Electric bikes in an Almaty winter: battery, storage and tyres

Winter riding needs a suitable route and a prepared bike. Cold reduces the energy available from the battery, while snow and ice change grip. Ask the workshop about winter preparation, studded tyres and whether a track kit is compatible with your bike.

The battery in the cold

Winter range alone does not measure battery wear: temperature, snow and load all affect it. If range remains lower after warming up under comparable conditions, arrange diagnostics. It is not accurate to promise that every loss will disappear in spring.

Before the cold sets in, the battery is worth a look anyway: we check cell balance, voltage sag under load and residual capacity. For the full picture of how packs age and get repaired, read Sur-Ron battery: rebuild or replace.

Charging and storage

Do not charge a frozen battery. The 2025 Light Bee X manual does not allow charging below a battery temperature of 0 °C. Let it warm up, check that connectors are dry and use a compatible charger. Check the manual for other models.

For long-term storage, follow your battery manual for temperature, charge level and inspection intervals. Do not leave it fully discharged until spring. If the battery is damaged, do not charge it; arrange inspection and transport with the workshop first.

Tyres for snow and ice

The mud tread that pulled so well on dirt in summer works poorly on packed snow and ice. For winter, the tyres section carries studded tyres in 70/100-19, 80/100-19, 80/100-21, 100/90-18 and 90/100-16. Not every wheel has a studded option, though, so check your size first: how to find it, and why front and rear usually differ, is explained in Which tyres fit your bike.

For deep snow there is a further step: a snow track kit. Winter preparation and track kit installation are done by our workshop: we choose a kit for your machine, fit it and set it up.

A studded tyre for a full-size enduro front wheel

What to do at the workshop before the frost

Winter prep is not only about tyres. Under our maintenance schedule, chain tension and lubrication are checked every fifteen hours of riding, and before the season it is worth doing with fresh lube that will not turn to clay in the cold. Once a season we inspect the linkage, steering head and wheel bearings - play feels sharper in winter. Connectors are a separate winter topic: water and wet snow in the contacts cause faults that never show in summer, so contact cleaning comes with the preparation.

If you have no way to bring the bike in, we can pick it up from home and return it serviced. Book through the service page; the address and opening hours are on the contacts page.

Common questions

How much range do I lose in winter? There is no universal percentage: temperature, snow, route and load matter. Compare range under similar conditions. If it remains noticeably lower after warming up and normal charging, contact the workshop.

Can I charge the battery in the cold? Let a frozen battery warm to the temperature allowed by its manufacturer first. See the charging section above. BMS protection does not replace following those instructions.

Do you fit snow tracks on electric bikes? Yes. Winter preparation and snow track kit installation are on our workshop's list of services. Tell us which bike you have, and we will pick a kit and name the cost of the work before we start, not after.

Can I ride through winter on regular tyres? In loose snow an off-road tread still works; on ice and packed crust it does not. For winter the catalogue lists studded tyres in the common Sur-Ron and Arctic Leopard sizes, and how to find your size is covered in the tyre size article.

Is an electric bike afraid of snow and water? The power unit is sealed, but pressure washing and river crossings do no favours to the connectors and insulation, and in winter frost joins the water. So after winter rides the bike is worth drying out somewhere warm, and the contacts are worth showing to us at the workshop from time to time.