Dealing with rear wheel tire punctures

[JMuir]

I have SCHWALBE Marathon Plus HS 440 Wire Tires sized 700 x 45mm for my Crosscurrent S. I'm still worried I will get a puncture and it seems like such a pain to remove the rear wheel. I heard of Gaadi Tubes that are designed to put directly on the wheel without taking the wheel off. But I can't find the right size. The largest one they have is 700 x 42mm. Does anyone use Gaadi Tubes for my sized tires? Are there any other tube/method that allows the tube to be installed without taking off the wheel with 700 x 45 mm tires?

 

[Nova Haibike]

I have never seen Gaadi tubes; clever. I have worked on bicycles for 40 years, and have installed thousands of tubes. Generally, it is okay to use to use a slightly smaller tube size...it will just need to expand a bit more inside the tire. That said, Gaadi tubes may be less tolerant to that? I do not know. But the size you need is available here: https://www.bikeinn.com/bike/mitas-...VwmSGCh23rgJKEAkYASABEgKlEfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Chris Hammond]

Carry a patch kit as well on your bike. You can take the tire off one side of the wheel with the wheel on the bike. Take the tube out of the wheel, (yes it is still trapped in the rear triangle), find hole and patch the tube, and reassemble. A Gaadi tube will also obviously work, its just a far more expensive option, but in the event of a unrepairable tube it will certainly get you home.

 

[Teebok]

How about using slime tube sealant.

 

[rich c]

Carry a patch kit as well on your bike. You can take the tire off one side of the wheel with the wheel on the bike. Take the tube out of the wheel, (yes it is still trapped in the rear triangle), find hole and patch the tube, and reassemble. A Gaadi tube will also obviously work, its just a far more expensive option, but in the event of a unrepairable tube it will certainly get you home.

That's a fine technique if you don't have to find and dig something out of the tire. That starts to make it easier to take off the wheel. Of course if you buy a mid drive bike, no issues with taking the back wheel off!

 

[hurricane56]

If you ride your bike enough, flats are a going to happen. When riding the same route over and over, you eventually figure out where all the sharp objects collect and learn to avoid them.

I’m running tire liners, thick tubes, and stans sealant and still manage to get punctures. Sealant can work but it only seems to work on punctures that are round and symmetrical. It sealed a roofing nail that dug straight in. Of course there’s always those monster of nails that will rip open a tube that are unavoidable.

For juiced bikes bring tools. Bring a patch kit, extra tube, small crescent wrench, and cutters for zip ties. C02 and an inflator doesn’t hurt either.

 

[Ant]

I have never seen Gaadi tubes; clever. I have worked on bicycles for 40 years, and have installed thousands of tubes. Generally, it is okay to use to use a slightly smaller tube size...it will just need to expand a bit more inside the tire. That said, Gaadi tubes may be less tolerant to that? I do not know. But the size you need is available here: https://www.bikeinn.com/bike/mitas-...VwmSGCh23rgJKEAkYASABEgKlEfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thank you, Nova, for that website. I haven't come across it before. I used a Gaadi tube that was one size down as I couldn't find the extact size. Tube lasted a 200 or so miles before one end split. Have got a regular tube in now, but will try another Gaadi tube at the correct size! Still, was good practice for fixing a flat tyre anyway.

 

[Nova Haibike]

I personally do not like Slime, because when it does not work, the Slime gets all over everything making a mess. I recommend to people to carry both a spare tube and patch kit. Getting a flat is no fun, so I like to be back on the road ASAP. I prefer not dealing with patching; the patch kit is for the very unlucky second flat. I am also a fan of CO2 inflators. Yeah, I suppose they are less environmentally friendly, but again, I want to be riding, not huffing and puffing stroking a tiny pump a couple of hundred times. Some pro tips: carry the spare tube in a Ziploc bag and sprinkle some baby powder or corn starch in it. It makes installing the tube easier. Inflate the tube a bit to give it some shape, again to make it easier to install. Check the tire for embedded debris, both visually and by carefully running your fingers along the inside of the casing. Carry a small pocketknife; sometimes you need the tip of a blade to dig out a small thorn, bit of wire, etc. Make sure the rim strip or tape is fully intact and covering all the spoke heads or rim drillings. Lastly, a great number of flats can be prevented just by keeping the proper amount of pressure in the tires. A very high percentage of flats are due to under-inflation, so check the pressure often.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Pretty hard to beat the Gaadi tube especially if you are covering any distances and find yourself flat a long way from ready assistance. They’re little more expensive, but if you can afford an ebike in the first place, you can probably afford one of these along with a regular spare tube in the event that the puncture is obvious and can’t be repaired as noted above by leaving the wheel on and just dismounting the tube to one side.

Make sure you have good knife in your bag to cut the old tube in half when it’s time for the Gaadi, though.

