E-bike in the rain

[TWBKR]

I have a custom e-bike, made by a bike shop in the city I live. It is a rear hub drive motor, class 2 with throttle, and has a vertically standing battery that sits behind the down tubing that holds the seat post. The controller sits in a box below the battery, with a face plate with 4 screws. The bike is about 9-10 months old, and after about 6 months or so I started to get intermittent problems where I would lose all power, usually when I went over a decent bump, but I could usually get it back by hitting the power button to turn it off, then hit it again to turn it on and power would come back on. This went on for about 3 months or so, then it finally stopped working altogether. And when I lost all power, the power light would go off.

So, I took it in to the shop, they found the wires had burned out, not sure where, but they fixed it, and I picked it up and on the way home, when I was riding it, the same intermittent problem started happening again, and could usually power off/on to get it back working, but just before I got home, It stopped and I could not get it back. I tried opening the controller box to check to see if I could find any loose connections, but found nothing. The bike sat for a week, as I had to wait for the weekend to take it into the shop again.

When I started riding it back to the shop, no power, then after about 20 minutes, I got power again, then after about 15 min more it stopped again. And all the while I was riding back to the shop that day, it was raining. So, dropped it off at the shop again, and they found the controller had gotten wet, so had to replace the controller. They thought the problem was the controller, but I don’t think that was the original problem, since I had the intermittent problem before it got wet.

But, the bike was now working, so I started to try it out and ride it around. At first it worked fine, but after about 5-10 min, then would stop, not even from any bump, and power off/on and it would start again. But, it was a little different this time, as when it stopped working the power light, remained on, but just the throttle did not do anything. The previous times, the power light would go off. So, I brought it right back to the shop and left it there again. They think it may be the throttle or wiring from the throttle.

I have a couple of questions:

1. Any ideas what this intermittent problem is? Seems different the second time vs the first time though. First time, happened from a bump and the power light would go out. Second time, the power light was still on, but the throttle did not work, and it was not from any bump, but just in the throttling stop and go. And this second time, not sure if it would eventually almost totally go out. So, seems to be the throttle or wiring to the throttle this time. And first time was bump induced, so likely a wire connection, I am thinking.

1. Do other people have problems riding their E-bikes in the rain? I will try to avoid riding in too much rain, but sometime still want to ride in a light sprinkle, or take the risk when it looks like a light rain. So, thinking that when I get the ebike fixed, then I can just either seal the controller face plate with some silicon gel, or maybe put duct tape around the box and plate that holds the controller. Wonder if other people had issues with riding their ebikes in the rain? Thanks for any response!

 

[indianajo]

It sounds as if your problem could be an ittermittant battery weld. You need to connect a voltmeter to the charge connector and see if the voltage disappears when the problem occurs. Use an analog voltmeter, dvm average over 2 to 4 seconds and miss transient phenomona. If that is good, then try skinning the power wires just as they go into the controller and alligator clipping the meter on there. Make sure the clips don't short against each other, you could burn out a battery fuse. The shop may not know how to make a good crimp or solder joint. You can reinsulate the wires with 3m weatherstrip adhesive or other liquid rubber compounds. If the problem is in the controller or afterwards, you need to buy new controller & motor to swap out one at a time.
Another problem, cheap controllers use ****ese crimp terminals and these can burn out at 30 amps. Is your controller a 30 amp version? I managed to make mine work by using dorman (******ese made) terminals as the mates, which are thicker.
I ride all the time in the rain. I have the controller mounted wires down under the seat. I have fenders that keep the splash down on the ground. The throttle I put a plastic bag over if the rain is heavy. The throttle quit on me after a night out in the rain with a lawnmower cover over the whole bike, but then the next day started working again as I was riding it in a lighter rain. So go figure. Hasn't dropped out since. When mine quit, the red/yellow/green voltage LED's on the throttle still shown when I had the power on, but the throttle wouldn't make the motor do anything. I didn't buy a PAS pickup controller.

 

[6zfshdb]

I can't speak for every ebike on the market and certainly not for custom built models but those I'm familiar with are all weather resistant. I've heard of problems caused by complete submersion but not from simply riding in the rain. Connectors can corrode over time from repeated contact with moisture though which could be part of your problem.

 

[MikeDD]

When I test rode a Rad Mini it was pouring rain all day. No problems. It sounds like a bad connection somewhere, it could even be in the brake cut-off switch in the brake handle. I think every wire needs checked for connections or a pinch spot.

