Flat tires

T

Tbill

New Member
Region
Canada
I boughty ebike about a year and a half ago.
It came with CTF 27.5x2.4 tires. (I've never had any kind if fat tire bike before.)
I've had 3 flats so far and I'm just wondering if it has anything to do with the size of the tires or the brand.
For me, this seems like a lot and since the latest is on the wheel with the hub motor, it's gonna take a lot longer.
So should I just patch it up? Should I replace the inner tube with a new one or should I also get a better tire?
Opinions welcomed.
 
I live in the southwest and the majority of flats were from goathead stickers. I added Mr. Tuffy tire liners and Stans sealant goo to each tire with a tube. I also kept a spare tube in the rack bag for those flats too large for Stans. Purchased a new 26X4.8 fat tire ebike a year ago that came with Tannus tire liners (zero flat after 14 months of riding).
 
Well my longest no flat is on 4.8s Jumbo Jims tubeless, had one puncture, but easily fixed with a plug, no wheel removal reqd.

I used to get endless flats on a hub drive running tubed 24x3 , even tube creep rips.
 
I used to be concerned. Then I noticed that my punctures these days are too small to deflate a tire in under 10 minutes. I also found that a rechargeable pump that will inflate a bicycle tire too many times to count, will fit in a coat pocket. Unless I get an unusually big hole, I can patch it at my leisure.

Decades ago, I got some blowouts because I didn't know that over a period of years a butyl tube would get brittle. Except for tears and worn-out tubes, patching has always worked for me, except one case in the last year when the patch didn't hold air. Although the rubber had looked dry when I buffed and applied the cement, it must still have been damp.

Did you find the cause for each puncture? I thought my first ebike flat was a defective tube because I couldn't find the cause. I patched it and got another puncture, also right on the centerline of the crown. The third time, I marked the tire at the valve before removing the tube. When I found the leak in the tube, I could use the tube to find the exact spot in the tire. It was a whisker-thin wire embedded in the tread.

Within 30 miles, I got a flat on my new Abound. I ordered Schwalbe Pickups, which are made to resist punctures better than most. Before long, I had a similar flat. I guess modern bicycle tires are vulnerable because the carcasses are thin for low rolling resistance. Still, I think a better tire reduces the chance of a puncture too big for a pump to get me home.
 
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Funny thing is, I have no idea what is causing them. I park the bike when I get back and then I notice the bike has fallen over because the air is out of the tire and the geometry between the tires and kickstand are out of sync.
It doesn't seem to be anything significant like a nail or thumbtack stuck in the tire.
I replaced both the tire and innertube, using a Kenda tire.
 
In my experience from the 60s, it took something like a nail or a screw to penetrate the casing. I could usually see it from the outside, and it was a cinch to find the hole in the tube. In my experience since 2020, a penetrating object may be small enough to hide in the carcass. If I don't find it, I'll have another puncture in a few days.

Leaning a bike against a post or wall can be more stable than a kick stand. To the front wheel from rolling out from under it, I lash the brake lever.
 
After fighting a recurring very slow leak and subsequent flat on my Tero and blaming the Presta valves as the culprit I finally did my homework. I went through 3 tubes, none of which leaked when I put them in water to try and find the leak (at an obviously lower pressure).

Looking through the forums I came across the old cotton ball trick (which I was well aware of 55 years ago when working on my bikes as a kid). It found the piece of wire in my tire which was small enough that I could not see it or even feel it when running my hand along the inside of the tire. Duh!

Luckily, I always carry a spare tube (handlebar jacks make changing pretty simple) but now the issue is do I go tubeless.
 
twy said:
After fighting a recurring very slow leak and subsequent flat on my Tero and blaming the Presta valves as the culprit I finally did my homework. I went through 3 tubes, none of which leaked when I put them in water to try and find the leak (at an obviously lower pressure).

Looking through the forums I came across the old cotton ball trick (which I was well aware of 55 years ago when working on my bikes as a kid). It found the piece of wire in my tire which was small enough that I could not see it or even feel it when running my hand along the inside of the tire. Duh!
Click to expand...
Month after month I thought it was a valve problem. It would stay up for weeks, IIRC, then go flat overnight. The third time I checked the tube, I got it to bubble by inflating it to perhaps twice the size of the tire. It got punctured again. The third time, I was ready. Before breaking the bead, I marked the tire on one side at the valve. Before removing the tube, I marked that side at the valve. When I located the puncture, I used the tube to find the exact spot in the carcass. I noticed a tiny discolored spot. I didn't try a cotton ball, but by pushing the casing from the outside, I got the wire whisker to stick out enough to feel when I dragged my fingertip. I could't grasp it with tweezers until I pushed it by shoving a thin wire in from the outside, behind it.
 
spokewrench said:
Month after month I thought it was a valve problem. It would stay up for weeks, IIRC, then go flat overnight. The third time I checked the tube, I got it to bubble by inflating it to perhaps twice the size of the tire. It got punctured again. The third time, I was ready. Before breaking the bead, I marked the tire on one side at the valve. Before removing the tube, I marked that side at the valve. When I located the puncture, I used the tube to find the exact spot in the carcass. I noticed a tiny discolored spot. I didn't try a cotton ball, but by pushing the casing from the outside, I got the wire whisker to stick out enough to feel when I dragged my fingertip. I could't grasp it with tweezers until I pushed it by shoving a thin wire in from the outside, behind it.
Click to expand...
yes for me that's the only way that worked and if you can't remove the thing that flat you a flat sealant won't work.
 
Chargeride said:
4.8s Jumbo Jims tubeless
Click to expand...
I assume your rims are all solid?

1731937493444.png

I don't think lightweight fat-bike rims can be made tubeless.
 
Chargeride said:
Ive actually inflated a tyre pretty hard with no tape, just the inner tube, it bulged a bit out of the holes, but only about 1cm.
Click to expand...
I do not quite understand. What did you do with the inner tube? Because you said "tubeless".
 
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