One bike for all seasons?

[coldriderwi]

I’m in the process of buying my first Ebike. I’m looking for a multi use commuter and trail bike that I can use year round.

I live in Wisconsin so the winter commutes will be in the cold and salt. The bikes I’m considering are in the $3-5k range.

Is it a bad idea to ride an expensive bike in the winter months?

 

[rich c]

I'm guessing your car is more expensive and you drive it all seasons. Just keep the bike cleaned up and the chain cleaned and lubed. Biggest thing you can mess up is by charging a very cold battery. The battery must be at room temp before charging. Also you may need to change tires to stud tires if the snow gets frozen or ice forms.

 

[Rick53]

I’m in the process of buying my first Ebike. I’m looking for a multi use commuter and trail bike that I can use year round.

I live in Wisconsin so the winter commutes will be in the cold and salt. The bikes I’m considering are in the $3-5k range.

Is it a bad idea to ride an expensive bike in the winter months?

There's so much debate about this : I know from Motorcycles : My batteries last longer living in The North of Michigan then they lasted living in Florida for 10 years : Same goes for the Car. I've seen comments that batteries on E-Bike Drain faster in Colder weather :
Unless you have alot of experience riding in Cold Weather You shouldn't be adding to Internet Unfounded Gossip.

Besides When you say Winter Months : How long you going to be out riding in 20 Degrees : Likely you'll be riding Shorter or riding in days of upper 30's and 40's >

I wouldn't leave a battery out in the cold or heat for extended periods : Other then that I doubt you'll deplete your battery that much differently then in Mid Summer Hot days

As for All Season all around I personally am looking at Hardtail EMTB's Something like a Power Fly 5 or Specialized Levo or Cube along those lines : Were I to find a Deal on a full Suspension I wouldn't hesitate

MAYBE LIKE THIS (Gen4 Bosch Motor) https://shopsandiegoflyrides.com/co...products/2020-na-cube-reaction-hybrid-pro-500

If you can't test Ride something I would find a place close to you that does this New computer generated fitting : Comfort is directly connected to Geometry: I learned that the hard Way when I started to Ride Regular Bikes again. Fit to the degree you can be fit without a Pure Custom made Bike is Important :

 

[breausaw]

I’m in the process of buying my first Ebike. I’m looking for a multi use commuter and trail bike that I can use year round.

I live in Wisconsin so the winter commutes will be in the cold and salt. The bikes I’m considering are in the $3-5k range.

Is it a bad idea to ride an expensive bike in the winter months?

I ride all year here in Alaska, only recreational and my fat tire ebike works great for me, Bulls Monster E FS. See a lot of commuters riding Fat Tire bikes also. Maxxis Minion summer, studded 49NRTH Wrathlords winter. The 49NRTH will set you back $500 but worth every penny.

 

[rich c]

There's so much debate about this : I know from Motorcycles : My batteries last longer living in The North of Michigan then they lasted living in Florida for 10 years : Same goes for the Car. I've seen comments that batteries on E-Bike Drain faster in Colder weather :
Unless you have alot of experience riding in Cold Weather You shouldn't be adding to Internet Unfounded Gossip.

Besides When you say Winter Months : How long you going to be out riding in 20 Degrees : Likely you'll be riding Shorter or riding in days of upper 30's and 40's >

I wouldn't leave a battery out in the cold or heat for extended periods : Other then that I doubt you'll deplete your battery that much differently then in Mid Summer Hot days

As for All Season all around I personally am looking at Hardtail EMTB's Something like a Power Fly 5 or Specialized Levo or Cube along those lines : Were I to find a Deal on a full Suspension I wouldn't hesitate

MAYBE LIKE THIS (Gen4 Bosch Motor) https://shopsandiegoflyrides.com/co...products/2020-na-cube-reaction-hybrid-pro-500

If you can't test Ride something I would find a place close to you that does this New computer generated fitting : Comfort is directly connected to Geometry: I learned that the hard Way when I started to Ride Regular Bikes again. Fit to the degree you can be fit without a Pure Custom made Bike is Important :

You had a lithium ion battery on your motorcycle? You're saying the chemical action in lithiums are not effected by the cold?

 

[ElevenAD]

Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra(or HD) with the 48v 21 ah battery, im only suggesting this bike because its the only bike i have personal experience with in all weather conditions from rain,snow,freezing 16F temps to 90f temps and its done great in all conditions, i commute with it every other day all year round.

 

[antboy]

There's so much debate about this : I know from Motorcycles : My batteries last longer living in The North of Michigan then they lasted living in Florida for 10 years : Same goes for the Car. I've seen comments that batteries on E-Bike Drain faster in Colder weather :
Unless you have alot of experience riding in Cold Weather You shouldn't be adding to Internet Unfounded Gossip.

