Inner tubes. Our friend AND enemy.

[spokewrench]

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.

I bought this one 10 months ago to bring me home in case of a flat. I liked it so much that I quit using my compressor with the 25-foot hose.

Amazon.com

When it was new, I tested it on a 20 x 3.3. I think it took about 5 minutes from 0 to 30 PSI. To test the battery capacity, I'd unscrew the core, put it back in, and reinflate. I think I did it 14 times, and the battery indicator was down by a third.

A pump absorbs heat as it compresses air, and overheating can kill a pump. I was worried when this one quit during my test. I'd read that it has thermal protection. It worked fine after a gave it a few minutes to cool.

If you put 50 psi in a 2" tire and get a hiss while pulling the chuck off, you don't know how much pressure is left. I bought a longer hose so I could lay the pump on the ground and a clip-on ball chuck for trouble free connections. Nowadays, when you buy a ball chuck you don't know what you're getting. I bought another, then another. The third one sealed beautifully but sometimes didn't go on far enough to open the Schrader valve. I used wet sandpaper to take 200 micrometers off the rubber washer. Success at last!

Well, there is one nuisance. The hose unscrews to make it compact for travel. If I don't make sure it's screwed tight, I may discover it's loose when the gauge shows leakage.

 

[sc00ter]

I don't do Amazon anymore spokewrench, so I'll ask my co-worker to buy it on his Amazon account for me. I'm willing to take a $20 gamble on a small portable air pump!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

My experience with even the very good battery air pumps is that their limitations keep me going back to a decent portable hand pump.

Also, the quality problems found with many of the portable compressors on Amazon makes me a lot nervous.

Yes, those are mostly aimed at automobile tires but I've seen enough youtube reviews of bicycle tire inflators that bring up the same issues.

For my money, what would get me off the fence is if somebody comes up with a bicycle tire inflator that works like this awesome little gadget for inflating air mattresses:

Pad-Pal Air Pump by Rex Creations

Ships in 1-2 business days | Based in Homeland, CA | Est. 2023 This little sleeping pad inflator is 6x less weight than the next lightest option. How is this possible? The Pad-Pal connects to your power bank via USB-C! The Pad-Pal is a minimalist electric sleeping pad inflator designed to handle...

www.garagegrowngear.com

Also, for me the fast inflation problem is nicely solved by CO2 cartridges, which in spite of their many disadvantages will not slowly run out of pressure over time, unlike any Lithium battery which will lose charge so you'll need to check it frequently, and you probably won't check it frequently enough.

 

[Nvreloader]

I have had 2 of those self contained air pumps, both have broken (won't work) in less than a yr of no use, (just be carried in my tool pack on the bike.)
I now have a dependable air pump that works off my bikes battery voltage and also carry co2 cylinders for back up, if needed.

 

[spokewrench]

My experience with even the very good battery air pumps is that their limitations keep me going back to a decent portable hand pump.

Also, the quality problems found with many of the portable compressors on Amazon makes me a lot nervous.

Yes, those are mostly aimed at automobile tires but I've seen enough youtube reviews of bicycle tire inflators that bring up the same issues.

For my money, what would get me off the fence is if somebody comes up with a bicycle tire inflator that works like this awesome little gadget for inflating air mattresses:

Pad-Pal Air Pump by Rex Creations

Ships in 1-2 business days | Based in Homeland, CA | Est. 2023 This little sleeping pad inflator is 6x less weight than the next lightest option. How is this possible? The Pad-Pal connects to your power bank via USB-C! The Pad-Pal is a minimalist electric sleeping pad inflator designed to handle...

www.garagegrowngear.com

Also, for me the fast inflation problem is nicely solved by CO2 cartridges, which in spite of their many disadvantages will not slowly run out of pressure over time, unlike any Lithium battery which will lose charge so you'll need to check it frequently, and you probably won't check it frequently enough.

Under it all, I love a Bell Air Attack floor pump that I bought locally 25 years ago. The hassle was the lack of a gauge. I'd have to get on my knees to disconnect the pump and check the pressure, then probably get back up to pump.

Amazon and youtube get swamped with Chinese lies. The problem is obscure brands. A company markets a product under lots of brands. If they're caught lying under one brand, it's no problem.

