Can you lay an electric bike on its side? (How To Transport E-Bikes)

Can You Lay An Electric Bike On its Side?

Can you lay an electric bike on its side, being new to E-Bikes strikes up a lot of questions, and one of them is, can an E-bike be laid down on its side?

In this article, we will dive into this question more.

Table Of Content

• What is the best way to transport electric bikes?
• How does the Bike rack Function?
• Transporting E-bikes in the rain
• When buying a waterproof bike cover, some things to look for

E-bikes are pretty similar to a regular bike, they just have a few different parts and every brand is different from what they offer, E-bikes can lay on their sides, but with exceptions.

Sense Electrical bikes have motorized components the last thing you want is for something to get damaged in transport. This is why laying them on their sides may not be the best option.

If you are still in research mode and haven’t purchased an E-Bike yet, then maybe consider a folding E-Bike frame, those E-bikes collapse into a pretty small manageable cargo.

A Folding Frame electric bike can normally fit in the backseat of a regular 4-door sedan.

For those of you that do need to lay the E_bikes on their sides, just be sure to fasten the bike down well before driving to your destination.

You don’t want to damage the bike’s motor or braking system, if the E-Bike slides too much or hits the side of the door, it can bust the throttle or knock the braking system out of place.

Be sure to use rope or bungee cords to secure the E-Bike down.

What is the Best way to transport electric bikes?

It’s best to transport the E-Bikes the proper way and this is done by using bike racks or securing them properly in the back of a truck or van.

Everyone has different size cars SUVs etc, so not every bike race or securing method will be the same, so how can you know what type of bike rack to use for an E-Bike

Some people can carry E-bikes on the roof, others can attach a bike rack to their trailer hitch port, and some can use straps and attach them to a trunk.

Below we will cover some best bike rack options

There is no shortage of E-bike racks for cars a Google search, type that term into the search bar and you’ll be smacked with page after page.

But some things to consider for buying the perfect bike rack for your E-Bike would be, what type of bike do you own, what does it weigh? Did you get a fat tire E-bike can a rack secure the bigger tires and much more…

First, consider the weight of your E-Bike

Most Electrical Bikes weight 60 Lbs or more, this is pretty typical so you’ll want to make sure you find a rack that can support that weight or more.

Make sure to look for Minimum weight and max weight capacity when buying a bike rack.

Max weight will be the total limit that the bike rack can handle before it fails.

Minimum weight means this is where the weight starts for that particular bike rack

How does the Bike rack Function?

Try and find videos on the bike rack you want to buy, make sure the gate isn’t super heavy or hard to open and try to find one that is made out of light metal and won’t rust when left in the weather.

Another thing to consider is having a bike rack that allows for a padlock or bike lock to secure the gate shut so that when you stop for lunch people can’t steal your bikes.

some Racks come with ramps so if you don’t want to lift your bike up you can easily push it up a ramp and secure it in place.

Below is a list of some of the best E-Bike racks.

Best way to secure E-Bike into a truck bed

There are many solutions for securing bikes in truck bends, there are easy-to-install truck bed bike racks that simply screw into the bed liner.

The most common would be a bike rack that can be screwed into the bed liner with plastic screws so no damage is done, this is also removable.

The bike rack will allow you to easily lock the front tires of the bikes and keep them from rolling around, sense e-bikes are pretty heavy and well balanced they won’t move too much.

Can you lay an electric bike on its side in a truck bed? Not the best idea again, the less the bike slides and the electrical parts get banged around the better for the bike.

The one thing that you’ll want to invest in to carry e-bikes in the trunk bed is bike ramps because most e-bikes weigh over 50 LBS using a ramp will save the back muscles.

Transporting E-bikes in the rain

Concerned about an electrical bike getting wet while driving to the trail or while traveling?

Most E-Bikes were designed to be waterproof or water-resistant, so some bad weather rain or snow even is not going to affect the e-bike’s performance or battery components

Does this mean that E-Bikes can be left outside in rainy weather?

No e-bikes should not be purposely left outside to be soaked all the time, they should be kept in storage or indoors when not in use or not transported them.

Some way to keep the E-bike dry during transport is to buy a rain-resistant cover to slip over the bike, this way everything stays dry when you are ready to ride.

Using a bike cover keeps the seat dry, your pedals less slippery, and really ensures that the Electrical parts of the bike stay protected.

When buying a waterproof bike cover, some things to look for

1. make sure it fits tightly
   2. don’t go super cheap
2. make sure it has no holes for water to seep in
   4. make sure it’s easily foldable and can pack away in a bag
   5. what type of fabric is it and will it mildew
3. does it have straps to help tie down when transporting on a bike rack

use these steps to keep your e-bike perfectly dry and you’ll have a good time on the trails rain or shine.

To recap can you lay an electric bike on its side? yes and no, we covered a better alternative to transporting e-bikes without having to lie them on their sides.

Purchase a bike rack for the best way to protect the E bikes from any damage.