How to Prevent Flat Tires on Electric Bikes

[retiredNH]

I'm thinking I'm very fortunate to live in an area where nothing grows with long thorns, just wild blackberries, and there isn't much home construction or renovation going on, so the roads aren't full of tacks. In fact, they're not full of much of anything, including trucks or cars. Just beautiful scenery...

 

[m@Robertson]

I'm thinking I'm very fortunate to live in an area where nothing grows with long thorns, just wild blackberries, and there isn't much home construction or renovation going on, so the roads aren't full of tacks. In fact, they're not full of much of anything, including trucks or cars. Just beautiful scenery...

We're the opposite, unfortunately. I have plenty of experience with what stops nails because of all the home and apartment construction we have going on. The thorns are just a fact of life in CA, although now that I have a proper tire sealant I am almost confident enough not to care anymore. Thorns are only an issue if I take trails, which is a recent thing for me. The real issue is what happens using a bike for transportation daily on urban streets. Nails, glass, metal shards... If I can I still do multiple layers of protection, and I wouldn't be caught on a bike without a complete tool kit, an ebike-battery-powered compressor and a backup hand pump. I will say that non-fat tires have belted options which cut waaaaay down on all issues. Schwalbe Marathon Plus and the Continental Contact City seem invulnerable.

 

[pmcdonald]

Anyone used these? They seem to require specialised installation, and are only available in a limited few European countries. Schwalbe make some big promises but, like the solid Tannus Aither's, they don't seem to have caught on.

Tour

<span style=font-weight:bold; font-size:12px; color:#000000>100% SORGENFREI. KEINE LUFT, KEINE PLATTEN, KEINEN STRESS!</span><span style=font-size:12px; color:#000000><br> Nie wieder pumpen. Das Schwalbe Airless System ist die innovative luftfreie Fahrradbereifung mit komfortablen...

www.schwalbe.com

At the end of the day it's just about finding a tyre or combination of products that works for you.

37-622 Marathon Plus & Tannus Armour have worked for me. I've had two punctures through the Marathon (no small feat) but nothing in the last 5,000 km since installing the Armour. I regularly ride through glass - had a little elementary school-aged kid throw a glass bottle down directly in front of me a few months ago - and the usual urban debris.

Switching to 40-622 Schwalbe G-One R's with the Armour shortly so I'll see how they hold up in comparison. Ride on, and may your punctures be few.

 

[JES2020]

Anyone used these? They seem to require specialised installation, and are only available in a limited few European countries. Schwalbe make some big promises but, like the solid Tannus Aither's, they don't seem to have caught on.

Tour

<span style=font-weight:bold; font-size:12px; color:#000000>100% SORGENFREI. KEINE LUFT, KEINE PLATTEN, KEINEN STRESS!</span><span style=font-size:12px; color:#000000><br> Nie wieder pumpen. Das Schwalbe Airless System ist die innovative luftfreie Fahrradbereifung mit komfortablen...

www.schwalbe.com

At the end of the day it's just about finding a tyre or combination of products that works for you.

37-622 Marathon Plus & Tannus Armour have worked for me. I've had two punctures through the Marathon (no small feat) but nothing in the last 5,000 km since installing the Armour. I regularly ride through glass - had a little elementary school-aged kid throw a glass bottle down directly in front of me a few months ago - and the usual urban debris.

Switching to 40-622 Schwalbe G-One R's with the Armour shortly so I'll see how they hold up in comparison. Ride on, and may your punctures be few.

In the mean time you might want to consider finding a nicer place to call home !

 

[ian fisher]

for hub motor type bikes, it's best to practice getting the wheels off and back on because sooner or later you will likely need to fix a flat. learn how to do this and what tools you may need to carry. I always carry a spare inner tube, a pump and a C02 inflator. It,s easiest with my own bike to turn the bike upside down to get the rear wheel out. My tyres were worn when I bought the bike and as such I had a few punctures to deal with. I have replaced the tyres now but I also know that I can deal with a rear flat and be back on the road in about 25 minutes.

 

[JES2020]

for hub motor type bikes, it's best to practice getting the wheels off and back on because sooner or later you will likely need to fix a flat. learn how to do this and what tools you may need to carry. I always carry a spare inner tube, a pump and a C02 inflator. It,s easiest with my own bike to turn the bike upside down to get the rear wheel out. My tyres were worn when I bought the bike and as such I had a few punctures to deal with. I have replaced the tyres now but I also know that I can deal with a rear flat and be back on the road in about 25 minutes.

You can be even faster with one of these as a spare: