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I'm currently trying to find a bicycle brand that produces electrical bicycle with ip68/ip67 waterproof. Currently I could find any, google is not helping with my search and when I find something there is no information about to what degree the bicycle is waterproof.

So my question to the community, is if there exists electrical bicycles with a good waterproof protection that would allow me to commute to work in heavy rain conditions?

Best,

Jose Rocha
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    I would assume that a heavy rain is always counted as a possibility in e-bikes and must be accounted for. – Vladimir F Героям слава Sep 09 '20 at 21:08
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    It sounds like you're asking for a bike which works under water. – Daniel R Hicks Sep 09 '20 at 21:21
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    Note that those ratings are for crazy amounts of water: IPX3 is sprayed water at a rate of 10mm per minute; that's 0.6m/h! If you ever encounter a rain like that in the real world, whether or not your bike is adequately waterproof will not be a primary concern. – DavidW Sep 09 '20 at 21:51
  • I rode through heavy rain today, my shoes are overflowing with water even inside overshoes. But my lights and gopro work fine and did not leak. Any ebike should survive rain fine, just don't ford any rivers deeper than your bottom bracket. – Criggie Sep 09 '20 at 23:03
  • A non-waterproof ebike would be a terrible safety hazard. That’s a lot of voltage. Don’t go swimming with one though, that’s not a smart idea. – MaplePanda Sep 10 '20 at 04:31
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    @Criggie honestly on the ones I've serviced, I'd say don't ford anything much deeper than the bottom rims, say 80mm. While the main electronics and battery are sealed better, there are often junction boxes down low that don't seal so well (even under the BB on one), and high current ones at that. If the wheels are less than standard size, BB-deep could be hub-deep, and I doubt hub motors are meant for immersion. But fording is hard enough without all that unsprung mass, as the surface is often poor – Chris H Sep 10 '20 at 06:39
  • @DavidW one may easily exceed that locally with a garden hose. – gschenk Sep 10 '20 at 22:33

1 Answers1

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None of the name brand e-Bike motor manufacturers makes a motor intended for use in a bicycle that is also rated for continuous immersion in water. (IP67 is a rating that it works when completely underwater, not that it is rain resistant....)

Some manufacturers do claim an IP65/6 splash resistance rating, particularly for hub motors.

Mid-drive motors are a little trickier since they are just a component that gets integrated into a frame by the builder and the manufacturer doesn't necessarily control the final product you get. None of the three big brand names in pedelec mid-drives claim a specific IP rating for just the motor unit. However, they have certainly all proven fine to ride in the rain in practical experience! (Best to not leave parked outside in the rain with water pooling on components though.)

Affe
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