How to Make Your Electric Bike Last Longer - Consumer Reports

A high-quality electric bike can be a significant investment. Prices range from less than $1,000 to well over $10,000, with the average bike in the $2,000 to $4,000 range. In addition to being costly to replace, high demand for e-bikes in some areas could make it tricky to find the one you want. Sales of electric motor-assisted bikes were 238 percent higher in than in , according to Circana, a firm that tracks the industry.

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At any price, an electric bike can pay big dividends in increased fitness and inexpensive transportation. Eleven percent of Americans have ridden an e-bike over the past year, according to a recent nationally representative survey of 2,035 U.S. adults conducted by Consumer Reports (February ). The survey also found that, among those who had ridden an e-bike or e-scooter in the past year, 71 percent said fun and leisure activities were among the reasons they did so.

Some e-bikes, regardless of where the motor is located, have a separate throttle control, typically a thumb-operated lever that applies electric power without the rider needing to pedal. This is handy for a quick, effortless takeoff, but it uses a lot more battery life than a pedal-assist setup, and that can limit the bike’s electric range and the amount of exercise you’ll get from riding it.

Nate Bosscher, a principal engineer on the electric bikes team at Trek, says the motor on a mid-drive electric bike is “upstream of the gears and the chain, and that certainly puts more strain on the drivetrain than a non-e-bike.” You can reduce the wear and tear on the drivetrain by regular cleaning and lubrication, he says, adding that hub-drive motors are less sensitive to strain than mid-drives.

Whether you’re riding a mid- or hub-drive electric bike, you should downshift to an easier gear ahead of a traffic light. That’s so you can resume pedaling without having to “mash” or stand on the pedals to make the bike move, Bosscher says.

You also don’t want to stand on the pedals with maximum force while trying to shift, which is especially hard on the bike’s transmission, Bosscher adds. This is true whether you’re shifting at a slower speed or flying down the road full-tilt. And it’s always best to lighten your pedaling as you shift gears to reduce wear on the gear cluster and chain. 

Marco Sonderegger, a senior product manager at Specialized, says that the best pedaling speed on the company’s mid-drive bikes is 70 to 90 rpm, which means your legs are moving at a speed similar to a fast jog. That typically puts less stress on the chain because you’re not putting a lot of torque on the system with each pedal stroke.

The moderate pedal speed also optimizes your range and eases the load on the motor because “the faster the internal electrical engine can spin, the higher the efficiency,” he says.

Bosscher says most e-bike manufacturers gear their motors for pedaling speeds of at least 60 rpm. For this reason, Sonderegger thinks that spinning at 70 to 90 rpm will increase your range by roughly 10 to 12 percent compared with mashing at 50 rpm or slower.

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He says that speed is also physically easier because repeatedly pushing very hard and slowly is like doing heavy leg presses.

Regardless of how you ride, it’s important to keep your e-bike’s battery in good condition. The three bike manufacturers shared several recommendations with CR for prolonging battery life.

Don’t drain the battery completely. Bike manufacturers use software to make sure batteries aren’t damaged during charging or discharging. But don’t let the battery get below 10 percent too frequently. Most electric bikes have an LCD display or an indicator on the battery itself, so you can keep track.

Charge regularly. A spokesperson from Rad Power Bikes says you should recharge your battery after each ride, but then unplug the bike once it’s fully charged. Trek’s Bosscher says don’t let the battery get below 20 percent before recharging it. “Partially discharging and then charging will extend the service life of a battery significantly,” he says.

Store it partly charged. If you’re not going to ride your electric bike for a few weeks or longer, Bosscher says, it’s better to store it at less than fully charged. “Storing a battery at 100 percent charge is actually bad for its longevity,” he says. Trek’s guidelines recommend storage at between 40 and 80 percent charge. Rad says 75 percent, and Specialized says about 60 percent. Bosch, the German multinational engineering and technology company that makes a lot of the mid-drive bike components, recommends a 30 to 60 percent range. Consult the owner’s manual for specific guidance for your bike.

Cold is the enemy. As with anything powered by a battery, extremes of heat and cold will hamper the range. If storing an electric bike in an unheated shed during winter is your only option, take the battery indoors if you can and charge it separately at room temperature. Rad, Specialized, and Trek all say that riding in the cold won’t harm an electric bike’s battery, though you could see reduced range. But your best bet is to start a ride with a battery that has been stored and charged in your heated home and then inserted in your bike before departure.

Wash with care. While electric bike batteries and related wiring are generally well-insulated from even heavy rain, they’re not designed to be submerged in water or cleaned with a high-pressure washer. Rad recommends removing the battery from the frame, wiping down the battery case and tray with a damp cloth, and allowing everything to dry completely before reassembling. This is consistent with Bosch’s guidance and that of other manufacturers. Wash a bicycle with a sponge and soapy water rather than a garden hose to prevent forcing water past delicate grease seals, which hold components (like bearings) that need to stay sealed and well-oiled. 

A chain or U-lock is absolutely necessary if you’re going to park your electric bike on the street. See CR’s bike lock ratings and reviews for more information. Always lock through a part of the frame and one of the wheels to a fixed structure. Worst case: Lock it to something that’s a chore to move. Electric bikes are relatively heavy, so moving both the bicycle and another object would deter most thieves. Always remove the battery, too. Because bike sales have boomed, so have bike thefts. Removing the battery from an electric bike is an easy deterrent because that super-hot commodity doesn’t look so appealing to a thief if it’s missing one of its most expensive parts. 

It’s a good idea to remove the bike’s battery even if your e-bike is locked to a rack on your car or RV because exposure to weather and extremes in temperature isn’t great for the battery, either—and, again, will make your bicycle that much less enticing to criminals.

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