Fat biking tips and tricks

With this new E-bike boom, there has been a lot of new E-bike riders. And there are some common mistakes that people make when they first get an E-bike or they first ride their E-bike. This week, we put forward some tips to help people address them. Riding an E-bike can be a super fun endeavor.

Prepare for the ride.

You want to go places that you might not have seen before, but rides are not all that easy. You should ride in good weather. Are electric bikes waterproof? The short answer is no! Electric bikes are water-resistant. The bikes will not catastrophically fail if the bike catches some splashes of water. However, the amount of water the bike can withstand differs from models and brands. So, you had better ride it in good weather, and pack some rain gear just in case. Before riding to some places, do research online or ask park manager tips if you are riding in a specific park. Remember to choose trails that are suited to your level.

Proper Clothing is also one of the important parts of preparation for the ride. Cycling jersey, cycling shorts...You don't need to look like a cyclist if you want to go riding. There are loads of different clothing options out there. But there is one thing to mention. Tight clothes make you faster!

Before beginning your ride, be nice and share the trail with other riders! There will be others on the path too, make way for others so that everyone can join the fun. Do some research if you want to find a place where you can bike alone. National parks are very popular, and some can have a lot of people riding.

Riding

The tire on your E-bike is the first point of contact between you and the ground, and getting that pressure right is definitely essential. It's going to affect comfort and your grip. Fat bikes typically have a tire pressure of 8-10 PSI. In difficult terrain, you want low PSI this is the advantage of the Fat tires. Snow needs low PSI, even down to 8-10 PSI. Sand is the same, but it matters a lot on both surfaces if snow/sand is loose, for example, you are riding on a more solid surface like on the shoreline where the sand is wet.

When you are riding your electric bike, lean in when you turn. Both on snow and sand, you should actually lean in when you turn. Practice at an easy and safe place first. Snowy or sandy downslopes take some time to master, so practice on a level area first.

Stay safe

You need to stay protected with E-bike safety gear. Even for the most experienced E-biker, some situations are completely out of your hands for whatever reason. There are certain body parts that aren't meant for that kind of impact. The most susceptible of which is your brain. When you hit your head, your brain is traveling at the same speed as your skull. The only way it can stop is to hit the insides of your skull. Once your head stops, it tends to rebound in the opposite direction. Again, your brain will travel in that opposite direction until it hits the opposite side of your skull. You can do something simple to minimize the risks of most of this happening at all. WEAR A HELMET.

Helmets can prevent abrasions, contusions, concussions, hemorrhages, and penetrating injuries. The outer shell of most helmets is usually made of fiberglass, Kevlar, or polycarbonate plastic. Below that, there is usually a layer made of expanded polystyrene foam. The innermost layer is usually made of cushion fabric.

After the ride

Sadly, riding has to come to an end at some point, but the work doesn't stop when that power switch is turned off. There is plenty to be doing as soon as you get back home.

Firstly, you have to wash your bike depending on where you have been riding and the type of conditions you have been riding in. Remember that after riding on the sand for example the dry sand dust is bad for your bike too even though it’s harder to spot.

Generally, you can simply get away with using a microfiber cloth for dry, dusty rides to wipe the dust away from your bike. No water is needed. For anything more than a light dust covering, a waterless wash can be ideal. And for those rides where you are absolutely caked in mud, it is time to get the bike properly cleaned. Some brushes and the power washer or a hose pipe will make it super easy to get all that mud off. Just remember to use your head when using water around the motor, the battery, and your control unit. If you use water to wash your bike, it is really important to dry your bike. If you don't dry it, water is going to creep into those electrical components, and some of that steel stuff will rust as well, particularly your chain and possibly the battery terminals too. So, it's essential to get in there to dry off.

To dry the bike after washing, you can bounce it up and down on the wheels. To drive off that excess moisture. Then you can use a microfiber cloth all over the frame to make sure every bit of water has been removed from that bike and in the areas that you can't see. You can use a water displacement spray that is good at getting to those nooks and crannies and all those electrical connections and driving that water out. It also proves a protective layer on there, as well as it's going to protect you from that water that comes in the next time. Simply going to run off rather than affecting your e-bike. After cleaning remember to lubricate the bike again, you can refer to our earlier maintaining guide for E-bikes.

Have fun on the Trail! - Dirwin