Okay, I'm not talking major snowstorm, but I live in the northeast and we sometimes get a few small snowstorms at the end of October and throughout November that get the roads a bit wet (usually no salt yet), but it's still nice enough to get out and ride. Ditto for the springtime. If I bought a center battery bike, will riding along wet roads cause much damage? I'm guessing the road salt would be fairly detrimental?
Can you ride an e-bike in inclement weather?
- Thread starter ebiker
- Start date
Good question ebiker... I think the quality of waterproofing depends on which bike you go with but most are designed to deal with rain and wet roads. Depending on the model you choose the added weight (and position of that weight) could impact your handling and cause more damage to you and the frame if it does go down. How do normal bicycles fare around your town? If they are rusting then an ebike will likely also experience some rust... even fancier ones tend to use a few parts that are not aluminum or carbon fiber, but that will take a while and you can limit this by adding fenders and using a damp rag to wipe your bike down after wet rides.
Depending on how much snow you get, there are fat tire electric bikes out there (or you can convert an existing fat bike to electric) and those tires are specifically designed to deal with soft surfaces. In the summer they still work (and add some cushion) but aren't as efficient as city or mountain tires. If you want to get really crazy, there's a neat ski accessory that you can get for these bikes to use instead of the front tire.
Depending on how much snow you get, there are fat tire electric bikes out there (or you can convert an existing fat bike to electric) and those tires are specifically designed to deal with soft surfaces. In the summer they still work (and add some cushion) but aren't as efficient as city or mountain tires. If you want to get really crazy, there's a neat ski accessory that you can get for these bikes to use instead of the front tire.
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