BICYCLE STORAGE AT WINTER SEASON

Author: Demendi Milán

As winter weather approaches, it

is time to prepare our bike well.

Let it be a winter dream or about

winding in damp, rainy and snowy weather,

it is important to be aware of what

to do. With the onset of cold and winter,

there are people who, due to external

obstacles when riding a bike to work,

for example, because they have nowhere

to change, stop to roll. Then there

are those who don’t have the clothes

they need for cold, wet weather. Then

there will be those who, on roads that

have become smoother, slippery and at

the same time, more dangerous, no longer

dare to take up cycling. Finally, there

are those people who simply fear for

their beloved bike in winter conditions

– such as corrosion caused by salt and

water. If you decide to rest your bike until

spring, you should keep the following

points in mind:

1. Clean the bike thoroughly. Use lukewarm

detergent water fi rst, then

clean. Finally, wipe the bike completely

dry. A used toothbrush can

be an ideal cleaning tool in narrow,

cramped, inaccessible areas.

2. Grease the bearings (steering, wheel and

centre bearings) and the bowden cables.

Simple machine grease does, but for better

effi ciency, it is advisable to use silicone or Tefl

on greases.

3. Oil the chain. It is not advised to use more

expensive, water-repellent or dry-chain oils

for the period of non-use, it is enough to

lubricate them with simple instrument oil.

4. Lubricate or blow off the sidewalls of the tires

with silicone to prevent them from cracking!

Tire care products are also available at service

stations and car shops.

5. Check the air pressure of the wheels, they

should be neither lower nor higher than

required!

6. It is advised to lower the used pressure, but

do not lower the tires completely, because if

the weight of the bicycle is completely on the

fl at tire in the long run, it can make the interior

more susceptible to defects.

7. Store the bike in a place where it is not

colder than 10 degree centigrade! Covered

with a thin sheet, the bike will be grateful,

you don’t have to start cleaning it

in the spring.

STORAGE OF E-BIKES

BATTERY

Let’s start with the most important thing, the

battery! To start the winter storage, it is advised

to have the e-bike battery charged between 30%

and 60%. In the long-term storage, this range is

ideal. There is still enough power in the battery

to ensure that the charge does not fall below the

critical level after several months, even after continuous

diving, on the other hand, the energy retention

capacity of the system is best at this charge

level. How can this charge level be kept?

The easiest way is to use the electric assist on our

last hike before the “winter dream”, until we have

drained the battery to the desired level based on

the display. If we choose the wrong distance of

the tour, even if we might not have gotten home,

we can choose to pedal home with or without the

assistance or when we get home, we can keep the

bike on a charger for a much shorter time than

usual. In this case, it can be a problem not to look

at the charge from time to time that is, to charge

a fully discharged battery to 70-80% can be less

than half the time of a full charge cycle. Meaning

charging is much faster at the beginning than at the

end.

However, if we don’t have the mood and the time to

discharge the battery, when approximately half full,

we have no cause for concern, we can put the battery

full charged for the winter. The 30-60% charge is optional,

only the most recommended, ideal solution.

However, it is important to mention that long-term

storage connected to a charger should be avoided

even during winter, do not leave the battery plugged

in for days!

However, proper battery storage is already in the

highly recommended category. If we keep our

electric bike in an unheated garage, shed or yard

during the winter months, the battery can be damaged

in cold weather and probably a dead battery

greets us when spring arrives. The goal is to ensure

that the battery cells are not completely discharged

during long-term storage. Not to be confused with

the discharge level when the bike stops below us during

normal usage because then you still have reserved

energy in it. The actual discharge is not

shown on the display, but if it falls below the

critical level, the battery will either become

inoperable or, more fortunately, will be able

to be brought back to life by a specialist. Also,

in this case, it will no longer be completely the

former, it will in any case lose its full capacity.

To avoid this, the best way is to remove the

battery from the bike and store it somewhere

in the house (approximately 20 ° C temperature,

low humidity). If you do not remove the

battery, it is recommended to store the entire

electric bicycle in a temperate place (a 10-15 °

C garage is also good idea, in which case you

should expect the battery to drain a little faster

than at 20 ° C storage).

How much a battery drains during storage

depends not only on the temperature, but

also, of course, on the battery itself or on its

controller. The saying, that the more expensive

is typically better is also actual here, that is,

batteries from reputable manufacturers will

overwinter with less energy loss and greater

safety. The batteries of the more advanced

models have a system that, like the “operation”

of the bears, puts the battery in a lower

energy state, a kind of a hibernation if the system

does not detect use for a long time. Lower

quality batteries, on the other hand, lose

their charge continuously and relatively quickly

during long storage, so they may require

recharging every 3 months. The point is, that

if you check that the charge has dropped below

30%, put the battery on the charger for at

least 30-40 minutes!

DISPLAY

For e-bikes, there is another battery on the

bike, namely in the display, so it is advisable

to store these displays at room temperature

as well. Displays without a battery can be left

on our bike.

STORING THE BICYCLE

From now let’s focus on the things we are used

to with conventional bicycles. Before storing, clean

your bike, infl ate the wheels, and check the

tire pressure from time to time to avoid damaging

the sidewall of the tire. Our bike “will be

grateful” if we store it cleaned in a dry place if

possible. This way we can minimize the likelihood

of rusting. It is not recommended to hang

up the bicycle in the air at the wheel (especially

for a heavier e-bike) as this can damage the rim.

The best way is to store a bike on its own wheels.

In the spring, before using it for the fi rst time, it

is advisable to inspect the entire electric bike by

an expert as he can fi x any technical error right

away. Careful bike owners plan ahead. In winter,

it is easier to do annual maintenance work

at bike repair shops and besides, it is usually at a

discounted price.