Is Rear Hub Drive Prone to Rear Tire Flats?

[JGcycle]

Before I got a mid drive bike, I had a rear hub drive bike. During the two years that I rode the hub drive bike, I had four flat tires--all on the rear tire. I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this rear flat bias on hub drive bikes, or was my experience just a coincidence?

 

[fooferdoggie]

Cheap tires are a lot of it.

 

[Chargeride]

Where they pinch flats/snake bites or punctures?

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I’ve only had a few flats. Then I got Tannus armor inserts. Only one flat in 4 years.

I imagine fat tire bikes get flats more often due to their large contact to the street. I have 2.4” wide tires and feel like I miss a lot of debris.

That’s another thing. Where are you doing your riding? That matters a lot too.

 

[JGcycle]

Where they pinch flats/snake bites or punctures?

One pinch flat and four punctures.

 

[JGcycle]

Cheap tires are a lot of it.

I was running Schwalbe Green Marathons.

 

[JGcycle]

I’ve only had a few flats. Then I got Tannus armor inserts. Only one flat in 4 years.

I imagine fat tire bikes get flats more often due to their large contact to the street. I have 2.4” wide tires and feel like I miss a lot of debris.

That’s another thing. Where are you doing your riding? That matters a lot too.

I was running 2.15" wide tires mostly on pavement, with occasional hardpack and gravel.

 

[Chargeride]

One pinch flat and four punctures.

I only got pinch flats, cured it with a lot more tyre pressure

 

[Chazmo]

Hey, JG. I have run 4”x26 CST (stock) tires (tubed) on my Juiced RipCurrent S for over 3000 miles and honestly very little wear as well. I run them at around 30PSI. I’ve been extremely lucky with no punctures (I’m sure I’m jinxing myself now). These tires are NOT foldable, and have the most challenging beads I’ve ever seen. I have yet to figure out if that’s relevant to the puncture-resistance/quality formula.

I spend part of my time on the road, but as much as possible I ride gravel paved or dirt trails. Roots, stones, and dog poo seem to have no ability to puncture. Oh, and yeah… Powerful, rear hub drive.(although I always pedal and rarely overdo the assist.

I think what you’re seeing is coincidence or, as foofer said, simply due to quality of the tires.

 

[Chargeride]

I ended up with an innertube where the valve had moved three inches from its original position and stretched in a sausage shaped extension.
Due to tyre creep on the rim.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I ended up with an innertube where the valve had moved three inches from its original position and stretched in a sausage shaped extension.
Due to tyre creep on the rim.

This is exactly why I would never ride a bike with a flat, especially on the hub motor. Rear or Front. When I got a flat on my rear hub wheel, my buddy asked why I pushed the bike home instead of riding the throttle. I explained that, due to the lack of air in the tire, there is no more tension from the tube to the rim and that if the rim spins faster than the tire, the tube will slide in the rim and may sever the schrader valve. He told me I was pretty smart to think that. Honestly, I read that somewhere else and the info was fresh. I'm pretty good at learning from observation. So I heeded that warning. I guess this is also something to check often if you regularly run low PSI.

 

[PedalUma]

The hub-drives have more weight on that wheel so something pointy will have more pressure on it. The front kicks it up and the rear hits it.

 

[JGcycle]

This is exactly why I would never ride a bike with a flat, especially on the hub motor. Rear or Front. When I got a flat on my rear hub wheel, my buddy asked why I pushed the bike home instead of riding the throttle. I explained that, due to the lack of air in the tire, there is no more tension from the tube to the rim and that if the rim spins faster than the tire, the tube will slide in the rim and may sever the schrader valve. He told me I was pretty smart to think that. Honestly, I read that somewhere else and the info was fresh. I'm pretty good at learning from observation. So I heeded that warning. I guess this is also something to check often if you regularly run low PSI.

I typically run my tires just a bit under the max recommended pressure.

 

[JGcycle]

The hub-drives have more weight on that wheel so something pointy will have more pressure on it. The front kicks it up and the rear hits it.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[indianajo]

Thin street tires IMHO are prone to flats. Last one I had went flat at 700 miles, street junk puncture. I run knobbies, and change them out when the knobs go under 3/32" tall. Usually less than one flat per 2000 mile year. I am also careful to reseat the rim if the schrader valve starts tipping sideways. I have already filed out any barb in the hole on the rim that came from the factory. $300 rims have no such barb. $2 rims on cheapo bikes do.

 

[Chargeride]

Dirt bikes have a clamp that holds the tire in place for low pressure riding.
Theres another hole for it in the rim opposite to the valve.
I dont know of any such clamps for bicycle tires.

 

[PCeBiker]

You could glue your tire beads to the rim??

On my first ebike, if I got a fat tire, the tire would fall off the rim after a few rotations, then get jammed in the frame (chainstay).

So I wouldn't be able to ride it, or push it, without skidding the rear tire all the way home.

I never had a flat in almost 5000 km but I've got Tannus inserts, Mr Tuffy tire liners, and half a liter of Flat-Out Sportsman Formula in both tires.

PS,.. the chainstay wasn't invented to keep the chain to stay where it is.
It's there to connect the rear wheel to your ass,..
So my tire would get caught it the rear wheelstay.

A bicycle doesn't need a chain to be considered a bicycle.
But it does need two wheels that need to stay where they're supposed to be,..

 

[PedalUma]

I love the new Hurricane tires with double green guard. I have one bike that will ride from coast-to-coast bikepacking with them. The goal is to do all 3,500 miles, loaded with camping equipment, without a single flat, on mostly gavel. The bike is badass. The mid-drive peaks at 864 watts.

 

[Gionnirocket]

This is exactly why I would never ride a bike with a flat, especially on the hub motor. Rear or Front. When I got a flat on my rear hub wheel, my buddy asked why I pushed the bike home instead of riding the throttle. I explained that, due to the lack of air in the tire, there is no more tension from the tube to the rim and that if the rim spins faster than the tire, the tube will slide in the rim and may sever the schrader valve. He told me I was pretty smart to think that. Honestly, I read that somewhere else and the info was fresh. I'm pretty good at learning from observation. So I heeded that warning. I guess this is also something to check often if you regularly run low PSI.

Flock that! ... Twice I've gotten a rear flat +5 miles from home and I rode that biAtch all the way home via throttle.
Both times it was crazy hot and humid. No damage to the rim. Both times I replaced the tube but the tire was fine.
That said I'm not that heavy, 160lbs and I rode standing up leaning as far forward as possible and the bikes were mid_drives.
ymmv

 

[PCeBiker]

I love the new Hurricane tires with double green guard. I have one bike that will ride from coast-to-coast bikepacking with them. The goal is to do all 3,500 miles, loaded with camping equipment, without a single flat, on mostly gavel. The bike is badass. The mid-drive peaks at 864 watts.
View attachment 199860

I dunno dude??

I bought a 29" double gaurd Hurricane tire and installed it on a new wheel.
(At least I think it's double green guard? I don't speak German. )

That's as far as I got and it has never seen the pavement,.. or gravel.
But I did notice how super light and floppy it felt installing it compared to my Shwalbe Super Moto-X tires,..

I honestly was afraid to even try it for fear of popping it with my 90 pound ebike.
It does have a wire bead, but I dunno??
I'm afraid to leave the house with it, let alone ride it across the continent. Lol