Edmonton winters, in numbers
From Environment Canada's 1991–2020 climate normals:
- Cold: at the Edmonton (City) station, January averages −10.3 °C, only 10.3 January days reach a high above 0 °C, and 23.8 days a year have a low below −20 °C.
- Snow cover: the Edmonton airport station records 126.7 cm of snowfall a year and 145.1 days with at least 1 cm of snow on the ground.
- Frost-free season: 141 days at the city station, from May 7 to September 25.
Health Canada advises bringing lithium-ion batteries to room temperature before use and not charging them in below-zero temperatures, so a pack you can remove and carry inside is worth having. The Velotric Nomad 2 has a removable 706 Wh battery, 26 x 4.0 in Kenda puncture-resistant fat tires, a 100 mm RST hydraulic fork and a step-thru or high-step frame.
The river valley
City-wide, Edmonton counts over 160 km of shared pathways and shared trails. In the river valley, paved trails are 2.5 to 3 m wide asphalt and the rest are granular, with rough gravel; the City's trail maps show trail slope or grade. The 100 Street Funicular links downtown with the river valley, carrying bikes from the top of the bank down to the promenade, and the stairs beside it have a bike rail.
What gets cleared in winter
Each active pathway has a priority: Priority 1 is cleared within 24 hours, Priority 2 within 3 days and Priority 3 within 14 days. The Priority 1 pathways form the City's Winter Priority Loop, with 3 bridges, river valley trails and a staircase. Gravel trails stay in their natural state all winter.
Bikes for gravel, snow and the valley climbs
The Maple Leaf, from National Defence, lists snow and loose gravel among the surfaces where fat tires offer excellent traction. The Himiway D5 2.0 ST pairs 26 x 4.0 in Maxxis Minion FBF/FBR fat tires with an RST Guide-26 fork (100 mm), a 130 mm rear spring shock, a torque sensor and a step-through frame. The Taubik Westridge 4T Off Road runs 26 x 4.8 in Maxxis Minion fat tires, with a 960 Wh battery. Compare full-suspension e-bikes or step-through e-bikes.
Delivery to Edmonton
Shipping is free across Canada. Once your order is confirmed, processing takes 1–3 business days and transit 2–7 business days, depending on where you are located. Each package is insured and must be signed for. We sell online only, so there's no pickup: we deliver to your address or to a local bike shop you choose for assembly. See our Alberta e-bike rules, or browse all our e-bikes. Other Alberta city pages: Red Deer and Calgary.
Questions
Do you ship e-bikes to Edmonton?
Yes, and shipping is free, to Edmonton and everywhere else we ship in Canada. We deliver to your home or to a local bike shop you choose and book for assembly. Every package is insured and someone has to sign for it. We don't ship to P.O. boxes.
How fast is delivery to Edmonton?
Plan on 1–3 business days for us to process the order, then 2–7 business days in transit depending on where you are located. You get an email with a tracking number once it has been processed. Tracking can sit without a new scan for up to 5 days on a long cross-country trip; that is normal.
Is there an Edmonton showroom?
No. We sell online only, so there's no showroom, no test ride and no pickup in Edmonton. Use the specs on our product pages to compare bikes: battery size, tires, suspension and gears. If you'd like a mechanic involved from day one, have the bike shipped to a bike shop you choose for assembly.
Which e-bike handles an Edmonton winter?
Look for fat tires and a battery you can bring indoors. Edmonton's airport station averages 145.1 days a year with snow on the ground (Environment Canada, 1991–2020), and Health Canada says not to charge lithium-ion batteries in below-zero temperatures. The Velotric Nomad 2 has 26 x 4.0 in fat tires and a removable 706 Wh battery.
Are Edmonton's river valley trails cleared in winter?
Some of them. The City clears its Winter Priority Loop, with 3 bridges, river valley trails and a staircase, within 24 hours. Other paved river valley trails are cleared within 72 hours of a snowfall, once 2.5 cm has built up, and gravel trails are kept in their natural state during winter.