How to get your electric bike ready for the season in 8 steps?

Sooner than expected, the ideal days for long trips will arrive, and daily use of the e-bike will once again provide the most fun. It is worth taking advantage of this short period, between winter and spring, to prepare your electric bike properly for the season. Check out the steps you need to take.

Explanation: How to prepare your e-bike for the season in 8 steps?

Here are 8 steps to comprehensively prepare your electric bike for the summer season:

1. Clean your bike in a safe manner.
2. Charge the battery for the bike.
3. Check the electrical connections.
4. Inspect the wheels, clean and inflate the tyres.
5. Inspect cables and armouring.
6. Adjust brakes, derailleurs and shock absorbers.
7. Clean and lubricate the chain.
8. Check all other components (we explain which ones and how to do it).

In the rest of this article, we describe all of these steps and give you tips on how best to take care of your electric bike before the season.

Electric bike. Why does it need to be prepared for the season?

But let’s start by answering the question, why does an electric bike need pre-season preparation? Even if you haven’t used it over the winter, certain steps are mandatory before your first spring tour if you want to enjoy a long and safe ride.

Most of our tips are primarily for detecting signs of wear and tear on individual components. This will enable you to replace them in time to prevent a breakdown on the road or even an accident. Maintenance work noticeably extends the service life of e-bikes.

How do you prepare an electric bike that has not been used in the winter for the season?

If you have not ridden your e-bike in the winter, preparations for the summer season are much shorter, but no less important. Start by cleaning your bike thoroughly but carefully. By this we mean removing dust and other dirt. If this requires water, use a mild shampoo. Don’t use a pressure washer, the stream of which could wash grease out of the bearings and, above all, flood the electronics. In most cases, gently rubbing off the dust with a wet cloth will suffice.

Inspect your bike battery

Remove the battery and carefully check the condition of the contacts in its socket. It is very important that they are not rusted or corroded. Charge the battery with a dedicated charger. If you have looked after your electric bike over the winter as we have advised, your battery should be in excellent condition. However, perhaps this is the best time to decide to replace it with a new unit that will give you even longer rides all year round?

We offer batteries of different capacities (10-30 Ah), so we can tailor them to your needs and expectations, achieving the optimum driving range on a single charge.

Stanislaw Zagrajek, City Lion Technology and Development Director

Check the wheels and tyres

In the next step, check the condition of your tyres. It’s also a good idea to wet wipe them down and get rid of all crumbs, stones and other tread debris. Make sure that no air escapes from the tyre once these have been removed. Inflate the wheels, check that they are not centred and that there is no play on the hub.

Check cables and armouring

Inspect all cables and armouring for signs of wear. Remember that even minor damage can quickly build up to cause failure. When doing so, also check the operation of the brakes and derailleurs. If either of these mechanisms is not working properly, it is quite possible that a stretched cable is the cause.

Shock absorber settings, chain condition

At this stage, it is also a good idea to check your shock settings if your weight has changed over the winter. Finally, carefully inspect the chain and all drivetrain components. If you have washed and lubricated these components before winterising your bike, they now only need a gentle shake-up.

Congratulations! You’ve got most of your e-bike’s preparations for the season behind you. Check out the other components we list in the next paragraph and you’re ready to go for your first spring ride.

Have you ridden your e-bike in winter? This needs to be done before the summer season

If you used your e-bike in the winter, you’ll have a bit more preparation ahead of you for the summer season, but with our guide you’ll be able to tackle it quickly. The main thing is to wash all the components thoroughly, as our main task will be to inspect them carefully.

For the reasons outlined earlier, do not use high-pressure water and aggressive chemicals for cleaning. A garden hose and washing up liquid will prove most effective, although it may take several wash and rinse cycles to remove tough dirt.

Once your bike is clean, follow the steps we outlined in the previous paragraph, but take more time to assess the wear and tear on the various components. Remember that salt, used for pavement gritting in winter, has a very aggressive effect on the frame and other components. So look for pitting and corrosion foci. Dirty contacts and soggy electrical connections are particularly dangerous.

Good time to replace the battery

Also pay attention to the condition of the battery. Operating the battery in extreme temperature conditions and especially prolonged storage in the cold in a discharged state will noticeably reduce its capacity. If you want to replace your battery with a new one, right now is the best time to do so.

Components and assemblies such as:

• chain,
• sprockets
• cables and armouring,
• brakes,
• derailleur gears,

should be very carefully cleaned of any residual grease, inspected and re-lubricated with dedicated preparations. After winter riding, for example, a chain or sprocket may need replacing. Do not wait for these repairs, as they will be noticed at the worst possible moment.

In addition, check the operation of the bike lighting, possible play on the handlebars, smoothness (and noise) of the support and pedals. It is also worth checking the tightness of the most important screws, as their loosening may cause an accident.

Pre-season and regular service of your electric bike – benefits

You already know exactly how to prepare your electric bike for the season. If our 8 steps to do so seem too much work for you or you don’t know how to perform the individual steps, we encourage you to have a pre-season check-up at a professional e-bike service.

Remember, too, that while preparing your bike for the season is crucial to its trouble-free performance and your safety, regular e-bike maintenance is just as important. Depending on how intensively you use it, it’s a good idea to perform such a service once every few months, but a minimum of twice a year.

This will ensure that your electric bike is always in perfect mechanical condition. What’s more, a professional service will also check the parameters of the batteries, which is virtually impossible to do at home.

Battery life is key, which is why City Lion e-bike batteries still retain 80% capacity after 500 discharge cycles.

Dariusz Mikulski, City Lion Engineer

Detailed information on the wear and tear rate and current capacity of your battery will help you plan for replacement. And if you would like to travel longer distances on your electric bike, check out the more efficient branded models in our range.