The winter can scare a lot of us ebike riders away. Heading out on our ebikes on the cold snowy icy road doesn’t seem as inviting as the nice dry warm sunshine. When you get really cold on electric mountain bikes, it is just not enjoyable, especially with the risks of riding on icy and snowy roads. But, we are not gonna let this stop us. In this article, we are going to take you through some top tips on how to fully prep yourself and your electric bikes for the winter, let’s get to it.
1. Fenders
During those wet and quite dreary winter days, having a set of Fenders is an absolute lifesaver. It will not only stop you from getting a wet bum but will also prevent you from doing a lot of ebike maintenance. Now, if you’ve seen some experienced pros on the club ride, you will notice that they’ve got an extra little flap on the bottom of their fenders. And this is not only for them but also for the ebike riders behind them when they are on their rides. This way is going to stop them from getting filthy dirty.
2. Tires
One very important consideration to make when it comes to setting your electric bike cruiser up for the winter is your choice of Tires. There are a few things to do. You can increase the width of your tires or go for more durable tires, which should help you cope with the conditions you often find in the winter. Traditionally speaking, roads aren’t in good condition in the winter, and debris is often washed into the roads. So having a pair of more resilient tires that is more puncture-proof should be important. With something like the tires of Magicycle Ocelot Pro, which are kenda puncture-resistant fat tires, it could help you prevent all the potential punctures. Moreover, fat tires electric bikes enable you to get more traction and grips on the road.
3. Keep Warm
If you are going to ride in these minus conditions you want to be dressed appropriately for the conditions you want to layer up with your warmer coats and a pair of gloves and shoes as the last thing you want is your numb hands and feet as they may make you lose control of your electric mountain bikes. It is a good idea to wear a hat to hold that heat in and wear a neck scarf which can be put over your nose and mouth, especially in the descents. Then you’ve got to think about taking a good jacket if it is really cold.
4. Pick Your Roads
Pick your roads carefully and plan ahead ideally. You want to stick to roads that are well-treated and gritted. This way you are going to avoid any patches of ice. Also, it is a good idea to do a quick google search so that you can find out what the safest roads are. Maybe you can have a chat with some of the locals if you are new to an area. In that way, you can really find out what the safest roads are and take the safest ebike rides. If you do come across any ice, we would recommend getting off and walking around.
5. Riding Style
When riding in these icy conditions, you want to keep your pedaling style nice and smooth and avoid any sudden changes in direction. You also want to ride in a little bit harder gear than usual as it can be quite easy to lose traction of your rear wheel when you do hit an icy patch. It is kind of like riding up a steep hill that’s covered in leaves. It is a good idea to have to think about where you are riding on the road. What I mean by that is not riding in the gutter by the side of the road. A top tip is to look at where cars have driven, maybe it will not be so icy in this way.
While riding in these icy conditions, your stopping distance could be extended a lot, so calculate that when you are thinking about changing directions, or you are coming to a junction.
6. Clean Your Ebike
Riding in the snow and the slush can kick up a lot of dirt and salt onto your ebike. And it can actually cause damage and corrosion in the long run. It will be better to look after your ebikes for sale to get all that disgustingness off. You can use some lubricants that can go into the minus conditions, especially if you are riding in extremely cold weather.
7. Hydration
You might not feel warm, but you will still sweat a lot, so it’s important to keep hydration. That being said, it can be quite hard to drink when you are riding in minus degrees. And there is the risk of your water freezing in your bottle. Therefore, you might want to try insulated bottles to stop that from happening. Instead of putting your bottle in your bottle cage or cycling bag, you can put it in your back pocket. This way you can use your body heat to keep it from freezing.
Another top tip is if you want to have a hot drink in it, like a hot beverage, cocoa, or even a cup of tea for your English folk out there, it could warm you up as well as the bottle.
8. Lights
Another thing you need to think about is being visible on the roads. As the days get shorter, and nights get longer, being visible could genuinely save your life. If you haven’t already done it, just invest in a good set of lights. One more thing to consider is when it comes to your light angle setting, you don’t want it so high that you are lightening up the sky and blinding other road users, but equally, you don’t want it pointing just ahead of your wheel. Ideally, you want to have it somewhere just ahead of you around 5 to 10 meters, depending on your speed so that you are picking out all those imperfections on the road and increasing your own safety. Magicycle’s flashlight has a 360° rotatable bracket that makes the bike light can shine in any direction you want. Check out the link below to have more details: