Is it ok to hose wash an Ebike?.

[Kiteboy]

I ride in hard-pack, sandy soil with leaves and pine needles. It rains here in Florida almost every afternoon in summer and the trail is always damp, leaving a coating of sand/dirt grit on the bike up to the seat after each ride. Like Mikerb does, I wait for it to dry then wipe in down with a soft hand broom and stiff bristle plastic brush for the tough spots. Then finish with a damp clothe once-over.

I noticed some play in my rear suspension pivots a couple of rides back and took it apart to have a look. Dirt had made its' way onto all the pivot bearings faces, past the bearing seal/spacers and three bearings will need to be replaced. No damage to the bike but there certainly would be if I hadn't looked and cleaned them up. It's back together now and moving smooth and tight but it's a good idea to check your bearings periodically if your bike is getting wet, and make sure they are not filling with crud and close to seizing.

 

[emtbPhil]

Wash mine after every ride with a Worx Hydroshot jetwash.
Means I get it nice and clean before loading it in the van - never had an issue

Use your brain and don't point it directly in the bearings, motor, etc.. it's fine
I do know a few friends with other ebikes that's controllers are not very waterproof so they tend to bag them up before cleaning but never had an issue on my bosch system.

 

[Grannyjones]

The tyres are the hardest part of any bike to clean - Hosepipe definetely needed for those! More power the better. Bollox to the bucket and water

For the rest of the bike I just turn the hose down to very low power and use a brush

 

[Bob 57]

I have one of those coin operated car wash establishments near me. This place also has a dog wash booth and now an eBike friendly bike wash booth. It costs $7 and you hang your bike on the adjustable rails provided. It has a range of cleaning agents and equipment to help do the job including different size and type of brushes, low pressure nozzle and a 3 speed air dryer to get into all those awkward spots. I use the pressure cleaner on my wheels and tyres only then using a ‘raindrop’ setting, wet the exterior of the bike. I then use the brushes and my own cleaning rag to clean the rest if the bike. When its sparkling clean, I spend about 25% of the time using the air dryer.. after drying the bike, I remove my battery and give the internal housing a blow with the air dryer just to make sure it’s perfectly dry. So far so good. The whole process takes about 10 minutes. After everything is done, I give the bike a good wipe over and lube the chain & parts of the derailleur. I guess by hanging the bike on the rack, there is no need to turn the bike upside down and allows for a good flush.

 

[ShinySideUp]

Just don't point a [low power] hose at parts that wouldn't normally get a full on jet of water while riding. You can use a hose from the front with impunity as that's the way the water would hit the bike under normal circumstances, just avoid going into the side of bearings, batteries, et al. I ride a motorbike too and that gets washed with a hose pipe -- with the caveats above.

In general though, unless it's caked in crap, I don't usually bother at all.

 

[MountainBoy]

I rinse my Scott Strike 920 off with a garden hose with spray nozzle on fine fan spray setting. This has enough power to wash the fresh dirt off, just reserve up close spraying for non-sensitive parts like tires and wheels.

After it's rinsed, I bounce it on the ground a few times to shake most of the water off, bring it inside where it's warm and put a fan on it for 3-4 hours.

 

[Stihldog]

When I return from a ride I usually slow down for the 14 Trumpeters before I ride onto the plush red carpet. 7 dancing attendants thoroughly wash the bike with feathers from not so exotic birds. A team of bike mechanics then quickly search for any issues that may have occurred during my trip. Once the Hamsters have completely dried my bike, I lay her down for the night in a specially designed room and place downe-feathers from a Perigrine Falcon around the outline and cover her with rose petals (same technique as @steve_sordy). Then I.…
(cue scratchy vinyl record sound).
Whoa!

I mostly just use water.…

…then ride home.