 

[ebikemom]

Since you have a custom bike, I think you need to address these questions to the shop. I have never had rain-related problems with my ebike.

Might you ask the shop about how rain-resistant your bike is? Do they have any warranty on their work?

 

[John from Connecticut]

I have a custom e-bike, made by a bike shop in the city I live. It is a rear hub drive motor, class 2 with throttle, and has a vertically standing battery that sits behind the down tubing that holds the seat post. The controller sits in a box below the battery, with a face plate with 4 screws. The bike is about 9-10 months old, and after about 6 months or so I started to get intermittent problems where I would lose all power, usually when I went over a decent bump, but I could usually get it back by hitting the power button to turn it off, then hit it again to turn it on and power would come back on. This went on for about 3 months or so, then it finally stopped working altogether. And when I lost all power, the power light would go off.

So, I took it in to the shop, they found the wires had burned out, not sure where, but they fixed it, and I picked it up and on the way home, when I was riding it, the same intermittent problem started happening again, and could usually power off/on to get it back working, but just before I got home, It stopped and I could not get it back. I tried opening the controller box to check to see if I could find any loose connections, but found nothing. The bike sat for a week, as I had to wait for the weekend to take it into the shop again.

When I started riding it back to the shop, no power, then after about 20 minutes, I got power again, then after about 15 min more it stopped again. And all the while I was riding back to the shop that day, it was raining. So, dropped it off at the shop again, and they found the controller had gotten wet, so had to replace the controller. They thought the problem was the controller, but I don’t think that was the original problem, since I had the intermittent problem before it got wet.

But, the bike was now working, so I started to try it out and ride it around. At first it worked fine, but after about 5-10 min, then would stop, not even from any bump, and power off/on and it would start again. But, it was a little different this time, as when it stopped working the power light, remained on, but just the throttle did not do anything. The previous times, the power light would go off. So, I brought it right back to the shop and left it there again. They think it may be the throttle or wiring from the throttle.

I have a couple of questions:

1. Any ideas what this intermittent problem is? Seems different the second time vs the first time though. First time, happened from a bump and the power light would go out. Second time, the power light was still on, but the throttle did not work, and it was not from any bump, but just in the throttling stop and go. And this second time, not sure if it would eventually almost totally go out. So, seems to be the throttle or wiring to the throttle this time. And first time was bump induced, so likely a wire connection, I am thinking.

1. Do other people have problems riding their E-bikes in the rain? I will try to avoid riding in too much rain, but sometime still want to ride in a light sprinkle, or take the risk when it looks like a light rain. So, thinking that when I get the ebike fixed, then I can just either seal the controller face plate with some silicon gel, or maybe put duct tape around the box and plate that holds the controller. Wonder if other people had issues with riding their ebikes in the rain? Thanks for any response!

Hello,
I don't have a solution, but I'm troubled for you by what you wrote...." they found the wires had burned out," If in fact the wires had truly burned out,
meaning the insulation melted and the wires showed signs of significant over current, that would trouble me greatly. Wires just don't 'burn out' like an
incandescent light bulb, unless there's a serious problem in the power system or the wires are undersized or both.

If the wires did 'burn out' ( extremely high current draw or a dead short ) combined with the high power aka amps your battery can produce not to mention it's a
lithium-ion battery, that situation can be serious. As for your controller getting wet while riding in the rain. I cannot speak to that as I have never
ridden in the rain, but an eBike controller has to be water resistant in order to be a successful product. eBikes are ridden in the rain all the time. Good luck.

 

[TWBKR]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the feedback. Yes, the shop that made the custom e-bike is the one I took it to for repairs. It is still under warranty, so they are doing the fixing for free. I would imagine that since it is just a small shop, that the design for water proofing the box housing the controller may not have been up snuff and dont know about the quality of the controller and the amps, but would not be surprised if they just picked a cheap one. And I also opened the face plate once, so could also be that I did not tighten it well enough, when checking it. I will try to check when I get the bike back to see if it is a 30amp controller.

In any case, probably safer for me to try and make it a little more water resistant with duct tape or silicon gel sealing. And maybe add insulation to the wires, as suggested.



I am in the process of buying a new E-bike, that is from a larger company that has been selling ebikes for awhile and better reputation, so hopefully, the design will be better and more reliable. I will buy an Evelo Aurora.

