How To Clean A Muddy Electric Bike Without Causing Damage

Having an electric bike in your life gives you the convenience of a vehicle that you can use for transport – without the high expected running costs and potential pollution issues that arise from owning a fuel-powered motorized vehicle like a car or a motorcycle. 

Being light and small enough to take around all kinds of terrain, while producing enough power to help you push through distances of up to 60 miles, the benefits of owning an E-bike are genuinely exceptional. 

However, just like any other vehicle you own, washing your E-bike is an important task that needs to be done in order to keep it running smoothly and problem-free.

Although it might seem like a chore, there’s no question that if you don’t clean all the dirt and mud that accumulates on your E-bike from all that traveling you do with it, that stuff will cause some damage to your E-bike in the long run. 

You’re probably asking – so I can just clean it like how I clean my car, right? Hose it down with water, scrub it down with a sponge and some car cleaner, and dry it off. Well, you’re just about halfway there. 

The quick answer to cleaning your muddy e-bike – After presoaking your e-bike with water, use a wet sponge and soap to remove any debris. Although modern e-bikes can withstand rain, it is wise to minimize excessive water used around critical electric components. Finally, use a dry cloth to dry your e-bike.

There are just a few more things you need to consider when cleaning your muddy E-Bike without causing damage to it – and we’ve listed them down below for you. So before you put your favorite playlist on and slip into your rubber gloves and chore outfit, read on to find out more. 

How do I clean my Electric Bike?

1. Prep your E-bike

Before you start spraying any water on your E-bike, it is highly recommended to find your user manual and check to see how much water resistance it has. 

The water resistance is typically shown in the first few pages of your manual, and is shown as a number, followed by the letters “IP”. 

The higher the number, the more water resistance your E-bike has. If you have a number lower than 40, you might want to leave the hose behind, as the water pressure from it could cause damage to your E-bike electric components.

Most user manuals say that you can leave the batteries connected to your E-bike while cleaning. 

After all, your E-bike was built to withstand weather conditions like rain and snow. Make sure your e-bike battery power is turned off.  

Don’t get too hung up on your e-bikes IP rating. If you don’t know your IP rating, no big deal. Care and caution when washing your e-bike will keep it safe.   

2. Clean your E-bike

If your E-bike has a waterproof rating of 50 IP or more, it’s safe to use the garden hose and start spraying water on your E-bike to loosen the mud and muck off your E-bike’s frame and parts. 

If you’re cautious about your E-bike’s water-resistance, use a pail of water and something to scoop the water to drench your e-bike carefully. Try to avoid electronic parts like battery housing and the LCD screen as much as possible.

Next, get your sponge and a mixture of water and dish soap or bike cleaner (recommended), and start scrubbing on the underside and anywhere you see dried mud caked onto your E-bike. 

Focus more on tricky areas such as the pedals, brakes, and between the tires. Scrub until all the mud is loosened and wash the residue away with water. 

A degreaser is your drivetrain’s best friend. Apply degreaser to your chain, let it travel along your entire drivetrain (through the cassette, derailleurs, and the chainrings) and let it settle for about 5 – 10 minutes, and then clean the gunk off with a wet cloth or a good quality sponge. 

Try to remove as much of the degreaser as you can. Any trace amounts of the degreaser left on your e-bike chain can cause chain lube not to adhere well when applied.  

If you have disc brake cleaner, use it and a sponge to gently scrub the dirt off your disc brakes as well. This keeps your brakes working efficiently. 

3. Post-cleaning care for your E-bike

After cleaning, wipe the water off your entire E-bike with a dry cloth. Be sure to reach every nook and cranny of your E-bike as even small traces of humidity or water droplets can make your E-bike dirtier in a shorter time. 

Apply chain lube to every roller in your chain, coating each one with a drop of lube. Once that’s done, rotate your chainset backward for about 20 seconds to ensure your entire drivetrain is lubricated. Wipe off any excess chain lube. 

If you want to keep your e-bike shiny and looking brand new, remember to look for e-bike approved shine products and polish up that frame until it gleams in the sunlight!

Check your battery contacts to make sure they are dry. If you notice any moisture, use a dry cloth and wipe your battery contacts dry. This is not a likely occurrence, but it is good to check once in a while to make sure your battery casing seal is doing its job.  

Recommended cleaning items for an e-bike

1. Bike maintenance stand – Although this is not vital to have, it makes e-bike cleaning so much more convenient. Bike maintenance stands firmly hold e-bikes in a steady position allowing you to wash, wipe, and adjust your e-bike without it falling over or continuously shifting on you. It’s easy to access all parts of the e-bike. The wheels and pedals can spin freely so that you can reposition them to a more desired cleaning position.  
2. Water source from a bucket, garden hose/sprayer, or specialized pressure washer – Using water from a bucket can be slow and tedious, but you have the gained benefit of controlling your water source. You can still use a hose, just make sure not to turn the water on too high.  
3. Rag or sponge – Using a rag or sponge will help you remove any dried-on dirt that wasn’t removed from the initial soaking.
4. Drying towel – Drying your e-bike after cleaning can help to reduce any leftover water from reaching any critical electrical components. 
5. Degreaser – As you ride, dirt and debris get caked on to your e-bikes existing grease. A good quality degreaser can help loosen up the old oil and dirt.  
6. Bike chain lube – After using a degreaser, it is recommended to use a good bike chain lube so that your e-bike can function correctly.  
7. Bike chain cleaning tool – This tool is very convenient for cleaning your chain. It saves you time and effort. You simply pour your degreasing solution into the Bike chain cleaning tool. Place your bike chain in this plastic enclosure then back peddle your e-bikes drivetrain. As your e-bike chain slides threw the device, the coarse brush bristles inside the device removes the oil and dirt from your chain. 

Do’s and don’ts when cleaning your e-bike

1. Do regular checks on your E-bike to see how much dirt it is accumulating. It is recommended that you do a quick wipe down every end of each week – and if it’s been a mostly rainy and muddy week, get that soap and water and start scrubbing!
2. Do test all functions after you wash. Although malfunctions are a rare scenario, it’s best to ensure that your E-bike is fully working before your next ride.

1. Don’t use extremely hot water to clean your bike, as it might cause issues with paintwork, vinyl decals, and other features on your E-bike.
2. Don’t use a high-pressure hose or jets to wash your e-bike. Rather than removing dirt, this might actually force dirt and water to other areas of your e-bike that might cause damage. 

Final Thoughts

Cleaning your Electric bike regularly takes patience and a little bit of elbow grease. You also need to keep a stock of all the items you need for wash time, like sponges, pails, towels, bicycle cleaner, degreaser, and chain lube, to name a few – although these can be easily found in the nearest hardware store. 

With all the benefits that an E-bike brings to your life, it only makes sense to keep it clean and running at 100% efficiency in order for you to get the most value out of the relatively large sum of money you invested in it. 

Who knows, you might just enjoy the process and find the therapeutic nature in cleaning your E-bike, Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid style – “wax on, wax off”.