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A growing trend in personal transportation is electric bicycles. They are more versatile than traditional bikes and are a great alternative to driving, especially for shorter distances. The assist of the electric throttle makes us feel relaxed when riding.In order to better enjoy the green cycling journey, in this article, I mainly share 5 tips on how to maintain the electric bicycle motor. Please read below.
However, when investing in an e-bike for commuting or recreation, one of the things you might worry about is their longevity. So this brings us to the question, “How long will my e-bike, especially the motor, last?”
How should I take care of the motor?
Electric bike motors typically last at least 10,000 miles; with some maintenance, this can be longer. If you ride 10 miles a day, that means your e-bike motor should last about three years before it needs to be replaced.
So we now know what we’re thinking about, how long the motor will last, but there are other things and other important components to consider. Failure to pay attention to these may result in the motor needing an earlier replacement, so we need to consider the overall maintenance and upkeep of the electric bike.
How to keep your electric bike battery in good condition?
How long can an electric bike motor last?
The motor will likely be the longest-lasting component on your bike, and you can extend its lifespan by making sure it is properly cared for. One more thing to know, it can be expensive to replace.
This might come as a surprise, but it’s not too far-fetched if you consider how e-bikes actually work. Most likely the motor will not run all the time while you are using the bike. Instead, it only comes into play when you pedal to propel the bike forward.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t do everything for you, it helps you with what you’ve already done. That is, the power provided by the motor is only auxiliary.
Depending on your usage, you may find your motor can last about 10,000 miles or about three to five years.
Key Electric Components Of An E-Bike
Although you clearly wouldn’t get any pedal assistance if your electric bike didn’t have a motor, there are a couple of other components that would make “electric” bicycling impossible.
Motor
Motors on e-bikes can be placed in a variety of ways, and any of the three has its reasons and benefits. You can have a bike with a front hub, mid drive motor or rear hub. As mentioned earlier, the main purpose of the motor is to assist you when you pedal.
We call this assistance the “torque” it provides us. Now, the more advanced and powerful the motor is, the more torque it can possibly produce. After this, the more torque you can get from the bike, the more power you have at your disposal.
How to make an electric bike motor last longer?
As mentioned, the motor is probably the last part of your e-bike that you need to replace. However, proper care and maintenance is key to ensuring it lasts as long as possible.
There are three main types of motors that can be found on e-bikes and they are direct drive hubs, geared hubs and intermediate drive. Below we describe what these terms mean and how best to take care of them.
5 Essential Electric Bike Motor Maintenance Tips:
1. Avoid getting your motor wet (even if a good quality motor has a certain waterproof function, there is no guarantee that it can be soaked in water for a long time without damage)
2. Keep your motor and the rest of your bike clean
3. Do not expose your electric bike to constant heat (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit)
4. Regularly oil moving parts such as chains, gears and bearings
5. Take your e-bike to an expert for regular service and maintenance inspections
Direct Drive Hub Motors Last Longer
The direct drive hub is a motor that you will find mounted on either the front or rear wheel of the bike. It provides assisted forward motion by utilizing magnets on the inside surface of the hub and the stator windings, which are attached to the wheel’s axle.
What’s great about this type of motor is that it has barely any moving components, except the bearings, which aids in its exceptional durability and longevity.
However, two things can affect the overall lifespan of this type of motor: overheating and rust. You could experience overheating because there is too much power running through the direct drive hub, the motor, and the other components. In some cases, if the motor and controller calibrations are off, it can even result in the elements getting so hot that they melt!
The main thing here is to ensure that the calibrations are correct, and then you shouldn’t have a problem. If you are unsure how to do this yourself, you can always take it to an electric bike dealership or bike repair shop, and they should be able to assist you with this.
Another problem I mentioned is rust, which can be caused by water. Usually this is only a problem if you live in a humid climate or happen to be riding in the rain. The main components to worry about here are the bearings inside the motor.
So it’s a good idea to keep the motor dry. However, if this is not possible, you should dry your e-bike immediately after riding it.
Great for Commuting Electric City Bikes – A5AH26
How to Make Geared Hub Motors Last
A geared hub motor is quite different in that it actually has a motor that spins faster than a direct drive motor. It utilizes gears to transfer the torque to the wheels and will help decrease the motor’s higher speed into torque when one needs to climb hills or inclines.
When it comes to gears, there will be friction, which will cause wear on them. This means that most likely, a geared hub will have a shorter lifespan than the direct drive hub.
Unfortunately, this sort of general wear and tear is not something that you can do much about, and you will have to resolve the fact that you’ll need to replace the motor anywhere between 3,000 and 10,000 miles. This will depend on the make, model, and overall quality of your motor, however.
If you use your bike regularly and put many miles on its odometer, you may end up replacing the motor 2 to 3 times throughout the bike’s lifespan.
Gear Hub motors are a bit more expensive to replace than Direct Drive hubs, but thankfully less than Mid-Drive motors. They are also easier to replace, so you may even be able to do the replacement yourself.
Make the most of your e-bike battery
Mid-Drive Motor Failure
A Mid-Drive motor is connected directly to the crank, resulting in the power being delivered directly to the chain. This type of motor is one that will cause the most strain on the other components of the bike; so elements such as the chain drive, the derailleur system, and the sprockets are going to be put under greater stress.
This is because the motor and rider are both applying force to the same system. This motor is also capable of greater output than the average rider; where the rider can most likely sustain an output of 100W, the motor can deliver 250W+. All this additional strain on the bike’s parts will cause there to be far quicker wear on them.
Because of these high demands placed on the other components, many electric bikes come with upgraded chains to help alleviate the potential for too quick a wearing down. Again, here we can see that there isn’t very much that one can truly do to prevent overall wear to certain areas of ane-bike.
Like the Direct Drive, the Mid-Drive motor is also susceptible to moisture, and keeping it dry is a key component to maintaining it. Also, if you receive warnings from your controller, it’s best to have any issues checked to ensure the device lives out its full lifespan.
One real downside to owning an electric bike with this sort of motor is that once they die on you, they are exceptionally difficult to replace. And by doing so, you could damage other parts of the bike. It’s thus most advisable to have a professional replace a mid-drive motor or just purchase a new e-bike altogether.
Electric Bike Motor Repair
The general lifespan of a motor is something you can control. The following suggestions will help you keep it pristine for as long as possible:
1. Keep your e-bike clean, including removing any dirt or debris that may have accumulated in the drivetrain.
2. Oil the moving parts like the chain… This is a very important job that you can easily do yourself.
3. Bring your e-bike for regular maintenance and make sure you keep abreast of its overall maintenance.
If you want to know more about electric bicycles, please click on the official website of HOTEBIKE:https://www.hotebike.com/
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