 

[harryS]

Is your bike built like this Ecotric 20" fat bike? Little box behind pedals to hold the controller, but It has a hole where the cables enter that will admit water. Any water that gets in will stick around a long time. It could be sealed, but that could impede future maintenance.

Just for fun, I pulled out the wires. They sure jammed them in there.



The battery sits above the box with a receptacle to receive power, a design used on many ebikes, even the original Radmini I think. Maybe it could use a rubber gasket to cushion shocks. If it starts becoming intermittent, I'll run a cable out of the battery.

 

[harryS]

Turning my ebike upside down. i see there's a drainage hole under the controller.

 

[Ian Moone]

Just a thought ... I used some Flex Seal around the Cables port on my EG Bali 350, Because the battery & Controller are Horizontal ... I know it's different from yours but I was afraid of the same scenario, So waterproofing became my thing. ?

 

[TWBKR]

HarryS, that compartment where the controller is stored in your photo looks quite similar to my ebike. Although, mine wasnt quite so jammed with the wires. And Ian, thanks, will keep Flex Seal in mind.

 

[John from Connecticut]

HarryS, that compartment where the controller is stored in your photo looks quite similar to my ebike. Although, mine wasnt quite so jammed with the wires. And Ian, thanks, will keep Flex Seal in mind.

A bit off subject, but. The large silver connector shown in both picture is a Balanced Audio XLR Female Connector. It is widely used in professional radio,
TV and recording studio almost exclusively for audio cables. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with using as part of the control wiring.

The XLR was designed to mate with another XLR connector is a follows. The male and female connector simple click lock together
when mated... If you look closely at the female connector shown in the first photo you'll notice a rectangular 'pin' protruding. That rectangular pin,
when pushed in unlocks the connector from its' mate.

Should the locking pin be pushed in, the only thing holding the connectors together at that point is the 'snug fit' of the 3 or 4 pins mating within the connectors,
no mechanical lock.The pin is spring loaded so the moment tension is removed the pin locks again.

I mention this because of the array of wires that have to be stuffed into the controller area, it is possible the locking pin being placed
in the tight quarters could have pressure applied to it and thus the XLR connector, while connected to its mate is subject a true and real 'loose'
connection and you'd never know it.

Yes an XLR Audio Connector will work, but in the rough and tumble world of eBike, bumps etc this would not be my first
choice. Juiced Bikes uses XLR connector in their power control wiring and from what I have read they have had some power rating
issues ( burned out/shorted connectors, intermittent connections, bumps ) Good luck.

 

[harryS]

John, that XLR cable is a charger cable extension with the other end that appeared to be stuck in the battery. I thought it might have some kind of release tab like the free end, but a firm tug and it came out.

The next picture shows the extension and the charger cable. The male end of the charger cable won't go into the battery. I need the extension, so it's good that it locks on.

Yes, I thought it was an old mike connector, like what hams used.

 

[John from Connecticut]

John, that XLR cable is a charger cable extension with the other end that appeared to be stuck in the battery. I thought it might have some kind of release tab like the free end, but a firm tug and it came out.

The next picture shows the extension and the charger cable. The male end of the charger cable won't go into the battery. I need the extension, so it's good that it locks on.

Yes, I thought it was an old mike connector, like what hams used.

Harry, I'm glad to hear the XLR cable is used for charging only and not part of the permanent on-bike wiring. That would have troubled me as far a reliability of
the connection. Thanks.

 

[DouglasB]

I have ridden my Cannondale Contro-e with the Bosh system on two rainy rides. Neither of which were my choice. I didn't think anything of it at the time but a few days ago it was warm and sunny and I noticed some condensation had formed on the inner surface of the controller screen. I left the bike out in the sun for a few hours and it went away. I won't be riding it in the rain any more and if I get caught out in it, I'll throw something over the controller.

 

[Ian Moone]

I have ridden my Cannondale Contro-e with the Bosh system on two rainy rides. Neither of which were my choice. I didn't think anything of it at the time but a few days ago it was warm and sunny and I noticed some condensation had formed on the inner surface of the controller screen. I left the bike out in the sun for a few hours and it went away. I won't be riding it in the rain any more and if I get caught out in it, I'll throw something over the controller.

Try a Zip lock bag over it with a rubber band Next time. ?

 

[DouglasB]

I'm not fond of riding in the rain. I only do by accident but thanks for the tip.