You can still get good stuff. When I shopped for a handlebar light, I calculated and found the claimed lumens was maybe 100 times too high. I bought it and it's great. Somebody set out to make a good light, and they succeeded, and the advertising guys shoved in a stupid lie.

Like some advertisers, that reviewer should be banned from youtube. He tested pumps without charging them.

I'd like to say modestly that I lucked out when I bought that rechargeable pump, but it must be obvious that I'm the world's shrewdest shopper! The thermal cutout tripped only once, while I was refilling a fat tire 17 times in a row. Every week I add about 5 psi to 4 tires. In ten months I may have charged it 3 times. It has never gotten low, but I like to keep all three display bars lit. After I added a longer hose and a ball chuck, my only gripe was having the hose loosen. I've fixed that with Permatex Screw Glue.

 

[Nvreloader]

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.

Scooter
Did you feel the difference between the spoke side and road side, quite a a difference.....

 

[sc00ter]

I'm not running the Bakcou tubes yet, I'm waiting until my next flat like a dummy. I used the Sunlite tube that I picked up locally. I don't think I'll notice any change in rolling resistance though. On a regular bicycle maybe, I don't think the thicker tubes will affect anything on a ebike. I did find that the Globe Haul tire needed to have a tube inflated in it to "open" it up/round the profile out, as it was quit squished at first. I like the Globe tire on the back even though its a tight squeeze around the fender. I might order another Globe tire for the front.

 

[Mango1234]

I just bought one of these for the garage, but I might bring it along sometimes.

It was $30 and I already own a small Ryobi battery. The pump weighs 0.61kg and the 1.3Ah battery weighs 0.43kg so 1.04kg total.
It is very fast for a bike tire, it can fill truck tires on youtube. The chuck seems flimsy, but works fine so far.

RYOBI ONE+ 18V Cordless High Pressure Inflator (Tool Only) PCL001B - The Home Depot

This wonderful RYOBI ONE+ Cordless High Volume Power Inflator is perfect for fast, high volume inflating and deflating of air mattresses and pool toys.

www.homedepot.com

 

[charlieboom-boom]

That's why I asked if anyone knows of a quality brand. I'm gonna try this Sunlite and see how it goes. I know there is a failure rate in every product. I've had good luck with those 40% thicker Goodyear tubes Wal-Mart sells/sold but they (Goodyear) don't make them for a semi-fat tire in 20".

What brand do you use mschwett or did you go tubeless? If you never get flats what are your tricks of the trade?

I have been using Sunlite HD thorn resistant tubes in my recumbent tadpole e-trikes sizes 20x2.0-2.25 and 20-2.30-2.40 for 5 years with no problems with only 1 flat that was caused by a roofing nail that got deflected by the tire liner and wore a hole in the side wall of the tube just past the edge of the tire liner. In fact the nail puncture has been the only flat in 15,000 miles. I use them in all 3 of the wheel of my e-velomobile and the tires of the trailer that I pull. A side benefit of the HD tubes is that they don't lose as much air pressure over time. The tube in the rear tire of the E-trike went from 65psi to 50psi over the winter, (mid October to early May)

 

[fooferdoggie]

I finally broke down and dumped the C02. it was always a hassle and sometimes something would go wrong like not getting the cartridge on fast enough, and it all bleeding out of the pressure relief hole. yes, this costs more, but it works well and testing it against my Makita it is only 7 seconds slower. to me, buying a cheap pump and having it fail on a ride will be a much bigger hassle. it charges so fast and even after several uses only knocks one bar off the display. if i went ot a higher PSI it would have to work harder.

Elettrico Ultimate Inflator

Elettrico Ultimate is a battery powered tire inflator with a digital gauge accurate to 1% when paired with the included hose. The perfect travel companion or at home pump.

silca.cc

 

[Tommy Lyn]

you hit the nail on the head. On a regular road bike, the tubes are tiny—you can just stuff one in your pocket. But these e-bike fat tire tubes are huge, heavy, and a pain to carry around.

And honestly, the 'exhaustion' isn't just about carrying the spare. The real nightmare is actually doing the roadside repair. Flipping a 65+ lb (30kg) beast upside down on the side of the road is a workout in itself. Plus, having to deal with the motor cables and specific wrenches for the axle nuts just makes it miserable.

