First Flat on my Fat Tire :( What is best?

[harryS]

(Foldable rim summer tires) What is this?

-Summer tires, in the automotive world, are tires that aren't worth a darn in snow. Smooth tread. Soft rubber. Fast wear.
-Foldable rims is the wrong word. I meant foldable beads. Nice and flexible. No wires inside.

I put on Vee-Rubber Speedsters. Cost more than the bike did originally. They roll easy and they roll quiet for street riding. Now I need to find the equivalent, as far as easy mounting, in a regular knobby tire.

 

[vincent]

Harry that is good to know about the wire beads being harder to change, i did not know that

 

[Cnugget]

I'm not sure if they would have any in my tire size.. It's a bit odd.. The flexible rim but it does sound awesome though. 20" x 4"

 

[Cnugget]

Bike is up and running again. Yay! After an all day bike tire change and patch job, I seem to have repaired the tube. I have ordered some Kenda Heavy Duty Inner Tubes arriving in the mail for a swap out for the next tire repair. Also put some sealant inside the tube in case my patch job wasn't amazing. Trying to decide if I should also order some Mr. Tuffy liners 3XL.

 

[Cnugget]

.. foldable beads. Nice and flexible. No wires inside...

Thanks for the info on the foldable bead. After struggling with a wire bead all day during my first tube repair, I have now found a tire that has a FOLDABLE BEAD!! After having no idea, I get it now. Yay!! modernbike dot com has vee 20 x 4 inch tires with this foldable bead in case others are looking. They are also tubeless ready if I decide to go that route.. Ah yes.. Foldable beads... making tire changes plausible. "sigh of relief"

 

[vincent]

Good for you that you got it done though, it sounds like you learned a lot and will be able to change tubes etc. when you need to

The vee tire is it an off-road tire or smooth for pavement? It sounds like I need to get a couple of those

 

[Cnugget]

It's an off-road/multi use (MissionCommand20-N-20x4.0) you can even get different colors!! But... I just found a smooth one (Speedster-N-20x4.0) on VeeTireCo(they have both types of tires here but for more $$) for the 20 x 4 also foldable bead.. Doh! I'll have to keep my eye our for summer deals for slicks. Found a 20 x 3.45 inch slick at 3gstepper and wondering if I could get away with this on my wheel.. I have no idea how to tell though. Found out the Specialized Tire in 20 x 4 is a wire bead no thanks.. I think I'm a fan of VeeTires all of a sudden!

 

[vincent]

Lol, let us know how the vee works out for you

Glad you are back on the road

 

[Dunbar]

For fat tires with a rear hub motor setting your bike up tubeless with sealant to plug small holes would be the way to go IMO.

 

[harryS]

I put on Vee-Rubber Speedsters. Cost more than the bike did originally. They roll easy and they roll quiet for street riding. Now I need to find the equivalent, as far as easy mounting, in a regular knobby tire.

Vee-rubber snowshoes. Right out of the container, all folded up, next to the original wire beaded tires, which were OK, as long as you never needed to remove them, and didn't care that they weighed 2x more, 6.0 pounds vs 2.6 pounds.

 

[MLB]

Chuckle. Good Point! .. I'd still like to visit Switzerland.. but maybe not live there. Who am I kidding I love Canada eh? Seems like replacing or patching a tube is like asking people their opinion on politics! YouTube it is. That and some tools. I had a good look at the patch process at the bike shop.. Looks like it could be doable just a lot of bike to throw around if it goes flat while out. Looked heavy enough on a bike stand never mind the ground.

On many bikes you can get the tube out without dismounting the wheel. You just need the bead on one side loosened to pull it out that side. There's video on that too.

 

[rmasa]

Back to the original question, I would definitely suggest you do it yourself, or at least attempt it.
It is inevitable that you will get another flat.
Sometimes that flat will come in the middle of nowhere in the dark.
With a little practice (maybe some help from youtube) you could eventually patch the tube without even taking the rear wheel off.

As far as going tubeless, I am still undecided yet.
On Monday I patched 3 thorn punctures in my rear tire.
On Wednesday I got 1 more thorn in my tire. Finally gave up, dumped some sealant in the tire and went tubeless.
So now I have a rear tubeless and a front with a tube. Time will eventually tell which one will be better (less hassle).

 

[mrgold35]

I ended up going with Mr. Tuffy 3XL tire liners and 4 oz of Stans tire sealant in each tire for my 26X4 tires. I had this combo installed since Sept/2016 and have about 1200 miles on them. I usually pick out a lot of goat head thorns every weekend and some make it past the liners and puncture the inner tube (I always wait to remove thorns at home). I just rotate the tire down, let Stans do its job, and check the PSI afterwards.

I did run over something that put a 1/8 inch slit in my rear tire, liner, and inner tube. Too big of a hole for Stans to seal and I was completely flat with the tire hanging off the rim in about 100 yards. I had to call the wife to pick me up at 6am because I left my flat repair stuff at home since I haven't used it. It only took about 3-5 minutes to patch the hole and inspect for other leakes. The inner tube is still 100% after several weeks of riding on it.

