- Properly maintaining your bicycle during winter times pays off in driving pleasure on your bike. Due to the salt, snow and weather influences your bikes need more attention than it does during summer times. Here are some quick tips on maintaining your bicycle trough winter times:
- Cleaning your bike
- In order to maintain the bike we need to clean our working area. Rinse your bike with a garden hose to remove the majority of the dirt. Make sure there is a low pressure flow of water and avoid hitting gaps of the bearings and axles.
- Cleaning your drivetrain with drivetrain specific cleaning appliances.
Degrease the chain with an degreasers and let this settle in for a few minutes. After this brush down your chain and cassette with a brush to remove all dirt that is caught up in the chain. - Rinse down your bike once again to remove the last pieces of dirt. Again make sure there is a low pressure flow of water and avoid hitting gaps of the bearings and axles.
- Lubricate the drivetrain with bike specific chain lube. Please consult your local dealer to find the best lubrication for your driving purposes. Lastly wipe down the overdue lube of the chain with an old cloth.
- Lastly we recommend you to consult your local dealer to maintaining your bicycle in a good condition
- Cleaning your bike
Keep your batteries at room temperature
That means between 20 and 25 degrees C. The worst thing that can happen to a lithium-ion battery is to have a full charge and be subjected to elevated temperatures. So don’t leave or charge your mobile device’s battery in your car if it’s hot out. Heat is by far the largest factor when it comes to reducing lithium-ion battery life.
2: Think about getting a high-capacity lithium-ion battery, rather than carrying a spare
Batteries deteriorate over time, whether they’re being used or not. So a spare battery won’t last much longer than the one in use. It’s important to remember the aging characteristic when purchasing batteries. Make sure to ask for ones with the most recent manufacturing date.
3: Allow partial discharges and avoid full ones (usually)
Unlike NiCad batteries, lithium-ion batteries do not have a charge memory. That means deep-discharge cycles are not required. In fact, it’s better for the battery to use partial-discharge cycles.
There is one exception. Battery experts suggest that after 30 charges, you should allow lithium-ion batteries to almost completely discharge. Continuous partial discharges create a condition called digital memory, decreasing the accuracy of the device’s power gauge. So let the battery discharge to the cut-off point and then recharge. The power gauge will be recalibrated.
4: Avoid completely discharging lithium-ion batteries
If a lithium-ion battery is discharged below 2.5 volts per cell, a safety circuit built into the battery opens and the battery appears to be dead. The original charger will be of no use. Only battery analyzers with the boost function have a chance of recharging the battery.
Also, for safety reasons, do not recharge deeply discharged lithium-ion batteries if they have been stored in that condition for several months.
5: For extended storage, discharge a lithium-ion battery to about 60 percent and store it in a cool place
Storing lithium-ion batteries at 40 percent discharge and at dry and cool place is recommended for the lifecycle of the battery. Check the state of charge at least every month and try to maintain a 60% state of charge.
8.1 Brake adjustments (V-Brakes)
The brakes must be adjusted so that when you squeeze the lever a quarter to half (3.1) the entire braking surface of the brake pads is pressed against the rim 3.2).
8.2 Rough brake settings
If the adjustment of your brakes shows a large deviation from the desired adjustment, you will first have to change the rough adjustment of You can adjust the rough adjustment of your brakes by loosening the cable clamp bolt with a hex key (3.3).
You can then squeeze the brake arms to your desired distance with your thumb and index finger (3.4). Please secure that the inner braking cable is underneath the clam bolt. Once correct, tighten the clamp bolt.
8.3 Refined brake settings
With the cable adjustment screw (attached where the brake cable leaves the lever), you can fine tune the brakes (eg roller brakes). By loosening the cable tilting screw, release the cable a little and tighten the cable outwards (3.5)
8.4 Replacing brake pads
The brake pads must be replaced when the notches are not visible anymore (3.6). To be able to replace the brake pads, you must first screw in the cable adjustment screw so that the brake cable relaxes (3.5). Then press the brake arms together with your thumb and index finger (3.4) and disconnect the brake cable (3.7). You have enough space to loosen the mounting bolts of the brake pads (3.8).
- Make sure the battery is fully charged, during winter times the battery should be charged at room temperatures.
- Set the assistance level in the lowest preset
- Make sure the tires have the correct amount of pressure in them. This information is written on the tires.
- Shift down when you lower your speed especially in situations with head winds, traffic lights or hills