 

[fooferdoggie]

you hit the nail on the head. On a regular road bike, the tubes are tiny—you can just stuff one in your pocket. But these e-bike fat tire tubes are huge, heavy, and a pain to carry around.

And honestly, the 'exhaustion' isn't just about carrying the spare. The real nightmare is actually doing the roadside repair. Flipping a 65+ lb (30kg) beast upside down on the side of the road is a workout in itself. Plus, having to deal with the motor cables and specific wrenches for the axle nuts just makes it miserable.

yes though I have learned to take the wheel off without flipping the bike over. our e-tandem is hard to do no matter what it is hard to balance while taking the wheel off. Going tubeless has let me not have to do it anymore.

 

[spokewrench]

I finally broke down and dumped the C02. it was always a hassle and sometimes something would go wrong like not getting the cartridge on fast enough, and it all bleeding out of the pressure relief hole. yes, this costs more, but it works well and testing it against my Makita it is only 7 seconds slower. to me, buying a cheap pump and having it fail on a ride will be a much bigger hassle. it charges so fast and even after several uses only knocks one bar off the display. if i went ot a higher PSI it would have to work harder.

I've been using a $27 rechargeable for 22 months. I bought a longer hose and a clip-on ball chuck so I wouldn't lose significant air connecting and disconnecting. The pump and its gauge worked so well that I quit using my compressor tank to top off two bikes every week or two.

It would fill a fat tire pretty fast. To test battery life I kept unscrewing the valve core to fill it again. It may have been on the 14th time that it shut off. The battery wasn't nearly depleted, so I figured it might be the thermal shutoff. (Compressing air releases heat, which a pump absorbs.) In 15 minutes, it worked fine again, as it has ever since. Maybe a lack of thermal protection is a common killer of small pumps.

 

[spokewrench]

you hit the nail on the head. On a regular road bike, the tubes are tiny—you can just stuff one in your pocket. But these e-bike fat tire tubes are huge, heavy, and a pain to carry around.

And honestly, the 'exhaustion' isn't just about carrying the spare. The real nightmare is actually doing the roadside repair. Flipping a 65+ lb (30kg) beast upside down on the side of the road is a workout in itself. Plus, having to deal with the motor cables and specific wrenches for the axle nuts just makes it miserable.

Why carry tubes? Sixty to seventy years ago, it took me minutes to patch a tube by the road, and patches were reliable. I resumed patching bike tubes 5 years ago. Eventually, one came loose when I inflated the tube to test. I hadn't let the tube dry thoroughly after submerging it to find the leak. I let the tube dry and the second patch worked. Not long ago, I found a tiny leak under a patch I'd installed. That patch had been in service 2500 miles on rough roads. That was the first time I bought a tube to fix a leak.

My e-bike punctures have been small enough that I haven't had to do roadside patching, but the design of my Abound makes the prospect less daunting. The handlebar "post" is hinged, so I can lash the bars to the down tube, which gets all the stuff on them out of the way. If I remove the seat post, the back will rest on a rack 20" wide and 24" high. It's not hard to invert a 90-lb bike onto such a low, wide rack.

Almost every connector on the bike has a hex socket for H8 or smaller. I don't like the folding keys that came with the bike, but an ISO set is compact and works great. Other than that, I need an 18mm box or socket wrench. Why didn't they choose a more common size? The remaining hassle in removing the back wheel is snipping and replacing zip ties!

 

[fooferdoggie]

Why carry tubes? Sixty to seventy years ago, it took me minutes to patch a tube by the road, and patches were reliable. I resumed patching bike tubes 5 years ago. Eventually, one came loose when I inflated the tube to test. I hadn't let the tube dry thoroughly after submerging it to find the leak. I let the tube dry and the second patch worked. Not long ago, I found a tiny leak under a patch I'd installed. That patch had been in service 2500 miles on rough roads. That was the first time I bought a tube to fix a leak.

hard to patch tubes in the rain or at night and in the rain. I have screwed up tubs I have had new tubes leak. But even running tubeless, I carry one. and usually a patch kit.

 

[charlieboom-boom]

Why carry tubes? Sixty to seventy years ago, it took me minutes to patch a tube by the road, and patches were reliable. I resumed patching bike tubes 5 years ago. Eventually, one came loose when I inflated the tube to test. I hadn't let the tube dry thoroughly after submerging it to find the leak. I let the tube dry and the second patch worked. Not long ago, I found a tiny leak under a patch I'd installed. That patch had been in service 2500 miles on rough roads. That was the first time I bought a tube to fix a leak.

