Is It Safe To Ride Ebike With A Rusty Chain? (Explained)


The chain is one of the most important parts of your ebike it handles all the pressure coming from your body and other elements so maintaining it constantly is very important too!

As you have searched for is it safe to ride your ebike with a rusty chain? you most probably have some rust on your chain & searching for the answer.

Let me give you the direct answer first then we will go through how to maintain your chain to avoid rust?

and also the most common mistake bikers do while maintaining their ebikes chains.

As a general rule riding your ebike with a rusty chain is not safe because the rust on the outer plates of the chain will hinder the movement of the inner rollers of the chain, which leads to impeding or reducing movement and also may cause cutting the chain while riding which is completely unsafe.

In order to avoid such a scenario, you need to know how to maintain the chain and treat it probably

To start let’s first have brief information about the chain component what they do.

 What Are the components of the ebike chain?

 

 

As a general rule Ebike chain has four components which are the Outer plates, Inner links, Pins & rollers.

Outer plates: Responsible to hold the internal parts of the chain components usually has a chamfered edges to allow them to move silently up & down.

Inner Link: Responsible for holding the rollers.

Pins: Responsible for joining the outer plates with the inner links

Rollers: responsible for going around the Pins.

Electric Bike Trick: if you closely look at the Rollers you will find it rotate slightly. This will give you the space to add the lubricant.

So the correct place to add the lubricant is the space between the body of the roller & the inner link of your chain.

 

 

After we knew the ebike chain component let’s have some ebike tricks to remove the rust from your ebike chain.

How to Remove Rust from Ebike Chain.

 

 

Here I will share some ways to remove rust from the chain, but in my opinion, these methods are suitable if you have a small amount of rust on the chain, but if there is large rust on the chain, I do not advise reusing it.

So, you should think about buying a new chain, especially it’s relatively cheap.

1.Use Rust Remover.

For this method, you will need a small bowl, an old toothbrush, a glove, and of course a rust remover.

Remove the chain and put it in the bowl, then cover it with rust remover and soak for 24 hours.

After that, use the toothbrush to remove any remaining traces of rust, then wash it with water and dry it well, then put the lubricant and leave it for 10 minutes, then ride it on the bike.

2.Use white Vinger

For this method, you will need white vinegar – some aluminum foil – and a small bowl.

Put some vinegar in the bowl and then using aluminum foil (make sure you use it from the shiny part) wipe the rust from the rusty part of the chain. This method works perfectly if there is small rust on your ebike chain.

One advantage of this method is that it does not take long time.

3.Use Pepsi Or Cocacolla

You can replace white vinegar with soft drinks, as it works the same as white vinegar in removing rust

Tricks to avoid rust on your Chain.

 

1.Using lubricant

The first and the obvious advice is to always lubricant your chain at least once every week.

(I had published a post for how to use  lubricant after washing ebike Check it Here)

the main types of lubricants are dry or wet

Wet Ebike Lubricant: It is a thick liquid that aims to stay inside the chain. It’s water repellent so you shouldn’t use it in dry conditions cause it will attract dirt.

Dry ebike Lubricant: it a carrier that evaporates the lubricating particles into the chain & they soak with it. then after all the particles evaporate the chain become dry & this makes it perfect for dry conditions

Lubricating Trick: Always start to add the lubricant to the bottom side of the chain as the bottom side is the side that does the transmission then leave it at least 10 Mints.

2.Always Keep your Ebike Dry

if you were riding your ebike & on a wet place then you shouldn’t go to sleep before washing and drying your ebike cause if you leave it overnight with this wet dirt you will end up with rust on your bike.

The reason for this is the water increase the process of oxidization which we call rust.

So to have your ebike rust free always keep it dry & clean.

3.Avoid Riding In Rainy Weather

Riding an electric bike in rainy weather can form small layers of rust, especially if you do not wash the bike after riding.

The electric bike parts are water resistance, not waterproof, so less cycling in the rain is a good thing.

4.Cover your ebike.

If you live in an area close to the ocean or the sea, you most likely suffer from a rust problem on your bike.

This is because the high humidity and water vapor contribute to the formation of rust, so it is better to cover your bike well or at least cover the chain.

One of the tricks that you can do if you live in a humid area is to park the bike indoors because parking the bike in the garage will expose it to air and moisture and it will form rust in the long run.

 

5.Inspect the internal parts of your ebike.

The rust can move from one part of the bike to another, so it might be a good idea to take your ebike to an electric bike shop at least once a year to disassemble the bike, check the interior, and lubricate if necessary.

Remember: you probably won’t be able to change a bike every year, so always make sure your bike is in good condition because it will live with you for a long time.

Conclusion:

It’s Not safe to use your ebike chain when it is rusty as it may cause an accident if the chain broke during your riding.

If you have a small amount of rust you can remove it using rust remover or white vinegar or any soft drink.

to avoid your ebike chain getting rusty you should always lubricant your bike chain, keep it dry, avoid riding too much in rainy weather

Also,

cover your bike if you living in a place near the ocean and park it inside your home if possible. it’s a good idea to inspect your bike’s internal parts.

Finally,

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