It wouldn't hurt to have a small patch kit, tire gauge, and small hand pump. I sometimes go for +25 mile weekend ebike rides and wouldn't want to push my bike back home if I get the same type of flat again.

 

[tomjasz]

Tubeless.

 

[Robert W Green]

I have a fat tire ebike also and had countless flats on the rear tire where the motor hub is. Getting the tire off was easy, but getting it reseated was a bear! Normal bike tire levers are useless( I broke 4 trying). I ended up taking the wheel to my lbs and having them finish the job using motorcycle tire levers. As soon as I could, I bought some Origin8 Deves8tors with a kevlar bead and belt. Three months later and still no flats! That's a record on this bike.

 

[Robert W Green]

@Ann M. I imagine a car mechanic would bite my head off if I was to enter the shop and look over the shoulder so.. it makes sense a bike mechanic might react in a similar fashion. If you hadn't suggested this, I might not have thought it over. Thanks for the heads up. I did call a shop to get a price quote for a fix and ensure they would be willing to work on a Ebike. It seems like a non-starter for some shops even if the repair has nothing to do with electronic parts. The tire size feels like it is harder to source a replacement? Or, am I just imagining that? Voltbike is out of stock at the moment on the tubes gosh-darn-it-all. I'm wondering if the recent puncture could have been related to running at a lower pressure making it more susceptible to a nail puncture? Up until now the tires have been running wonderfully but at a higher PSI. Maybe I just have had good luck up until now? Hopefully I haven't run out of this luck . If I can replace the tube, I will, and add a liner to boot but it may just come down to a fix for now dependent on what is on hand. Should have been more prepared for the inevitable.

They are kind of touchy about that but it's more about insurance than protecting trade secrets. Beeline bikes however will come to you when you want and depending on the tech may let you watch. I've used them several times when I had no time to spare for the lbs and found them to be comparably priced and more convenient. If you state in your work order that you need a special size tube they'll get it and bring it with them when they come out. That being said, I still like going to my lbs to ogle acessories and look at new bikes. Whatever you do don't mention Beeline to your lbs or vice versa as it is bound to cause hard feelings. Kind of like mentioning your girlfriend to your wife.

 

[Mr Bo]

I got a flat yesterday from a push pin tack, about three miles from home. It was un-walkable as the tire and rim would have been destroyed. I have never used uber before and luckily I set up with the payment info in there for a trip we were to take before this Corona stuff. It was the only thing that saved me. I had no one to call or my wallet.

Here is a question? Has anyone used the Fix a Flat in the can? I bought one today for bikes, only hoping it will work on the fat tire to keep in the saddle bags. But I would think the bigger cans would work you would just have to Stop when it is near full. I keep a can in all my vehicles but have never used it.

It would have been a nightmare to try and change this roadside. The can stuff would inflate and seal. Any thoughts?

 

[ck1224]

I got a flat yesterday from a push pin tack, about three miles from home. It was un-walkable as the tire and rim would have been destroyed. I have never used uber before and luckily I set up with the payment info in there for a trip we were to take before this Corona stuff. It was the only thing that saved me. I had no one to call or my wallet.

Here is a question? Has anyone used the Fix a Flat in the can? I bought one today for bikes, only hoping it will work on the fat tire to keep in the saddle bags. But I would think the bigger cans would work you would just have to Stop when it is near full. I keep a can in all my vehicles but have never used it.

It would have been a nightmare to try and change this roadside. The can stuff would inflate and seal. Any thoughts?

I just got my new fat tire bike and put some Armor-Dilloz (slime) in it (and had Tuffy XL liners put in) and will take a small can of sealer/inflator in my bag also. I've heard of people putting in two liners, and Tannus sells 15mm protection inserts used with smaller tubes (they are working on an insert for 20"x 4" fat tires), Rhino tire and some India company have tires with gel sealant applied to the inside of the tire to seal small depth punctures. Kenda may have a tire that is a little more resistant. I've heard conflicting views on liners also. Always want the best way to prevent flats. I also wonder about motorcycle tires and if they would be better as well.

 

[Mr Bo]

I just got my new fat tire bike and put some slime in it (and had Huffy XL liners put in) and will take a small can of sealer/inflator in my bag also. I've heard of people putting in two liners, and Tannus sells 15mm protection inserts used with smaller tubes (not for 20"x4" fat tires yet), Rhino tire and some India company have tires with gel sealant applied to the inside of the tire to seal small depth punctures. Kenda may have a tire that is a little more resistant. I've heard conflicting views on liners also. Always want the best way to prevent flats. I also wonder about motorcycle tires and if they would be better as well.

I like the way you think

 

[mrgold35]

I've had pretty good luck with Mr. Tuffy liners and 2 bottles of Stans tire sealant in each tire. I also keep all the tools and a spare tube in my Topeak rack bag. I've had a few flats from screws and sharp branches that caused holes too big for Mr. Tuffy+Stans to prevent.