Winter Ebiking

[alloo]

What is the temperature where you will not use your ebike because the temperature is too low or will damage your battery? I charge my battery indoor, but I keep my bicycle outside because I don't or can't hall my ebike upstairs three stories daily. I commute with my ebike 3-4 times a week. My daily commute is about 25 miles round trip. Any tips or help is appreciated. I live in Denver, CO. I would be interested in hearing perspectives from people that live in colder climates and to hear what people do in those climates. I forgot to mention I store my bicycle indoors when at work. Thank You.

 

[tomjasz]

Pretty tough to damage a battery in cold weather. I ride in MN whenever the streets are clear. Your situation is tough with outdoor storage. Make sure you’re well lubricated, treat connections with ACF 50 or Boeshield. I’ve helped several cold weather riders put together low power battery warmers using the heating pads from heated clothing. But good insulation can hold the battery temp pretty well. Just take it in and charge before the ride home. Cold reduces efficiency. But generally speaking cold is far less damaging than heat. CHARGING a to cold battery IS an issue.

 

[harryS]

Yes, charging a battery where the cells are below 32F is said to damage the cells. You have to allow it to warm up before charging.

 

[linklemming]

I also ride in the Denver/Boulder area. The only thing keeping me from riding is ice and temps below about 20F. I have ridden down to about 10F but at that point, Im just not happy anymore. Nothing about my ebikes keep me from riding in colder temps.

I do store my bikes in the garage but can still see temps down to 20F in the garage. I usually keep my ebikes and/or batteries in the house in the winter.

 

[Mtl_Biker]

Pretty tough to damage a battery in cold weather. I ride in MN whenever the streets are clear. Your situation is tough with outdoor storage. Make sure you’re well lubricated, treat connections with ACF 50 or Boeshield. I’ve helped several cold weather riders put together low power battery warmers using the heating pads from heated clothing. But good insulation can hold the battery temp pretty well. Just take it in and charge before the ride home. Cold reduces efficiency. But generally speaking cold is far less damaging than heat. CHARGING a to cold battery IS an issue.

My favorite cold weather lubricant is a 25-year old Macallam. Your's?

 

[sl_duck]

As mentioned somewhere else in this forum, Scooteretti, Basil and others makes very nice neoprene battery covers. I suppose they would also help protect the battery from road grime.
just google "neoprene ebike battery cover"
From the plots I've seen, you can expect to lose about 20% of your battery capacity at 15F.

 

[tomjasz]

25-year old Macallam

Long out of my budget, but if you’re sharing?

 

[tomjasz]

As mentioned somewhere else in this forum, Scooteretti, Basil and others makes very nice neoprene battery covers. I suppose they would also help protect the battery from road grime.
just google "neoprene ebike battery cover"
From the plots I've seen, you can expect to lose about 20% of your battery capacity at 15F.

Batteries will generate some heat but definitely, in my experience, need an additional heat source. I use these with a controller for heated clothing from Aliexpress. I have a beater UPP 13s4p 29E soft pack battery for winter use and summer abuse. There are several ways to power. 48v DC to 5 DC step converter.

5V(10W)

Ideal for running 5V electronics devices

DC-DC Converters - Retired - Product Info

In the past we manufactured a range of ultra compact DC-DC buck converters that would step down the high voltage of an ebike battery pack into lower voltage for powering accessories. These provided power for 6V or 12V devices as well as 5V USB chargers. We stopped manufacturing them in 2020 so...

www.ebikes.ca

I get them from Aliexpress as well.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

The issue with me here in NJ is that when it snows, the state and county roads are packed with salt, tons and tons of it. Usually I'm at home shoveling out the driveway and what-not, so by the time I'm done, I'm either too tired to do my local runs and/or the snow melt into a slushy salt-water/snow brine is on it's way.

Salt (calcium chloride), from what I have seen on my Fatboy after one ride, gets on your aluminum components and quickly starts doing it's corrosion trick real quickly unless you get it off, post-ride. So anymore, if it snows, the bike stays in till it clears out, melts away.

Cold; I've pedaled in the upper teens at the lowest. No real issues detected in the drive or battery (Haibike Full FatSix).

Winter riding for me means this: Shortened days of daylight means I have to leave early if I wish to do a 30 mile ride. Anything below 30 is out; it's just not worth the risk getting caught at mile 20 away from home, below freezing & you catch a flat tire. 45 minutes lost at the height of summer repairing a roadside flat is not comparable to doing that job at freezing or below freezing temps and sundown at 4:30 pm. Those sweat dampened clothes become another issue for hypothermia if improperly addressed. Fingers get numbed in the winter cold. Long range winter riding is rewarding, to see and hear nature when it is in it's winter's sleep. But it comes with it's dangers, too....