Electric Bike Safety: Pre-Ride Checklist
Fortunately, there’s a lot of overlap between Schwinn e-bikes and analog (or normal) bike safety checks. That being said, there are a few extra things to consider for electric bikes, so buckle up for our checklist! While you can’t predict everything that will happen on a bike ride, checking over your e-bike before you leave better ensures that you won’t run into any surprises. This way, you can run into a potential issue in your garage instead of 10 miles into a ride. Whew!
On This Page
Electric Bike Safety Pre-Ride Guide
1. Plan your ride.
Before embarking on a safety checklist, it’s good to map out your plan. Don’t worry — you don’t need to have a specific destination in mind, but here are a few questions to ask yourself:
Other than wearing a helmet, planning ahead is perhaps the most important safety measure of them all. If you know you’ll be coming back around sunset, you know you’ll need to check your lights. If it might rain later, packing a rain jacket is a good idea. If you might be out for several hours, grabbing some snacks and water is crucial — not the case if you’re just biking down the road and back.
Use these questions to determine what you need to take with you, as well as what else you need to check on your pre-ride e-bike safety list.
2. All Bikes: Check the Basics
Checking your tires, brakes, lights, and helmet should happen regardless of whether you’re riding an e-bike or an analog. We carry a variety of parts, tools, and other accessories to help you make quick repairs before your ride. And don’t forget about our helmets and extra lighting options so that you can enjoy your ride while staying safe.
3. E-Bikes: Check your Battery and Display
Turn on your display with the power button. Check the display, or on the battery itself to see how charged your e-bike battery is. As a reminder, you do not need the battery to ride your electric bike, but you can’t use pedal assist without it. It’s also a good idea to check back in with your battery after you finish riding and charge it as necessary.
Next, you can make sure your display is working. If you see SERVICE pop up, that means there is a maintenance issue. Consult your owner’s manual about any display issues and troubleshoot before riding.
FAQs
What should I do if I encounter a problem during my pre-ride safety check?
Whenever you can, you’ll want to deal with the problem as soon as possible. There are certain things that must be taken care of before riding, such as if your brakes aren’t working or your chain popped off.
In other instances, fixing might be able to wait. If you’re just biking to a nearby store in the middle of a sunny day and you won’t encounter much traffic, you probably can get by without your lights. Planning your ride will help you prioritize what fixes, if any, are top priority.
Do I need to check my e-bike battery and display if I don’t plan on using it?
It’s still a good idea to check your e-bike battery and display. If you don’t check it this time because you know you’re not going to use it, make sure to check it next time as part of regular bike maintenance.
How can I do a pre-ride e-bike safety check as quickly as possible?
You never want to skimp on safety precautions, but there are two things you can do to make your pre-ride safety check more efficient:
To sum it all up…
Pre-ride e-bike safety checks help ensure that every ride is set up for success. By doing pre-ride checks and following a bike maintenance timeline throughout the year, you’ll rarely run into any maintenance surprises. Happy riding!
Power your next adventure with an electric bike from Schwinn!