I finally got tired enough of dealing with rear wheel issues that I went to mid drive.

 

[hurricane56]

Btw, top tips:

Check all of your new tubes for punctures and also re-check tubes that have been in saddle bags and panniers regularly. I had a friend get a flat only to realize that the new out of box spare tube was already punctured.

Also, if you plan to run tire liners use scissors to round off any sharp edges. Ironically, tire liners can be the cause of punctures if not installed correctly.

 

[Dunbar]

Having removed my rear wheel a few times in the comfort of my living room I don’t even bother bringing spares tubes with me. It’s such a pain that I’ve resigned myself to calling an Uber SUV if I get a flat miles from home. That said, Marathon Plus tires are extremely puncture resistant so you might never experience a flat rear tire on your Cross Current with them installed.

 

[Rob02150]

Having removed my rear wheel a few times in the comfort of my living room I don’t even bother bringing spares tubes with me. It’s such a pain that I’ve resigned myself to calling an Uber SUV if I get a flat miles from home. That said, Marathon Plus tires are extremely puncture resistant so you might never experience a flat rear tire on your Cross Current with them installed.

Actually got my first flat on my marathons last week. Over 1700 miles before getting one.

 

[Dunbar]

Marathons are good tires but the Marathon Plus is in a league of its own. I feel bad for anyone who rides on roads with the Marathon Plus and still gets punctures.

 

[Rob02150]

Marathons are good tires but the Marathon Plus is in a league of its own. I feel bad for anyone who rides on roads with the Marathon Plus and still gets punctures.

That's what I have. Caught a large staple in mine.

 

[E-Wheels]

I commute daily and clock up anywhere between 13,000-15,000 km per year
On average I go through 2 sets of tyres a year and that includes a rotation from front to back
Having tried many options of heavy, alleged puncture proof tyres with tubes over many years and km’s, my advice is go tubeless
Since converting to a tubeless system and realising the many benefits (#1 is no punctures) I will never go back to tubes
I have tried a couple of tubeless tyres and am currently testing the MicroSkin TL Easy version of these https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/marathon_supreme for commuting on concrete and tarmac surfaces
They are light, fast, comfortable and have good grip in wet and dry conditions

After more time and distance on the Marathon Supremes I will have an idea on how they fair and will report back
So far they are performing the best of any tube or tubeless tyre I have had
Cheapest price I found was here https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;product=144725;menu=1000,2,103,105

 

[JoePah]

If you ride your bike enough, flats are a going to happen. When riding the same route over and over, you eventually figure out where all the sharp objects collect and learn to avoid them.

I’m running tire liners, thick tubes, and stans sealant and still manage to get punctures. Sealant can work but it only seems to work on punctures that are round and symmetrical. It sealed a roofing nail that dug straight in. Of course there’s always those monster of nails that will rip open a tube that are unavoidable.

For juiced bikes bring tools. Bring a patch kit, extra tube, small crescent wrench, and cutters for zip ties. C02 and an inflator doesn’t hurt either.

Agree completely.. Don't mess with sealant, and always have a spare tube and patch kit and pump or Co2.

The best way to change your tube is at home when you don't have to worry about it... Practice going thru all the steps needed to disconnect the motor and remove the rear wheel, remove the tire and tube.. Trust me it is more difficult, esp DD motors because you are dealing with a 20 lb wheel.

Once you get through it, the fear of a flat tire goes down significantly.

I swear by Maxxis Excel tires for puncture resistance, but it doesn't come in your tire size.

 

[E-Wheels]

This thread is a good read https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/to-go-tubeless-or-not-to-go-tubeless.6546/#post-128353

 

[Tora Harris]

Here is a good guide on how to pull the rear wheel on our Current-Series E-BIkes.

Our Factory Torque Specifications:

All this information can be found here:

https://www.juicedbikes.com/pages/r...tallation-guide-juiced-current-series-e-bikes

 

[john peck]

I have SCHWALBE Marathon Plus HS 440 Wire Tires sized 700 x 45mm for my Crosscurrent S. I'm still worried I will get a puncture and it seems like such a pain to remove the rear wheel. I heard of Gaadi Tubes that are designed to put directly on the wheel without taking the wheel off. But I can't find the right size. The largest one they have is 700 x 42mm. Does anyone use Gaadi Tubes for my sized tires? Are there any other tube/method that allows the tube to be installed without taking off the wheel with 700 x 45 mm tires?

J, I bought a Gaadi tube,couple weeks later it arrived. They sent the wrong size. A trick that works for me to simply use a tire lever on
one side to pull the tube out, patch it, & put it back without taking off the wheel. I used the same trick yesterday to put in a tire liner.

 

[john peck]

How about using slime tube sealant.

Slime is a terrible idea, gunks up your valve.