I ordered 2 of those Bakcou tubes. Oh, don't worry PCeBiker, I'm writing a "reminder note" on my down tube to not snap again. I got a few catchy ideas. Will post a picture when I finally flip the Xpedition back over. So far my new wheel is in transit and the original wheel is still collecting dust in the local short-handed ebike shop.
Inner tubes. Our friend AND enemy.
- Thread starter sc00ter
- Start date
Experimenting with different tires, I have swapped tires 7 times and never flipped over my Xpedition. Four different tires on the front, and 5 on the back including the originals. Mine came with a double kickstand so it balances if I put weight in the rear basket. I have also used a bungee cord hooked to a heavy weight on the ground and the tail of the bike to balance the bike. The bikes end can be lifted or lowered with one finger and it will stay in that position if balanced right.
spokewrench
Active Member
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That looks like the rim side of the tube. If that's correct, Mr. Tuffy wouldn't help, would it?
Back in the day, a puncture could be a blowout, sounding like a gunshot. I think they use different rubber these days. The flats I've had in the last four years have been much slower. If I'd discovered them before I got home, a rechargeable pump, smaller and faster than a hand pump, would have gotten me home.
I got everything back together. Outside of a bunch of scratches the Xpedition survived my snap session. The Carless Whisper tire was a 5 out of 10 to install, 1 being easiest like the original tire. I'm currently running a "utility grade" Sunlite inner tube with a Mr. Tuffy liner as well. I'm waiting for the new military grade tubes but have gotten much quicker at removing the rear wheel.
Still need to write a reminder note so I wont spazz out when I inevitably get another dreaded flat. Oh, and spokewrench, that is a seam failure. And I remember the shotgun blowouts! When I was a kid I topped up my bmx tire at a local gas station that had a unregulated free air hose. It filled my tire so fast when the tube exploded it cracked my Skyway mag wheel! I did the same thing when I had my Pedego at work. I forgot the air supply in our lab is unregulated and blew the tube and got green Slime all over me! I guess I'll never learn....
Still need to write a reminder note so I wont spazz out when I inevitably get another dreaded flat. Oh, and spokewrench, that is a seam failure. And I remember the shotgun blowouts! When I was a kid I topped up my bmx tire at a local gas station that had a unregulated free air hose. It filled my tire so fast when the tube exploded it cracked my Skyway mag wheel! I did the same thing when I had my Pedego at work. I forgot the air supply in our lab is unregulated and blew the tube and got green Slime all over me! I guess I'll never learn....
spokewrench
Active Member
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My punctures are often on seams, which makes it harder to buff for a patch.
With my Radrunner 20 x 3.3 tires, I got a pinch flat for the first time in my life. I wondered if I'd really been that careless with levers. I got my answer when I bought new tubes in 2022. I discovered that the OEMs were 4" because nobody marketed anything around 3". I learned to inflate a tire to 3 psi or so and examine the bead carefully to be sure it wasn't slightly off at some point because the excess tube rubber could get pinched under the bead.
If your tubes are 3", I think you may still have excess tube rubber due to the space taken by Mr. Tuffy. Maybe the tube got pinched.
I got a catastrophic puncture when I mounted a mislabeled tire that was in fact too narrow for my rim. All my other punctures have been so slow that was unaware of them until the next time I wanted to ride. Unless I start getting catastrophic punctures, a portable pump should bring me home in style.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Tubeless it is then, but you have to do it right.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
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- Europe
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- Mazovia, PL
I wonder whether tubeless ready wheels and tyres bigger than 2.8" are made.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Im running 4.8 tubeless.
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
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- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
45NRTH Dillinger 5 Tire
The extra width of the Dillinger 5 provides flotation over loose snow additional grip while turning, accelerating or braking on ice and packed snow. Available in both studded and non-studded...
Bontrager Barbegazi Fat Bike Tubeless Ready Tire
Bigger feet for when the snow is deep. The small white-furred, long-bearded men with enormous feet of Swiss folklore, Barbegazi only emerge from their cave after the first snowfall. The...