 

[flash]

3 Shimano bikes. Two Fazua. Two Brose. All washed with a hose and common sense. No failures.

Gordon

 

[franciscoasismm]

My two EBike with 30,000 km and 15,000 km, I never wash them with a hose, just a couple of microfiber cloths, muc-off bike cleaner and a bucket with 3 liters of water.

 

[humber44]

Ffs it's a bike. Designed to be ridden in at the very least, in the British weather. Bit of water from a hose will do no harm at all. I'd suggest drying it off before putting it away. I bounce / shake mine then get it dry with a towel. Not a hint of a problem yet.
Probably a good idea to stay away from high powered stuff though.

Hmm I'm not so sure about that...I never washed my Haibike with a hose but went out in loads of wet days and my motor got water in it and fried the electrics and I had to buy a new motor..I'd say not fit for purpose being an offlroad bike..still a long way to go yet on design..apparently the newer ones still get water ingress

 

[Stihldog]

…apparently the newer ones still get water ingress

It’s a shame really that we have to worry about water egress into the motor or electrical areas/components. It’s a legitimate concern. My experience with the Bosch CX motor has been good (or lucky). None of the motors have had water egress in the past few (3) years. Besides riding in the rain(it rains here often) I have completely submerged one bike several times and experienced no issues. I asked the LBS about this (Trek) and they haven’t had a motor returned for water egress.

 

[irie]

I rinse my Scott Strike 920 off with a garden hose with spray nozzle on fine fan spray setting. This has enough power to wash the fresh dirt off, just reserve up close spraying for non-sensitive parts like tires and wheels.

After it's rinsed, I bounce it on the ground a few times to shake most of the water off, bring it inside where it's warm and put a fanny on it for 3-4 hours.

I asked my wife to do this ‐ no guesses as to her reply.

 

[Stihldog]

I asked my wife to do this ‐ no guesses as to her reply.

What were you thinking?
I thought of hiding my bike under my dirty socks and underwear …

REALLY…what were you thinking?

 

[irie]

What were you thinking?
I thought of hiding my bike under my dirty socks and underwear …

REALLY…what were you thinking?

"fanny" in 'Mercan doesn't have the same meaning as "fanny" in the Queen's English.

A great example d'un faux ami.

 

[Tim1023]

Once the Hamsters have completely dried my bike,...

I'm confused. So the hamsters dry your bike with towels / feathers or the seven dancing attendants dry the bike with the hamsters (à la the bear asking the rabbit "does the shit stick to your fur?")?

 

[Stu]

I spray a bit of muc-off bike cleaner on a damp cloth and wipe over. Dry it with another cloth so no water spots. Not that I’m penny pinching but it actually saves on the bike cleaner that way. Cassette and wheels cleaned with dedicated brushes.

 

[steve_sordy]

I spray a bit of muc-off bike cleaner on a damp cloth and wipe over. Dry it with another cloth so no water spots. Not that I’m penny pinching but it actually saves on the bike cleaner that way. Cassette and wheels cleaned with dedicated brushes.

The mud is that gritty where I ride that if I followed your technique, I'd have no paint left!

 

[Stihldog]

I'm confused. So the hamsters dry your bike with towels / feathers or the seven dancing attendants dry the bike with the hamsters (à la the bear asking the rabbit "does the shit stick to your fur?")?

Ha!…the trained bears summon more trained bears to fetch the sparkling water. 🫡
(Bunnies are never harmed).
But I’m on my own when I need to wash my lower extremities and riding shoes. A garden hose and spray head set to shower does the job. On busy riding days our street looks like there’s a “car” wash at every house.

 

[geehaw]

No. Water is bad for just about everything on your bike.

It's the #1 cause of drownings worldwide. Very dangerous stuff.

 

[Growmac]

It's the #1 cause of drownings worldwide. Very dangerous stuff.

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Sobering!

 

[Stihldog]

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I wouldn’t need an eMTB if this came in a pill form.

 

[Tim1023]

Facts About Dihydrogen Monoxide
I wouldn’t need an eMTB if this came in a pill form.

