9 Ways to Avoid Flats on an eBike

[Admin]

Hi guys! I'm moving some content off of the main site and into the most relevant categories of the forum. This post was originally made on September 22nd 2012:

I spoke with a rep from Slime at Interbike this year about some of their new products and got some great tips for avoiding flat tires. Anyone who rides regularly knows it’s only a matter of time before you hit a nail or piece of glass and wind up walking your bike home. Since ebikes are so heavy, this becomes an especially hard burden. Here are a few tips to keep your bike rolling with full tires.

1. Keep your tires inflated to the correct pressure, don’t let them get low. When your tires get low they are much more susceptible to pinch flats which happen when the tube gets pinched between the bicycle rim and tire.
2. Avoid debris on the side of the road, keep an eye out for shiny stuff which is usually glass, nails or other sharp objects.
3. Use a light when riding at night or dusk, this will illuminate any shiny objects and help you steer clear.
4. Knock off any thorns or debris that do get stuck to your tire. Many times a thorn or tack will get stuck to your tire at first and then puncture the tube after many repetitions of being driven in. If you do make the mistake of going through a patch of stickies, you can save your tires by quickly checking them.
5. Consider walking your bike over areas that may present flat hazards but also watch out for your feet, stepping on a nail is worse than riding over one.
6. Examine your tires regularly and especially after long rides. If you do end up with a flat or a damaged tire, it’s going to be much easier to repair at home than it would be on the trail.
7. Consider adding tire liners between your tube and tire wall. Some cyclists use old tires strips as liners but you can also buy custom-made liners like those from Slime which are lighter, harder and easier to install.
8. Consider a tire upgrade, these days there are many options including Kevlar-lined tires that will keep your tubes safe. Some bikes even come stock with them or offer an upgrade at time of purchase.
9. Put some Slime in your tubes! Most people have seen this green liquid substance at the bike shop before. You squirt some into your tube and it stays liquid for years as you ride around. If you get a puncture the slime pulp (which contains chunks of rubber made from recycled tires) plugs the leak in time for you to add more air or replace the tube.

If you’ve got more great tips for how to avoid flats on an electric bike please share them in the comments below. Remember to ride safe, always pack an extra tube and bike-specific tools in case you need to repair a flat on the road.

 

[Admin]

Following are some of the original comments that were made on that post:

PETER
2 years ago
Court, old-school tyre wipers are an inexpensive and effective device for preventing flats.

COURT
Wow, That’s amazing Peter! I’ve never seen or heard of that tool before… though it makes sense. I’m guessing that many times when encountering thorns and other sharp debris the initial poke just grabs on and is slowly worked into the tire with each subsequent rotation. A tire wiper like you mentioned above could knock it clear and reduce the potential for a deep poke. Brilliant! I wonder if they are still being sold for modern bicycles? I did a quick search at Amazon and didn’t see any (or maybe I didn’t use the correct terms). I would expect some drag being produced by this device and possibly noise but with the added power of an ebike it wouldn’t be such a big deal

PETER
Court, the wipers are set to clear the tyre by about 1mm or 1/32″. As you say, if they do rub on the tyre, the drag is minimal. I get them on eBay. You Can also try this shop.
Best regards,
Peter

COURT
Thanks Peter! It looks like they’re pretty affordable… $10 to $20 and in your experience they work pretty well? I guess if a sticker takes hold on the first rotation but hasn’t been driven in, this device will sheer it off or push it out so the thorn won’t dig in all the way to the inner tube?

FRANK
Purchased a brand new emotion evo bike. A week later, I took it to a bike shop closer to home to have Slime added to tires. Seven hours later, the front tire EXPLODED in my room! Could there be a connection with the explosion and the added Slime?

COURT
Hmm… So the inner tube exploded or the actual tire exploded? I’m not an expert on this stuff but perhaps the tire was filled to maximum PSI at the shop in the morning when it was cool outside and then when you got home and the sun came out and the ambient temperature rose the air molecules inside your tire sped up and expanded which caused the “explosion”. Please describe exactly what happened, like was there a tear in the tire, did it bang or pop and did Slime go everywhere? This is an interesting situation… though unfortunate

FRANK
Only the inner tube “exploded”. Sounded more like a pop. The tire was unaffected. Live in mild Northen California. Slime was filled at 3pm. Brought it into my room at 8pm. Ambient room temp. was 75 degrees. At 10pm, the inner tube popped, sending Slime everywhere.

PAUL
Hi Court, You mentioned in the article about Kevlar-lined tires. Is there a link or info where I can find out pros and cons of such tires? The merits of such tires versus normal or slimed tires?

COURT
Hi Paul, this would be a great question to pose in the EBR forums accessories section here where other ebike riders hang out… because the added weight of most of these bikes might make the Slimed tubes or Kevlar lined tires behave differently. I do not have a general resource for such a pros/cons list but there are some smart people with lots of experience in the forms (use @Ann M and @Chris Nolte to ping them). I hope this leads to some more insights!