Washing/cleaning your Meta Power(2019)

[paulbarbu]

Just waiting on my new meta power to arrive ( any day now ) and in the meantime started to get more info on the MetaPower and e-bikes in general since this is my first one.

One thing that I do see completely different opinions on is whasing an e-bike ... some say to only clean it manually with a damp cloth other do not shy away from using a hose or even a jet washer.

I did read the manual on the shimano E8000 system and it says
SHIMANO STEPS system is waterproof for use under normal riding conditions, including heavy rain. Please do not use a high pressure washer to clean your bike.
also note on cleaning the battery
• Use a damp cloth, with the water well wrung out, when cleaning the battery and plastic cover.

So riding while raining I reckon should be fine, but how to clean the bike afterwards? Do I take the battery off the frame and then I can wash the bike as usual? trying to stay away as much as possible from the electronics shifting gear / screen unit?.. the motor being placed down low most likely will get some water/mud ... unavoidable
I am not a fan of jet wash even on my normal bike ,unless I do not have a hose around available.

Advice on this topic is all over the map ,I even spoke to one bike mechanic that he mentioned I should avoid any water touching the motor/battery area recommending even staying away from riding in the rain ( now that seems way too cautious to me and surely would like to go out with the bike in days that are not dry and shiny) going all the way to the other extreme where a bikeshop owner told me I can wash the bike with a jet washer all over the motor/battery as there will be no issue being fully waterproof.

I had a couple of days when started raining heavily while I was out in the mountains and water and mud were sprayed all over the bike, for a normal bike I would not worry much ... on an e-bike things might be different.. Of course I would try to apply some common sense and obviously not drown the whole bike in a lake, but after a muddy ride in the rain ( seems to be plenty of those by the current looks of the weather ) what are your advices on cleaning the bike? and how are they holding on

 

[LUCKYMULLEN]

Just waiting on my new meta power to arrive ( any day now ) and in the meantime started to get more info on the MetaPower and e-bikes in general since this is my first one.

One thing that I do see completely different opinions on is whasing an e-bike ... some say to only clean it manually with a damp cloth other do not shy away from using a hose or even a jet washer.

I did read the manual on the shimano E8000 system and it says
SHIMANO STEPS system is waterproof for use under normal riding conditions, including heavy rain. Please do not use a high pressure washer to clean your bike.
also note on cleaning the battery
• Use a damp cloth, with the water well wrung out, when cleaning the battery and plastic cover.

So riding while raining I reckon should be fine, but how to clean the bike afterwards? Do I take the battery off the frame and then I can wash the bike as usual? trying to stay away as much as possible from the electronics shifting gear / screen unit?.. the motor being placed down low most likely will get some water/mud ... unavoidable
I am not a fan of jet wash even on my normal bike ,unless I do not have a hose around available.

Advice on this topic is all over the map ,I even spoke to one bike mechanic that he mentioned I should avoid any water touching the motor/battery area recommending even staying away from riding in the rain ( now that seems way too cautious to me and surely would like to go out with the bike in days that are not dry and shiny) going all the way to the other extreme where a bikeshop owner told me I can wash the bike with a jet washer all over the motor/battery as there will be no issue being fully waterproof.

I had a couple of days when started raining heavily while I was out in the mountains and water and mud were sprayed all over the bike, for a normal bike I would not worry much ... on an e-bike things might be different.. Of course I would try to apply some common sense and obviously not drown the whole bike in a lake, but after a muddy ride in the rain ( seems to be plenty of those by the current looks of the weather ) what are your advices on cleaning the bike? and how are they holding on

DO not worry about riding in the rain or really wet mud, it will be fine just don't drop it into a river.
As for cleaning, follow the Shimano guide, use a bucket of water and a soft long bristle brush or at best a hose with low pressure, I also prefer not to introduce water if it is just a bit of dry dirt on it, also dry and lube everything you can afterwards.
Basically, the more love you give the thing the better it will perform and the quieter it will run, but it's just a toy at the end of the day.

 

[Dezmond 22]

Good idea to remove the battery after washing as it can hold moisture , give the terminals a clean while its out .

 

[Kom]

For pre wash I use a bio degradable degreaser on the chain and cassette, and a spray on bike soap. I let the bike stand for 5-10min. I then use an agricultural pressurised water can (hand pump type) to hose down all the soap and muddy bits. For the main wash I use my wash mitt and a bucket of waxy car wash soap. After really muddy rides I’ll take the wheels and chain off the bike to really get in with brush kit. I avoid any polishes on the bike, they are huge dust magnets ?. I dry the bike with a chamois and let it stand outside to sun/air dry (South African weather eh!). I always do chain maintenance and lubing straight after the wash, biggest mistake for chain life is lubing on the day of a ride, not giving the lube a chance to penetrate and dry properly.

 

[frantik]

bikes aren't that big it doesn't take long to hand wash them.. a bucket of soapy water and a well rung out sponge or rag is all you need

 

[StealthChesnut]

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So riding while raining I reckon should be fine, but how to clean the bike afterwards? Do I take the battery off the frame and then I can wash the bike as usual?

For me, if the bike needs a wash then likely the battery case does too, so leave it on. There's a seal on the connector, so that will keep the contacts dry.

Standard bike wash - no high pressure jets, just wet it down with the hose, get any big mud clags off with a soft brush, soapy wash down, relube the chain.