My e-bike has been banished to the garage

[6zfshdb]

That depends very much on how cold it gets and how long anything will be exposed to that cold. If you are talking only -5C or so than you probably have a little less to worry about. If you are talking -25C for extended periods than you probably ought to take some precautions.

Any lubricant or hydraulic fluid is going to have a minimum operating temperature below which it will no longer lubricate very well (or flow well enough to properly lubricate). At very low temperatures (and what "very low" means very much depends on the compounds in question) some lubricants and hydraulic fluids can separate, and additives (like teflon or graphite) can precipitate out of the oil. While in an automobile or heavy equipment usually there is quite a bit of volume that can act as a safety factor (although usually leaving your rig out in the bitter cold all winter without properly winterizing it means at least one shop visit in the spring) I suspect that the tiny hydraulic lines in bicycle hydraulic brakes and the tiny amounts of oil in wheel bearings or internally geared hubs won't react well if the lubricants or fluids separate.

Again, this is a "better safe than sorry" kind of situation. And given that I doubt many in the bicycle industry give much consideration to extremely cold conditions you are kind of on your own.

Good points.

It sometimes gets down to -10F around here but the temp inside the garage rarely drops below +10F. These readings generally don't last for more than a few early morning hours. I have no room in my heated garage for my three e-bikes but but an insulated & heated space could easily be built in the unheated garage. Might be worth doing.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[JoePah]

Just keep the batteries in the house. Spraying the terminals? Not a good idea

 

[DDBB]

Why is a light coat of corrosion inhibiting spray on the terminals "not a good idea" ?... My thought is it will prevent any surface corrosion and can be wiped off in seconds when spring arrives

 

[MarkF]

Corrosion X is the best stuff for electronics. This is what we use in our boats.

 

[TForan]

Mine too is in the garage until spring. Ironically , I bought it for winter riding and after a few rides, I decided that wasn't for me. Luckily, it turned out to be a great fair weather urban bike.

 

[DDBB]

Corrosion X is the best stuff for electronics. This is what we use in our boats.

That's exactly what I used.. I have both the regular and the heavy duty which is much thicker but used just a quick mist of the light stuff. I'm curious to know why Joe Pah thinks it was a bad idea. Probably could have gotten away w/o doing anything though

 

[Lenny]

I was advised against it by the LBS. Brake lines, oil in the IGHs, seals and oil in the suspension forks to be concerned with. The Rohloff manual talks about issues that can occur when operating at temps below freezing however I couldn't find anything about extended storage in below freezing temps. While we've had some more mild winters since I've lived in Michigan, we also had a couple of winters recently with the "polar vortices" where we had consecutive days below 0 F. I'm going with the better safe than sorry approach ...

I'm not sure if the brake lines would be harmed. Automobiles don't even use stainless brake lines and are exposed to extreme cold & heat over an over again. Most of the brake lines on a bike are typically much higher quality.

The mineral oil may freeze if it gets cold enough as the viscosity is pretty thin & light. Removing the oil from the reservor may not be a bad idea. We're located in Wisconsin, sometimes the temperature will drop to -20f and the brake oil will freeze crazy as it sounds.

 

[Feliz]

Why is a light coat of corrosion inhibiting spray on the terminals "not a good idea" ?... My thought is it will prevent any surface corrosion and can be wiped off in seconds when spring arrives

I use dielectric grease for my electrics, just make sure whatever you spray on is non conductive and you're good.

 

[steve mercier]

So how exactly does a non-heated garage even function in snow country? I've dealt with unheated garages in Rangely, ME, Yaak, MT, and Loomis, WA and all I can say is that it was a complete disaster. Executive summary: you go out and drive, and snow sticks to the underside of your vehicle; then you come back and park in the garage, where the residual heat of your vehicle melts the snow; the resulting filthy water refreezes on the garage floor, where either enormous quantities of icemelter or a jackhammer are required to clear it.

Bonus story -- the garage in Rangely was tiny, and I remember marking out where to line up my Subaru with Gatorade so I could make it in and out of the garage and both me and passengers could exit the vehicle once we were inside.

Oh, and this is what bicycling has been like here lately:

I admire your irrepressible desire to ride in bad weather! I wonder if an e-trike would work better in that environment?

 

[6zfshdb]

To be on the safe side, I contacted Pedego tech support about winter storage in an unheated garage with temps between 0 and +10F. The following was their reply:

"Your bike should be just fine in your garage but we do recommend bringing in your battery so you should be just fine!
Please let me know if you have any further questions. Thank you,"

Wendy Denny
(800) 646-8604 | www.pedego.com
11310 Slater Ave, Fountain Valley, CA 92708

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I admire your irrepressible desire to ride in bad weather! I wonder if an e-trike would work better in that environment?

Fortunately that wasn't me going down. I hit a patch of black ice just before thanksgiving and put myself and the bike in the bushes without serious damage.

 

[DDBB]

you can feel that guys pain from the noises he made after the crash