My e-bike punctures have been small enough that I haven't had to do roadside patching, but the design of my Abound makes the prospect less daunting. The handlebar "post" is hinged, so I can lash the bars to the down tube, which gets all the stuff on them out of the way. If I remove the seat post, the back will rest on a rack 20" wide and 24" high. It's not hard to invert a 90-lb bike onto such a low, wide rack.

Almost every connector on the bike has a hex socket for H8 or smaller. I don't like the folding keys that came with the bike, but an ISO set is compact and works great. Other than that, I need an 18mm box or socket wrench. Why didn't they choose a more common size? The remaining hassle in removing the back wheel is snipping and replacing zip ties!

About a year ago or so I bought a pair of "jack stands" for bicycles that clamp onto the handlebars. They are foldable and light weight and let you to be able to flip and stand a bike upside down without having to worry about breaking off accessories or controllers. They are lightweight and do not take up to much room in the tool kit bag. Since I started riding recumbent e-trikes which cannot be flipped upside down, the front wheels can be lifted up off the ground by putting the bike helmet under the frame. It is the rear wheel of a tadpole type trike or velomobile that is very hard to remove to fix a flat. It can be very difficult getting a rear hub motored wheel back into the dropout of the frame. Which is why I have made every effort I can to make the tires and tubes as flat proof as possible.

 

[sc00ter]

My emergency flat kit is my phone. I'll call someone, even a cab if needed, lock and leave the bike and come back with my wife's pickup. As far as I'll be from the house is 15 miles and if I call in telling my job I'm not coming in its no big deal. When I was much younger (bmx days) the 2 main things you carried in a seat bag were toilet paper and a spare inner tube. Looking back at this I find it funny, no one carried a pump! I always had a handful of quarters for gas station pumps in my seat bag but no way to otherwise fill a tube! Luckily no one ever seemed to get a flat. In my road bike days I had a compact Zefal pump that worked great. I forgot to pack it one evening after fixing a flat on the side of a 2 lane narrow road while bugs tore me up. I miss that pump. Yes, I ran tubes on my road bike.

 

[Mulezen]

I use Schwab AirPlus tubes…a bit thicker Than standard.
On my new Allant9.9s after a 1000 miles I replaced the wheels with new hubs, Swiss DT rims, and Schwabe Mondials…a higher grade. The carbon Allant was a new model and the hubs were problematic. @Alaskan advised the (expensive) hubs as replacements which is why I got the new wheels. The stock tires were fine…but these Mondials are great…9500+ miles on them with no flats and no end to the tread in sight. I ride in Central Virginia in the Piedmont, mostly chip-seal roads with a little gravel thrown in.

 

[Tommy Lyn]

Why carry tubes? Sixty to seventy years ago, it took me minutes to patch a tube by the road, and patches were reliable. I resumed patching bike tubes 5 years ago. Eventually, one came loose when I inflated the tube to test. I hadn't let the tube dry thoroughly after submerging it to find the leak. I let the tube dry and the second patch worked. Not long ago, I found a tiny leak under a patch I'd installed. That patch had been in service 2500 miles on rough roads. That was the first time I bought a tube to fix a leak.

My e-bike punctures have been small enough that I haven't had to do roadside patching, but the design of my Abound makes the prospect less daunting. The handlebar "post" is hinged, so I can lash the bars to the down tube, which gets all the stuff on them out of the way. If I remove the seat post, the back will rest on a rack 20" wide and 24" high. It's not hard to invert a 90-lb bike onto such a low, wide rack.

Almost every connector on the bike has a hex socket for H8 or smaller. I don't like the folding keys that came with the bike, but an ISO set is compact and works great. Other than that, I need an 18mm box or socket wrench. Why didn't they choose a more common size? The remaining hassle in removing the back wheel is snipping and replacing zip ties!

Respect for the patching skills! That is definitely a lost art. For me, carrying a spare is mostly about speed—I just want to swap it and get home ASAP, especially if the weather is bad.

But you are spot on about the 18mm nut and the zip ties! That is exactly the kind of hassle I meant. Cutting zip ties and managing the motor cable on the side of the road is just a pain compared to a regular bicycle quick-release.