It does! It's called homeopathy.

Just dm me for some great prices on your favourite globules!

 

[Kingerz]

No, hosing around the motor is asking for trouble and water is bad for everything to do with ebikes. Try dry-cleaning with an agent other than water around there or just wet cloths.

 

[Grannyjones]

I very rarely use my E Bike if conditions are going to be wet and muddy.
I get out the basic manual bike instead.
In North West England the ground is usually wet and muddy between November and March even if it isn't raining on the day so gets very little use during that time of year

 

[Growmac]

I very rarely use my E Bike if conditions are going to be wet and muddy.
I get out the basic manual bike instead.
In North West England the ground is usually wet and muddy between November and March even if it isn't raining on the day so gets very little use during that time of year

I'm the exact opposite. When it's wet, muddy, and generally filthy then the ebike is far more fun to ride. I use it far more in the winter than the summer where the real bike is a delight and keeps me fit. Winter's hard on components, and I reckon my consumables bill is 3x the MTB's, but I didn't buy the bike to just have it sit there looking pretty.

 

[Grannyjones]

Reason I ride manual more in Winter:
1) Fatigue isn't as much of an issue, as I don't often ride many consecutive days in Winter
2) The E Bike is a bright colour and shows up all the mud. The manual bike is grey and the mud is much less noticable
3) It's easier to fit a full mudguard setup to the manual bike
4) The manual bike moves slower, so it kicks up less mud and I don't get as muddy or as wet
5) Cleaning is easier. I don't need to worry about over-spraying and chain cleaning is always easier on a manual
6) Less maintenance. Especially so as it's a hardtail
7) I'm not ruining the E Bike. Last thing I want is a failure when conditions turn good again due to using it when it was shitty.

 

[RustyMTB]

Thing I've learned about Bosch motors & water. The case is well sealed, you can forget about water ingress through the case or the connections, those things are very well engineered indeed. Your biggest risk is via the cranks. Last week I changed the bearing cover seals on my motor, doing this comes strongly recommended from @Bearing Man to prolong the life of your motor.

Having done so, it's obvious to me how this benefits the motor. The cover seals are tight fitting with (if you do it right) a protective layer of thick grease behind them, adding a further layer of protection against water. If you were sufficiently motivated, you would remove the cranks & find some kind of cap that fits over the crankshaft & wash away to your hearts content. I doubt hardly anyone would go to these lengths but after seeing the design up close, I'm happy that with regular grease top ups & cover seal renewal, there is no reason not to clean a Bosch ebike although I'd still avoid a jet wash at all costs & keep water round the motor to an absolute minimum.

 

[MountainBoy]

Thing I've learned about Bosch motors & water. The case is well sealed, you can forget about water ingress through the case or the connections, those things are very well engineered indeed. Your biggest risk is via the cranks. Last week I changed the bearing cover seals on my motor, doing this comes strongly recommended from @Bearing Man to prolong the life of your motor.

Having done so, it's obvious to me how this benefits the motor. The cover seals are tight fitting with (if you do it right) a protective layer of thick grease behind them, adding a further layer of protection against water. If you were sufficiently motivated, you would remove the cranks & find some kind of cap that fits over the crankshaft & wash away to your hearts content. I doubt hardly anyone would go to these lengths but after seeing the design up close, I'm happy that with regular grease top ups & cover seal renewal, there is no reason not to clean a Bosch ebike although I'd still avoid a jet wash at all costs & keep water round the motor to an absolute minimum.

View attachment 95630

Good info!

An under-discussed factor in water ingress of any semi-sealed system is temperature fluctuations. If the air inside the motor case is warm from a ride on a sunny fall afternoon and the time to clean the bike is at dusk as the air is cooling and the wash water is cold, the best crank seal in the world is not going to prevent water from being drawn in around the seals as the air inside the cases contracts in volume and sucks it in. I imagine there is a small breather hole/vent somewhere to mitigate this and it would be important that it's not plugged.

A small amount of water drawn in would probably be driven off by the heat of the motor on future rides but, if the rides were short in duration and the washing frequent, a situation could develop where the water was entering the cases faster than it was naturally being driven out by the heat created by the motor.

Does anyone know if there is a tiny breather somewhere on Bosch cases?

BTW, the same principle applies to water-resistant watches. A watch that has been warmed for a couple of hours by direct sunlight and then plunged into cold water is probably going to leak unless perhaps it is a full-on dive watch rated to hundreds of feet of pressure.

 

[steve_sordy]

...........................

BTW, the same principle applies to water-resistant watches. A watch that has been warmed for a couple of hours by direct sunlight and then plunged into cold water is probably going to leak unless perhaps it is a full-on dive watch rated to hundreds of feet of pressure.

I used to take part in windsurfing races. Before my first race I took my waterproof (to 100m) watch to the dealer and asked them to test it. He did it while I waited, told me it was 100% waterproof to the depth quoted and said "no charge". That was a Saturday. On Sunday I raced and after my first ducking the watch had water droplets all over the inside of the face such that it was difficult to tell the time. Monday, back in to the dealer and showed him the watch. He said it was condensation! He explained that the warm air inside the watch had condensed onto the cold watch glass. I doubted very much that the watch contained enough air to provide the water content that I could see and protested. I was convinced he was giving me the run around. He called upstairs to his tech guy and just asked him to come downstairs. Without saying a word, he gave him the watch. The tech guy said "I tested this watch on Saturday and it was 100%. This is the worst case of condensation I've seen; the water must have been very cold. I'll go clean it out for you." And off he went.

When he returned, I asked how he tested them. I had thought a chamber with water in that could be pressurised. Far too expensive and dangerous apparently. They put the watch under a bell jar and evacuate the air to a certain amount. There is a dial gauge on the face of the watch glass and if it doesn't move upwards, then the watch leaks air. This is actually a harder test than the pressure method because that would compress the glass onto the watch (tightening the seal), whereas the bell jar and vacuum method tries to pull off the glass face (opening it up). If it's airtight, then it's watertight was the view. Air is a smaller molecule than water anyway. I was very disappointed and somewhat narked, as my waterproof watch was to all intents and purposes, useless.

 

[Kiteboy]

I used to take part in windsurfing races. Before my first race I took my waterproof (to 100m) watch to the dealer and asked them to test it. He did it while I waited, told me it was 100% waterproof to the depth quoted and said "no charge". That was a Saturday. On Sunday I raced and after my first ducking the watch had water droplets all over the inside of the face such that it was difficult to tell the time. Monday, back in to the dealer and showed him the watch. He said it was condensation! He explained that the warm air inside the watch had condensed onto the cold watch glass. I doubted very much that the watch contained enough air to provide the water content that I could see and protested. I was convinced he was giving me the run around. He called upstairs to his tech guy and just asked him to come downstairs. Without saying a word, he gave him the watch. The tech guy said "I tested this watch on Saturday and it was 100%. This is the worst case of condensation I've seen; the water must have been very cold. I'll go clean it out for you." And off he went.

When he returned, I asked how he tested them. I had thought a chamber with water in that could be pressurised. Far too expensive and dangerous apparently. They put the watch under a bell jar and evacuate the air to a certain amount. There is a dial gauge on the face of the watch glass and if it doesn't move upwards, then the watch leaks air. This is actually a harder test than the pressure method because that would compress the glass onto the watch (tightening the seal), whereas the bell jar and vacuum method tries to pull off the glass face (opening it up). If it's airtight, then it's watertight was the view. Air is a smaller molecule than water anyway. I was very disappointed and somewhat narked, as my waterproof watch was to all intents and purposes, useless.

Windsurf competitions... Did you know Chris Calthrop, K48?