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
What about tubeless ready "fatbike" rims? Are these made? Or, the user has to take the risk?45NRTH Dillinger 5 Tire
The extra width of the Dillinger 5 provides flotation over loose snow additional grip while turning, accelerating or braking on ice and packed snow. Available in both studded and non-studded...www.45nrth.com
Bontrager Barbegazi Fat Bike Tubeless Ready Tire
Bigger feet for when the snow is deep. The small white-furred, long-bearded men with enormous feet of Swiss folklore, Barbegazi only emerge from their cave after the first snowfall. The...www.methowcyclesport.com
Mr. Coffee
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I'm sure you can find alloy rims at a much more reasonable price, but that was the first one that popped up on Google.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
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- Mazovia, PL
I'd say if you own a Norco Bigfoot, you would spend US$1,100 on the rims alone but you have to be @Chargeride a.k.a. 'MacGyver' to be able to install tubeless on an inexpensive e-bike
spokewrench
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- USA
Can you find a tubeless rim for @sc00ter 's 20 x 3 tire? The rim has to have the correct width, whatever it may be.
Tubeless will let you run at lower pressure off road. On a road bike, it has a little less friction and is less likely to blow out. These considerations don't seem to count for an Xpedition.
I have used Slime in four bicycle tubes but decided it wasn't worth it. It does work in two tubeless mower tires that apparently leaked at the beads. I understand that sealant will often fix a punctured tubeless bicycle tire, but that if sealant doesn't do the trick, a tube tire is easier to repair or replace.
I've had 8 flats in 4 years, and maybe others I don't remember offhand. All leaked so slowly that I didn't even have to stop to pump. @sc00ter 's puncture looks similarly small. If inflating would allow 10 minutes of riding and he made 15 mph, he could pump once and ride two miles home in 8 minutes.
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Chargeride
Well-Known Member
The tyres on my Haibike are tubeless, not my chinese dog bike.I'd say if you own a Norco Bigfoot, you would spend US$1,100 on the rims alone but you have to be @Chargeride a.k.a. 'MacGyver' to be able to install tubeless on an inexpensive e-bike
Mr. Coffee
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With a 20x3 you can probably run ghetto tubeless just fine. As long as you can run under about 25-30psi you can get away with that.
spokewrench
Active Member
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Schwalbe recommends against tubeless tires for most riders. Modern Bike lists 20 tubeless tires for 20" rims, but the only one wider than 2.4 inches is 4 inches.
Everyone, thanks for great ideas and suggestions! I got the Bakcou tubes and they remind me of the beloved extra thick tubes Wal-Mart used to sell. Oh, I'm also going to buy one of those electric air pumps to carry in the basket. Yes, I think I could have got home riding, and not walking, if I could have put air back in.
Mr. Coffee
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- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
That's probably because of the ugly learning curve on doing tubeless installs. And how insanely messy it can be. Especially for the first couple of installs you should expect that you will get sealant everywhere (so wear protective clothing, have drop cloths down in your shop, and have a mop and bucket and some sponges handy). Sometimes even after going through that learning curve you can make a spectacular mess.
Also after a new tubeless install you should be pretty religious about checking tour tire pressure before every ride. Not just a squeeze but with a real tire pressure gauge. Then you can air them up when they are inevitably losing air and it also can give you a good indication of whether you had a successful install or need to go redo something, usually the rim tape.
I'd think for most people on this forum tubeless probably isn't worth it. But if you put down a lot of miles on bumpy roads or trails and if your proper tire pressure is less than 40psi there are some big advantages. The biggest advantage is you are able to run a lower tire pressure than with tubes and can have a more comfortable ride. As a bonus you can expect that 99 percent of flats can be fixed without removing the wheel -- either you just air up the tire and let the sealant do its magic or you put in a tire plug and air up the tire. That 1 percent of flats where you have to remove the tire and put in a tube kind of suck, though.
Nvreloader
Western Nevada
- Region
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Scooter
This air pump will work with any voltage from 36 to 52v,
I have one on each bike.
forums.electricbikereview.com
Tia
This air pump will work with any voltage from 36 to 52v,
I have one on each bike.
Which is the hot side?
Hey Guys My new air pump for the 48 and 52 V batteries just got here, it is this model, https://www.amazon.com/inflator-compressor-motorcycle-electric-vehicles/dp/B0986MWSFX It has the goofy plug on it, so I made a couple of brass prongs that fit the plug and pressed them into the slots, I also...
forums.electricbikereview.com
Mr. Coffee
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- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
Which air pump are you going to buy?
My experience with them is that while they are great in the shop and in your car, they aren't exactly optimal for airing up a flat tire along a road. Especially if you have higher-volume tires.
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