E-bikes and rain

[EddiePJ]

It is my old BH Neo Xtrem.

The control console was the only weak point, but I put a bead of silicon around the join, leaving a slight gap on the lower side.

It's usually me that has the issue with the wet. Water gets in everywhere!!!

That lovely feeling as it runs down the inside of the Sealskinz socks and then can't escape, or having it run coldly down the crack of your backside, just wouldn't be winter without it.

Old stream beds are another favourite riding place. This culvert/stream bed is about a half a mile long, and you can hit almost 30mph riding it. It's possibly my favourite place to ride. Technical, fast and wet.

 

[GloveMakingMan]

What a nice looking bike! I wouldn't be able to even attempt going through water like that with my charging point being at the bottom of the bike.

 

[EddiePJ]

What a nice looking bike! I wouldn't be able to even attempt going through water like that with my charging point being at the bottom of the bike.

I find that my only issue is punctures. The wetter that it gets, the more punctures that you get. I'm currently thinking of possibly going tubeless with the KTM when I get it.

 

[steve.c]

Hi Eddy.Looks like a nice bike !! But if it were mine it would be broken in my fist attempt to go down that river bed? at 30mph??????? and it woulnt be water running down the crack of my ass!!!!.

 

[William Tell]

Eddie and others have quite a few good stories and photos about getting wet and dirty over in the "How many people are using their e-bikes off-road?" thread in the "UK Offroad" section of the forum.

My Haibike 2014 Bosch mountain bike had its first mudbath last weekend, and I'm glad to say it passed with flying colors! Genuinely impressed by the reliability thus far.

If it's a really heavy downpour then I might cover the control unit with a plastic bag, otherwise I don't think there's too much to be worried about on the Bosch Gen2 system. I haven't come across any horror stories as yet.

Can't speak for the other systems though!

 

[EddiePJ]

Nice one William Tell.

That first mud bath is always the best and the worst, Christening a new bike is never a nice experience, but without doing it, you never get to experience what the bikes were made for. Off road fun.
It's the same with getting wet/muddy yourself. The first puddle and drenching is always horrid, but after that it's just a shrug your shoulders and get on with enjoying the fun. I've noted that when doing the organised rides, the people that do everything possible to keep themselves and the bike clean, are usually the ones that remain unsteady and fall off.

What area of London are you from?

 

[Gruff]

This thread is quite timely.

Last night I was caught in a thunderstorm with heavy rain on my ride back from work on my Burisch GT-250 ( http://www.burischbikes.co.uk/ ). As a precaution, I switched the bike off at the ignition (but not, with hindsight, with the switch on the bottom of the battery). The bike dried over night in my garage, but when I turned on the ignition this morning, nothing happened - no lights on the battery charge indicator and no power.

Any ideas as to what I should do next? Are there any simple diagnosis steps I could do to try and identify where the problem lies? I haven't tried charging the bike again as that doesn't seem the best idea, but should I?

To be fair to the Burisch, it's been great over the past 10 months or so, and it does seem quite well waterproofed (I've ridden in pretty heavy rain before with no ill effects). The rain last night was exceptionally heavy and unexpected.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You get yourself a voltmeter, take the battery off, switch it on and measure the voltage on the two terminals.

Most of that type of bottle battery are not waterproof. Water can get in through the LED windows, the LED switch, the latch and the joints between the plastic and aluminium when they forget to put in the or misplace the O-rings. It would be best to make a shroud if you want to ride in the rain.

If the voltage is OK (36v to 42v), the problem could be in the motor, in which case, don't use full throttle until it's sorted otherwise you'll be looking for a new controller.

 

[mfj197]

This thread is quite timely.

Last night I was caught in a thunderstorm with heavy rain on my ride back from work on my Burisch GT-250 ( http://www.burischbikes.co.uk/ ). As a precaution, I switched the bike off at the ignition (but not, with hindsight, with the switch on the bottom of the battery). The bike dried over night in my garage, but when I turned on the ignition this morning, nothing happened - no lights on the battery charge indicator and no power.

Any ideas as to what I should do next? Are there any simple diagnosis steps I could do to try and identify where the problem lies? I haven't tried charging the bike again as that doesn't seem the best idea, but should I?

To be fair to the Burisch, it's been great over the past 10 months or so, and it does seem quite well waterproofed (I've ridden in pretty heavy rain before with no ill effects). The rain last night was exceptionally heavy and unexpected.

Gruff, I see the webpage for the GT-250 does say "Fully sealed for rainy conditions". Still under warranty?

Michael

 

[Gruff]

Thanks for the replies guys.

As Michael points out, the website does claim it is fully sealed for rainy conditions. I sent Burisch a message this morning and eagerly await their reply. Obviously, I'm now regretting not fitting a shroud of some kind as d8veh suggests!

I'll buy a voltmeter tonight and see what it says. I've always wanted to learn more about electronics, but perhaps not in these kind of circumstances!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Here's another fully sealed one that somebody sent me today to fix:

 

[mfj197]

Here's another fully sealed one that somebody sent me today to fix:

Ugh - looks pretty awful! Good luck with that!

Michael

 

[Gruff]

Here's another fully sealed one that somebody sent me today to fix:

Wow, is that salvageable? Interesting to see what's inside though. Hopefully the hamster inside mine hasn't died.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

And another one that was with it. The guy said that he was out in the rain for 40 minutes, but it was OK when he got home. I think someone's telling porkies. I would say that somebody parked up and then the tide came in. Does that look like rainwater damage? Five of the 10 cell-groups were OK in the first one and the BMS was totally corroded. I didn't even bother checking this second one as soon as I saw what came out of the case

 

[Richy]

The sensor would slip down the spoke on my haibike in the rain.

 

[Gruff]

parked up and then the tide came in. Does that look like rainwater damage?

Nope, but now I'm worried that I've left my bike at home with the battery bottle full of water...

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Nope, but now I'm worried that I've left my bike at home with the battery bottle full of water...

No need to worry. Rainwater is not very conductive. Whatever gets in can get out through the battery terminals at the bottom unless they've gone mad sealing it up. If you want to be sure that there's no water in it, turn it upside down at an angle so that the LED windows are the lowest point. If any water comes out, it might be an idea to drill a small hole in the bottom corner of the battery.

Some bottle batteries like the latest Oxydrive ones are totally sealed with silicone, which makes them impossible to repair, but no water will reach the cell-pack. I think I prefer my way of letting the water out rather than trying to stop it getting in because the test button and top screws will always be vulnerable.

 

[Gruff]

Ok, thanks for the information d8veh, really appreciate it.

Didn't manage to get a voltmeter last night - B&Q were sold out and roadworks near Halfords meant I pulled up just as they were locking their doors - very frustrating!

Hopefully I'll get a chance to test the battery over the weekend.

 

[Gruff]

Update - I've just realised that I received an e-mail from Burisch last night asking me to send them the battery for testing, so I'll be doing that. However, I might measure the voltage myself assuming this is non-destructive?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

No harm can come from measuring the voltage. For me, it's a shame that Burisch are sorting yours out. I'd love to see how it looks inside after (assumed) water ingress. I've seen one before that had a bit of corrosion on the BMS where water dripped on it. Our guy is still saying heavy rain did the above two, but I tested the white deposits. They're sodium (salt)!