but the bike still functioned. Later it healed up when it dried out. The little baggies over the display with a rubber band helped a bit.

 

[LL0001]

I use a Bafang M620 setup and fully submerge my motor for creek crossings where I ride about 3-4x a week for the last couple years. I swap my motor grease once a year after putting on @2500 miles.

Not a single problem, however I do not engage the power when submerged (bike is still turned on though). Do not submerge the battery at all though.

Just be sure to keep lubed up (chain, cables etc).

I know not the best way to treat electric motors, but I bought it for off-road fun. The controller in the housing is probably the most at risk overall, so if you have a bad gasket in there you might have problems.

 

[hugh]

I always apply a little dab of dielectric grease around the sides of the connectors on my bafang equipped bikes. It just adds a little piece of mind regarding rain riding. Never had a problem. And on my delta trike I have started carrying a small plastic bag to put over the display if caught in rain.

 

[Tacticooldennis]

It depends on the bike design, and where the wires are located, the controller for example has usually 5 wires screwed into it and exposed. if this went underwater it would short out, potentially damaging it. Plus water left inside could splash around ruin wiring harnesses and rust components pretty quickly. A lot of hub motors out there, best to say out of the water any deeper than your spokes. Some bikes may be better suited for water, like SurRons with their motor tucked up higher. But no bike so far is truly waterproof. (more like water-poof)

 

[RoadToNowhere]

That would be really interesting to find out if your mountain biking and have crossed 3 to 4-foot streams or ponds will it stall out? Will it electrolyte you? I know a gas 2 or 4-stroke would gulp water down the carb and leave you shipwrecked!

 

[m@Robertson]

I do the thing with the dielectric grease on my Higo connections too. Moisten the inside of each on the female side No need to goop it up.

I had forgotten about the hub motor issue. One of my most miserable unexpected Saturday chores was opening up a Bafang G020 thinking I was just going to give it the semi-annual re-grease and seeing it rusty and moist everywhere inside. Cleaning that was a real bear. The cable into the motor goes thru the axle, and there is no insulation down that channel. I used Shoegoo adhesive (essentially an artificial rubber meant to substitute for shoe leather) to glop down over top of that ingress point and since then have done it to every motor ever since.

 

[Tacticooldennis]

That would be really interesting to find out if your mountain biking and have crossed 3 to 4-foot streams or ponds will it stall out? Will it electrolyte you? I know a gas 2 or 4-stroke would gulp water down the carb and leave you shipwrecked!

I've driven through a few rivers on my dirt bike and as long as the airbox is above the water, your fine. I don't think an e-bike will shock you in water, as the electricity would take the path of least resistance, (right across to the other terminal) but I wouldn't want to test it to make sure. I would assume it would blow a fuse before frying itself, but I also had a controller catch on fire while riding, and that fuse was fine. just better off safe than sorry.

 

[Anton]

I've driven through a few rivers on my dirt bike and as long as the airbox is above the water, your fine. I don't think an e-bike will shock you in water, as the electricity would take the path of least resistance, (right across to the other terminal) but I wouldn't want to test it to make sure. I would assume it would blow a fuse before frying itself, but I also had a controller catch on fire while riding, and that fuse was fine. just better off safe than sorry.

I did a knee deep river crossing on my dirt bike once. It was all going fine but the mossy rocks were slippery and the bike ended up in the water. Got it going again by removing the spark plug and tipping the water out of the engine!

I would not attempt the same with any type of electric bike.

 

[rbush]

my two cents worth....
I broke the frame of my Salsa Rangefinder so i transferred my CYC X1 Stealth (gen 1) to a Surly Krampus. I now have about 1200 miles accumulated on the motor. I applied silicone caulk where the wiring enters the motor. I relocated the BAC855 controller from below the motor and placed it in the battery bag. The controller is sealed with a type of potting compound (not like the ones I saw online). I applied dielectric grease to the joliet connectors and then used heat shrink tubing on them. i used silicone caulk on the phase wire connectors.
Recently, I was riding at Patapsco Valley and the usual crossing of the north branch was pretty full. The sandbar on the far side was almost submerged. I attempted the crossing with assist and made it to the sandbar where a sizable channel had emerged (new) between the sandbar and the bank. Pretty sure the motor dipped in at that point. Proceeded about 7 miles before returning to the crossing.
This is where it gets interesting. I misjudged the current and depth and knew I was in trouble when the front axel went below the waterline. As I dismounted, the bike got swept sideways. The only thing above the water was the left handlebar, display and throttle. I dropped to my knees and the water was somewhere between my crotch and my waist. Motor, battery bag, harness, etc fully submerged for 10 to 20 seconds. Still had to cross main part of the river. Once across, I just rode it out, and since I was not seeing any adverse reaction, no standing water in the bag, I extended my loop and actually rode it harder...total 15 mi. (short)
Once at home I let it air out. Since then I have been on a 40 mile rail trail with no problems. Future will show if water ingress will be problematic. I have not disassembled to check. Although some water leaked into the battery bag, I think the water resistant zipper on the Luna bag saved my ass.
This picture is taken from the sandbar, and shows the easy part of the river crossing. The sandbar usually extends out to the tree branches and foam. The channel is behind me.

 

[hsdrggr]

We don’t worry about rain much. Just rinse off the bikes when we get home, pull the batteries and wipe off the terminals. Yes, I agree with others Silicone grease is a real good idea to reduce corrosion though.
During the summer at the beach there are tribute band concerts on Friday and Saturday nights. He we are 2 weeks ago riding to one. We aren’t young but our youngsters got a kick out of this video. Don’t tell my wife that I posted it.