Flat tires

[Deacon Blues]

Got another flat tire yesterday. My second flat in the last six months, which I guess isn't too bad, but both occurred while trail riding and both times it was my rear tire.
The first time I was 20 km from home, so I called my wife and asked her to put the bike rack on the car and come and get me. Yesterday, I was only 1.5km from home, so I just pushed the bike back to my house.
When I took the tire off I was surprised at how thin the rubber tread was and it didn't seem to have any flat protection layer.
Instead of reusing the tire I've decided to buy two new tires with puncture protection. After some research on the net I order a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB HS 468 tires.
I hope these tires end my flat fixing days.

https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/off-road_tires/marathon_plus_mtb

The first time I took my back wheel off I put the bike on my bike work stand. Taking off the back wheel, and (especially) putting it back on was a real PITA.
This time I turned the bike upside down, resting it on the handbars and seat, and then took the wheel off.
It was easier taking the wheel off and WAY easier putting it back on.

I still find it strange that both of my flat tires occurred while riding on dirt trails and both times it was the rear tire that had the puncture.

 

[mrgold35]

Have you tried tire liners or sealant like Stans? I run Mr. Tuffy and Stans for my fat tire bike with inner tube. Even with that combo, I still see wet spots on my tires a few times a week where the sealant fixed a potential flat on the go. The only time the combo let me down was when I ran over something at 5:30am on my morning work commute that slashed a 1/8" slit in the rear tire tread and the hole was just too big for Stans to seal (I think it was broken glass between the tire knobs). I now started to carry my flat kit after leaving it in the garage for years.

I still have to loosen the tire from the rims about once a month and remove the liner. I have to pull out goathead thorns stuck in the inside of the tires I can't reach from the outside. I even have to remove the really big thorns still stuck in the Mr. Tuffy liners still making contact with the inner tube.

 

[Cargo Bike Trailer Josh]

I can't speak for ebike use because I only got my first ebike yesterday! However, I would very highly recommend the Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. I ride 700c x 40 Plus and then change them out for a wheel-set that has 700c x 40 Marathon Winter tires. I've yet to experience a flat in an entire year of riding 5-10 miles x 5 days a week in a dirty littered city. I've riding straight through broken bottles and over construction material with no problem. They really are well engineered!

 

[Marc V]

Flats suck! lol

I don't really ride my eBike on trails but I had about 3 punctures in less than 6 months. little by little I started adding flat prevention items lol.

One time I even got a puncture, patched that puncture while I was out and about and on my way home the tire went flat! I thought I did a bad patch job so called someone to pick me up (best way to deal with a flat in the city roads during winter in my opinion, phone a friend lol. I don't want to be dealing with flats in cold wet weather haha).

When I got home and did an inspection my patch job did hold but it was a new puncture! hehe

So I then got slime built-in inner tubes from target and by golly they worked hehe. I got a flat on my way to work (forgot my emergency patch kit, I know...rookie mistake ) but I was able to locate the puncture object pulled it out and after putting in air (i did have my pump at least), It didn't hold air for a block, but after I put air again and riding some more, the slime was able to seal and hold!

I played with fire actually riding with that compromised inner tube for a few days till my buddy convinced me Im living life on the edge too much hehe. So when I changed the inner-tube I used another new slime built in inner tube from target and got some tire liners from REI.

Didn't get a flat using that setup although I didn't have too much experience with that setup because I ended up getting a new eBike and opted to get full on moped tires lol. Hopefully that helps prevent flats, but what I learned from riding bikes most of my life. You can do all you can to prevent flats but they can still happen, so best bet is to be prepared with a emergency patch kit, spare inner tube, or at least a charged cell phone haha.

If I stuck with old eBike and got another flat, I was thinking of getting those heavier duty tires like you folks have been already mentioning. Some type of thorn/puncture resistant tires with kevlar or something like that.

So we will see how these moped tires do.

Hope you see less flats my friend, as we can all relate, flats can ruin your whole day! lmao

Take care, ride safe!
Marc V

p.s thanks to @Ann M. for the tips on flat prevention for eBikes

 

[J.R.]

After some research on the net I order a set of Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB HS 468 tires.

I've been running those tires since last September, flat free. Fast rolling for mtb tires, as they allow for higher pressure than most mtb tires. I don't do much urban riding, mostly off road or country roads. I really like the tires.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Funny thing is last year I put over 2000 km on my three bikes and didn't get one flat while riding on pavement.

 

[Marc V]

Funny thing is last year I put over 2000 km on my three bikes and didn't get one flat while riding on pavement.

Lets hope you can beat that record moving forward on pavement or trails!

 

[Deacon Blues]

Picked up my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires yesterday and installed the rear tire last night.
Man, that is one heavy duty tire! A bit more work putting it on the rim, compared to the old, thinner tire.
After I mounted the wheel/tire, with the bike sitting upside down, I oiled the chain and noticed that my back wheel had a bad wobbled while spinning.
I guess after 1000+ km the spokes have loosened up a bit. Time to take it in for a wheel truing.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Update on my rim:
Looks like the rim is toast.
I dropped my rim off at our local Pedego shop and they phoned me yesterday to tell me that the rim is so warped it can't be repaired.
The weird thing is the rim looks perfect-no dents or scratches. I did ride the bike a for a bit before I realized my rear tire was flat, but I'm not sure if that caused the rim to warp.
So, it looks like I'll have to have the outer rim replaced.

I really like my Ridgerider, but I've had my fair share of problems with this bike. First the pedal sense failed, then the electric motor failed, and now this.
Luckily, my local Pedego dealer has been great to deal with and have gone out of their way to be helpful and supportive.

 

[justforfun]

At 1,100 miles my rear tire picked up a T-50 staple and went flat. The factory installed Slime sealed the holes, and I filled the tire with a CO2 cartridge and was on my way.
My first experience with Slime. Glad it worked!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I just installed extra-thick tubes and tire liners and new tires on my bike.

After just a few rides, I am rethinking the extra thick tubes as the added weight on the wheels noticeably impacts range. Although the fact that the wheels are now basically bombproof does give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

 

[Deacon Blues]

So far I'm happy with my Schwalbe Marathons. The Marathons feel slightly faster on the road, but not as stable on gravel.