A relative Newbie here- I am planning a trip of about 500 miles and will be carrying my 2 Turbo Comos on an exterior bike rack. When transporting and there's a chance of rain, what is the best way to protect the battery? Should I run waterproof tape around the seams of the battery in order to keep the battery and it's contacts dry? Should I remove the battery? I'm concerned I could ruin the batteries if they get wet.If I remove the batteries, should I tape over the battery opening so the contacts stay dry? Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Transporting a bike in the rain
- Thread starter AZ Rider
- Start date
I’m in Arizona.
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
Most e-bikes are waterproof. Unless you are driving on very muddy roads or in wicked dusty conditions I'd not worry too much. It is probably a good idea to wrap the display/control panel with plastic just because that is a wear point, much more than the battery connections.
Driving in the rain with the bikes on the back of a car may be cause for concern....I suppose this may have been overlooked when reading the OP. I will buy a cover.
I’m concerned about driving my car in the rain and water being blown into the spaces between the battery and the frame. Will a cover keep the rain off the bikes when you’re going 70 mph?
thank you
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
Most e-bikes are designed to be weatherproof to some extent but it's always best to check with the manufacturer for their recommendations. In my case, Pedego suggests only to remove the battery when transporting.
I go a few steps further:
I remove the seat and suspension seat post to keep moisture & dirt from the springs and bushings. It's also no fun riding on a wet seat. I then cap the seat tube to keep water & debris from entering:
In the past, I've had trouble with moisture entering the throttle and display wiring harness connectors. To prevent this, I put pieces of split vinyl tubing over the control cables, wiring harness & connectors:
I've also had trouble with dirt, bugs & moisture fouling the control cables. I started covering the handlebar ends with heavy canvas sleeves to prevent this on my conventional bikes many years ago and continue the process with my ebikes:
Every bike is different though so precautions will vary. Some makes may require more and some less. FWIW, the above are time tested procedures that have worked for me.
I go a few steps further:
I remove the seat and suspension seat post to keep moisture & dirt from the springs and bushings. It's also no fun riding on a wet seat. I then cap the seat tube to keep water & debris from entering:
In the past, I've had trouble with moisture entering the throttle and display wiring harness connectors. To prevent this, I put pieces of split vinyl tubing over the control cables, wiring harness & connectors:
I've also had trouble with dirt, bugs & moisture fouling the control cables. I started covering the handlebar ends with heavy canvas sleeves to prevent this on my conventional bikes many years ago and continue the process with my ebikes:
Every bike is different though so precautions will vary. Some makes may require more and some less. FWIW, the above are time tested procedures that have worked for me.
AHicks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
As a snowbird, our bikes travel 1100 miles in an exposed utility trailer twice a year. Often they are exposed to heavy rain at freeway speeds. I've had very good luck to date by just placing a freezer bag over the display and securing it with a drawstring. Batteries are removed and placed where they'll stay dry no matter what (in the car's interior). That's it pretty much. I do make a practice of cleaning the chains soon after unloading, but a good maintenance program will have you cleaning chains a couple of times a year anyway.
The thought of a covered bike on a rack fastened to the back of a vehicle is disturbing, as your lights, brakes and turn signals will be totally blocked from view from anyone following. Thinking it won't be long until you see some flashing lights in your outside rear view to remind you of your oversight.....
The thought of a covered bike on a rack fastened to the back of a vehicle is disturbing, as your lights, brakes and turn signals will be totally blocked from view from anyone following. Thinking it won't be long until you see some flashing lights in your outside rear view to remind you of your oversight.....
SO TRUE.... I had not thought of this and now I must figure out how to mount lights as well for safety. Thank you.
AHicks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
It's funny because our bikes used to travel on the back of our car frequently. I didn't think twice about that until one day I was following a car loaded the same way (while driving our car also loaded with bikes) and I commented to the wife about the poor brake light visibility (because of their bikes) on the car in front of us. Those words were hardly out of my mouth when I realized I was easily as big a sinner as that car in front of me was! -Al
Sierratim
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Nevada City, CA & Paradise Valley, AZ
I haven't done any real search on this but I 'believe' some states require electric tail lights on all attachments to a vehicle; trailers, cargo racks, bike racks,... As I recall some racks offer lighting kits. Sorry for a lack of specifics, but i'm kinda tired after today's ride in 100°F temps...
Wow hot ride....Yes I have seen the same rack...somewhere....with lights built into the platform of the bike rack. I will set up mine with a trailer light package.
JES2020
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Other
I would think if you removed the battery and wrapped the electronics in a garbage bag,(controller,leads and handle bar attachments). You should be fine. Your car will block a lot of the rain impact as you drive . Of course you'll want to check the condition of the wrap when you take breaks.
Good luck and have fun on your trip.
RandallS
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Calgary
One of my concerns is the potential ingress of water and other crap when doing highway speeds. It's one thing for the bike at 25 mph/40 kmh in the rain, but do that at 65 mph/110 kmh on the back of your car for 3+ hours...
With my current bike, everything that can be removed is removed, and judicious use of plastic and tape to cover key points. The last thing I want is to arrive at my destination and not having a functional bike. I do carry a compressed air can and blow out any potential wet areas before putting parts back on.
This is key on current ride as it's a rear rack Bionx on a Townie. I am now in the process of sourcing a new modern mid-drive rig.
For that, I intend to prep a sleeve I can wrap around the empty battery cavity (with some sort of filler to emulate the bulk of the battery) as well as a handlebar wrap to cover any non-removable controls/mounts etc on the bars. I'll probably just be using material from an old raincoat. A sleeve should work well as a starter tube for the bars, I'll have to figure out the best way to cut it to minimize the amount of tape or velcro wraps required to secure it.
With my current bike, everything that can be removed is removed, and judicious use of plastic and tape to cover key points. The last thing I want is to arrive at my destination and not having a functional bike. I do carry a compressed air can and blow out any potential wet areas before putting parts back on.
This is key on current ride as it's a rear rack Bionx on a Townie. I am now in the process of sourcing a new modern mid-drive rig.
For that, I intend to prep a sleeve I can wrap around the empty battery cavity (with some sort of filler to emulate the bulk of the battery) as well as a handlebar wrap to cover any non-removable controls/mounts etc on the bars. I'll probably just be using material from an old raincoat. A sleeve should work well as a starter tube for the bars, I'll have to figure out the best way to cut it to minimize the amount of tape or velcro wraps required to secure it.
RandallS
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Calgary
I was considering something like that for the battery cavity filler. For context, the route I drive area times a year takes me through the Canadian Rockies, and not just in the summer. There are parts of that drive that are rarely dry.
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