Introduction
Riding an e-bike is the fun part, but if you want to keep enjoying your e-bike adventures from summer through winter, you need to look after your ride to keep the wheels turning!
Unpredictable weather conditions and regular wear and tear can add up quickly, making it essential to know how to clean your e-bike to protect it.
We’ve gathered our best tips and tricks on how to clean your e-bike quickly, including specific advice for chain-drive and belt-drive owners to keep things fuss-free.
Easy safety prep for your e-bike
Before you start cleaning your e-bike, there are a few important steps to ensure you’re ready for maintenance (don’t worry, they’re nice and fast!).
● Turn off your e-bike system and pop out the battery.
● Wrap your handlebar display, throttle, and exposed battery terminals with a dry cloth before washing (and avoid direct spraying).
● Keep things stable by putting your e-bike on its kickstand or, for easy wheel spinning, on a repair stand.
Rinse from top to bottom
Whether it’s rain or shine or just daily grime, it’s important to wash down your e-bike regularly to avoid buildup.
Use only low pressure, such as a garden hose on a gentle setting, or the traditional bucket with a sponge. Never use a pressure washer! Though it might seem faster, you run the risk of saturating your e-bike components when they should be dry.
Wash from the saddle down with soapy water on the frame, swingarm, and wheels first. That way, you can save the often much dirtier drivetrain for last so that you aren’t dragging mud elsewhere on your e-bike.
Clean the drivetrain
Drivechain maintenance doesn’t have to drive you crazy!
If you have a chain drive e-bike, spray a bike-safe degreaser onto a stiff brush rather than directly onto the chain and scrub the chain whilst back-pedalling, then wipe it clean with a rag (keep the rag away from your brake disks, though).
If you have a belt drive, you’re looking at a simple wipe down with a soapy sponge and quick rinse, no degreaser needed.
For both types of brakes, wipe the rotors with a paper towel soaked in isopropyl alcohol.
Drying and lubricating your e-bike
A microfibre is an affordable but extremely useful bit of kit for e-bike maintenance, especially when it comes to drying your frame and battery compartment.
If you have a chain drive, lubricating it is as simple as waiting until it’s dry, applying lubricant on each chain whilst back-pedalling, then taking a clean rag and firmly gripping the chain whilst pedalling backwards to wipe off all the excess.
Once everything is dry and clean as a whistle, reinsert your battery, power on, and you’re ready to go!
Top TENWAYS tip: Use a hairdryer on its cool setting to blow water out of tricky screw holes and motor mounts (also great for any trapped dust).
Regular e-bike cleaning > aggressive deep cleaning
Being consistent with your cleaning maintenance is much better than an every-other-month aggressive clean, and it’s also considerably less stressful.
Focus on the key areas: drying your battery terminals, keeping degreaser off the brakes, and wiping down the bike to remove any dirt and debris, and you’ll be riding without worrying about how your e-bike performs.
And while your care matters, that performance starts with what we build. All of our TENWAYS e-bikes are made with durable, reliable components that can be serviced at most e-bike shops, backed by our after-sale support and warranty for ultimate peace of mind.
(Check out our comprehensive e-bike maintenance guide if you’d like to know more about how to look after your e-bike top-to-bottom!)
