How Often Should I Lube My Electric Bike Chain? (Solved)

As a general rule, you should lube your ebike chain at least once per month however your riding techniques & the weather where you riding may require you to lube your ebike chain two times a month.

For example, riding on the city roads in good weather conditions will keep less pressure on the chain but if you were riding off roads in rainy weather will require special treatment in terms of lubrication.

How Often Should I Lube My Electric Bike Chain in rainy weather?

Riding a bike in rainy weather requires special care for some parts, the first of which is the chain. As a general rule, if you ride your bike in rainy weather and there is always mud, you should lubricate the chain at least once a week.

How Often Should I Lube My Electric Bike Chain if I were riding Off roads a lot?

Riding an electric bike off-road is a favorite thing for many electric bike riders, but with this fun, it requires taking care of the electric bike chain, whether it is from hygiene or from lubrication.

Based on my personal experience, the best time to lubricate the electric bike chain when driving in rough terrain is at least once every two weeks.

as we now know the recommended times to lubricate an electric bike chain, let’s ask the next question: How do I know it’s time to lubricate the chain?

How do you know that you should lubricate the electric bike chain?

You can know that you have to lubricate the electric bike chain when you hear an abnormal sound coming out of the chain, and if this happens, you have to wash it and then lubricate it.

What is the recommended amount of lubricant you should use?

Lubrication is very important for an electric bike chain but more important than lubrication is the amount of grease used. As a general rule, it is recommended to put a small amount of grease or a small drop on each part of the chain.

What would happen if you put too much lube on an electric bike?

If you put a lot of lube it will build up and stick to dirt and it will be that form of a black grinding paste that will wear away your ebike chain and will help to decrease the life span of your ebike chain.

How to choose the correct lubricant for your riding conditions?

Choosing the right type of lubricant for the weather you are riding your bike in is very important in order to maintain the life span of your electric bike chain.

In general, there are three types of lubrication. I will explain to you when to use each type according to the climatic conditions in which you are riding your bike.

1- Wel Lubricant

This type of lubricant is used in rainy weather because it is thicker than other types and sticks to the chain more in order to be an insulating layer on the chain to protect it from rain.

Note: If you use this type in dry weather, it will bring all the dirt and dust on the chain which will affect your ebike performance & chain life span, so you should choose the appropriate type.

2- Dry Lubricant

This type of lubricant is liquid, but it evaporates after applying it to the chain to leave it dry. It is less thick than the previous type, and its name is suitable for dry cycling.

If you use the dry lubricant in a wet condition it will be washed from the chain & will not be helpful for you at all.

3- All-Weather Lubricant

This type of lubricant is a middle type between the two previous types and it is suitable when riding an electric bike in good weather. I personally use this type constantly in the spring.

How to lubricant your ebike chain?

In this part, I will share with you the steps that you should take in order to lubricate the electric bike chain in the best way.

First, what should you do before lubricating?

1- Cover your desk brakes & other ebike parts.
2-Use degreaser on the chain to get rid of any dirt stuck on the chain.
3-Use brush to clean the chain & the cassette.
leave it for about 10 min

Second, How to apply the lubricant?

1- Put your ebike on a stand and start to add the lubricant on the down part of the chain

2-Revers the chain so all the lubricant drops stay inside the chain.

3-If you don’t have an ebike stand and you cant reverse the chain backward you can insert the Allen key in the chainring and by this you will be able to reverse the chain.

4- if you were using a dry lubricant give it at least 5 min to evaporate then you can ride your ebike normally.

Useful resources

Is It Safe To Ride Ebike With A Rusty Chain? (Explained) this post explains the chain parts & how to get rid of the rust on ebike chain.

Do E-Bikes Need Special Chains? this post shows why you need ebike special chains & the different between chains speeds

Conclusion

As a general rule, you should lubricant your ebike chain once every month if you were riding in normal weather conditions, however, if you were riding in rainy weather you should lubricant the chain once per week and if you were riding off-road a lot it’s recommended to lubricant the chain once every two weeks.

On other hand, you will know that your chain needs lubricant if you hear this squeezy noise coming out from the chain.