Maybe you've seen comments on cold weather drain, because said people have experienced it, which backs up the known science of the effect of cold temperatures on lithium batteries... just a thought

That being said, sure if store your battery at room temp, and go out for a half hour commute in 0C/32F temps, you won't see much of a difference over time, but if you're out for 2 hours or more, you definitely will.

Source: someone who has "alot" of experience riding in cold weather.

 

[antboy]

I’m in the process of buying my first Ebike. I’m looking for a multi use commuter and trail bike that I can use year round.

I live in Wisconsin so the winter commutes will be in the cold and salt. The bikes I’m considering are in the $3-5k range.

Is it a bad idea to ride an expensive bike in the winter months?

I'm in Toronto, so face some similar conditions, though this winter has been much kinder to Toronto than usual.

I think ElevenAD's recommendation of a Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra is a good one. Since it's a mid-drive, it's easy to swap between 26x4 fat tires for the snow in the winter, and then put on 27.5 by 2.5 (or width of choice) when the winter has passed.

What's the distance of your daily commute?

 

[ElevenAD]

Maybe you've seen comments on cold weather drain, because said people have experienced it, which backs up the known science of the effect of cold temperatures on lithium batteries... just a thought

That being said, sure if store your battery at room temp, and go out for a half hour commute in 0C/32F temps, you won't see much of a difference over time, but if you're out for 2 hours or more, you definitely will.

Source: someone who has "alot" of experience riding in cold weather.

i agree 100% im out riding in the cold at 4:30am everyday and without question the cold will sap the hell out of your LI Battery

 

[Readytoride]

Is it a bad idea to ride an expensive bike in the winter months?

From my perspective - and speaking only about the bike - I don't think it's a necessarily good idea, especially in an area that uses salt on roads and has slushy going. Even cleaning a bike religiously after use (including when you get to your office or place of business) isn't a guarantee it won't eventually go south on you sooner rather than later.

If I wanted my good $3-5k bike to last for years, I'd save it for fair weather riding only. I'd buy a $300 cheap regular mountain bike beater for commuting in the bad weather/bad conditions, and slap a Hilltopper type kit on it. This involves replacing the front wheel with Hilltopper's motorized hub wheel, strapping their battery on the bike somewhere convenient so that you can easily take it off in seconds to bring inside, and running their supplied cables. Takes about 15 minutes. Easily removable, too. Then if you throw the beater out after a season or two, you're only out the price of the bike because the ebike kit can be used on the next beater.

How far is your commute?

Converted hybrid to ebike. Battery strapped on rear rack, 250w hub wheel on front. Throttle on handlebar.

 

[coldriderwi]

My commute is 10 miles each way.

On the 5k end I’m looking at FLX blade 2.0.

Blade 2.0 - 1000W Belt Drive eMTB

A huge 52V battery combines with belt-driven 1000W mid-drive power to take your off-road shred session to the next level! The Blade is one of the HOTTEST bikes on the market ever since it was released.

flx.bike

I like the idea of a hub drive bike for the bad stuff.

 

[Readytoride]

That FLX Blade is a gorgeous bike! I would not be taking it out in garbage conditions.

 

[antboy]

From my perspective - and speaking only about the bike - I don't think it's a necessarily good idea, especially in an area that uses salt on roads and has slushy going. Even cleaning a bike religiously after use (including when you get to your office or place of business) isn't a guarantee it won't eventually go south on you sooner rather than later.

There's some good preventative measures you can take.

User BBassett recommended ACF-50 in a waterproofing or winterproofing thread a while ago, and I have to say I'm a big fan of the stuff now.

Basically you can coat everything (including electrical components) except the brakes in ACF-50, and it works wonders... here's a quick comparison, though there's other comparisons out there as well...

 

[Readytoride]

@antboy - Interesting. I need to visit that thread.

 

[antboy]

@antboy - Interesting. I need to visit that thread.

Here ya go... I THINK this is the one where ACF-50 was mentioned, but it's got a lot of other stuff in there.

Winter e-biking advices

I have gone through the Forum and found several threads related to e-biking in wintertime. Those were mostly posted in brand specific groups. Perhaps we might do a little chat as general e-cyclists? What I found in past threads could be categorised as: General winter cycling Clothing Tire...

electricbikereview.com

Taking advice from it, I built my own battery wrap using neoprene, aerogel, and a USB powered heating pad (meant to go under clothing), and it's definitely extended my battery range in cold weather.