Minimizing flats

[jcvdd]

Obviously, there is no such thing as no-flat tires, but what do you electric guys do in order to minimize flats.
As an old road cyclist, I have used the following-
Tire Slime sealant
Inner liner
high quality tubes
Puncture-resistant Tires and Tubes
increase tire pressure to maximum level & quality tire pressure gauge
avoid all areas subjected to construction debris such as nails & glass
high quality rim tape
always inspect tires before each ride
minimize riders weight, easier said than done
Convert to tubeless
Ride with your cellular and cash, just in case

Any other ideas    Joe Florida  Thanks

[Veggyhed]

Currently I'm running tanus armor on both my ebikes along with flat out. So far working extremely well.

See this YouTube video of various puncture  proofing methods of bicycle tires https://youtu.be/-X0y-2AsGRk

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[Eric7]

I think for Rad Bikes, minimizing weight will not affect things as much because the bikes are so heavy already.

One more idea is to carry a can of pressurized "fix a flat" type product for car tires.

[handlebar]

Obviously, there is no such thing as no-flat tires, but what do you electric guys do in order to minimize flats.
As an old road cyclist, I have used the following-
Tire Slime sealant
Inner liner
high quality tubes
Puncture-resistant Tires and Tubes
increase tire pressure to maximum level & quality tire pressure gauge
avoid all areas subjected to construction debris such as nails & glass
high quality rim tape
always inspect tires before each ride
minimize riders weight, easier said than done
Convert to tubeless
Ride with your cellular and cash, just in case

Any other ideas    Joe Florida  Thanks

valve tools
photos of axle connections from each side
vulcanizing patches
pump

From age 7 to 18, I rode 26x 1-3/8" English bicycles. At 14 I bought an antique. I put a speedometer on it and found that I rode 2,000 miles a year. I had typically one flat a year, fixable in minutes. I don't recall finding what caused a puncture. Lately I've read that inner tubes get brittle as they age. Maybe that was the cause.

From 18 to 48, I owned only motorcycles. I changed a lot of worn-out tires but never had a puncture. i think the round cross section of a well inflated bicycle or motorcycle tire, particularly the front tire, tends to knock pointy ends aside instead of being punctured.

My brother became a bicycle racer. Flats were routine due to the light construction of the tires. That construction also complicated repairs. Riding hundreds of miles a day, he must have been able to fix these tires by the road, but I don't know how he managed it.

In a year, I've ridden my Radrunner less than 1500 miles because most roads around here would be dangerous on a bike. I often ride on surfaces with glass and presumably nails to avoid traffic. I've had no puncture, and the only tire damage happened within 100 feet of my garage. Overnight, the pressure in the back had dropped to 6 psi. I quickly felt that the pressure was low. When I stopped with my weight on the saddle, the tire didn't look flat, but it had flexed enough to crack the sidewall.

Going from 20 down to 6 overnight was erratic, and soapy water didn't bubble anywhere. I replaced the valve core. Two days later, it went completely flat overnight. I cleaned the valve seat with a 4-way tool, then twisted in a cotton swab with a little silicone grease. It came out streaked with brown like oxidized brass. The erratic pressure losses continued. I removed the tube to check patiently for even one bubble underwater. I had removed the back wheel to install a fender, but this time I had trouble getting the pieces properly back on the bike. With photos, patching the tube could have been a roadside job.

There was no visible tube damage and no bubble. I figured the valve core hadn't been seated. I used a keyed valve cap to tighten it , then used a 4-way tool to tighten it further. The closeness of the spokes made that tool awkward. That reduced the leakage but didn't stop the incidents. Valve cores used to be torqued to 2 inch-pounds, which one could apply with a keyed valve cap. I discovered that the spec is now 5 inch-pounds, probably because valve seals are harder. I bought a screwdriver-type valve tool and sawed the handle short enough for the tool to fit between the valve and the rear hub. I discovered that even with the 4-way tool, I hadn't seated the valve seal. Finally, the leakage stopped.

Radpower says to check tire pressure every two weeks. Butyl tubes aren't porous, so it seems valve problems are common. Valve tools, including perhaps cotton swabs and silicone grease, may be necessary to prevent damage from underinflation.

I didn't know the proper pressure for my Radrunner. Before I bought it, I believe Radpower advertising recommended 20-30 psi. The Electric Bike Reviews guy told the sales rep that he'd reduced the pressure because that was too bumpy. When the president of the company rode him as a passenger, which vastly overloaded the back wheel, he said he had 18 psi.

The Radrunner manual warns against underinflation but doesn't specify the pressure. Huh? It says to inflate tires to the pressure on the sidewall. That was hard to find because it's under the reflective stripe. Usually, the pressure on a sidewall is the maximum, but these tires say "inflate to 30 psi."

It runs better than ever at 30 psi, and it will probably deflect puncture hazards better than ever. I can see why Radpower beats about the bush. The seating position is so bad that even with a suspension post and a big sprung seat, it would be terribly uncomfortable at 30 psi. Mine rides comfortably, but at that pressure I went airborne on a speed bump.

[Veggyhed]

I run 20 psi front and back on both my bikes. This is because I carry so much weight on my bikes.

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[MI_RadRover]

After nearly 1000 miles, I got my first rear flat on my Rad Rover.  Easy patch, but still had to take bike out of commission for couple days.  No freaking way I could patch a rear tire when on a trail, so I'm really interested in flat prevention/mitigation.  I am not sold on the Tannus Armor, so will go another way.  I used the video below for some helpful information.  I have placed on order two new 26x4 tires - Kenda Krusade Anti-puncture Tire, but they are on back order until end of March.  I just need to decide upon new heavy duty tubes, so if others have recommendation I am open to listen.  I also, based on the test results of the video below, I will plan to use Flat Out in my tires instead of Slime.  Wish me luck.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X0y-2AsGRk&t=595s

[Veggyhed]

Tannus Armor with Flat Out has really saved my butt

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[Eric7]

I am not related to the bicycle business in any way.

I put slime on my tubes.  I figure I will go on a gradual approach.  If I start to get flats, I will put on something more.  If I were to put on something more, I think I'll try some sort of lining because the puncture-proof tires, based on my experience, are just thicker rubber and I am looking for something tougher.  The slime is either working - or I have not gotten flats in my first 150 miles.

One thing I don't understand is why the lining is so expensive.  It seems to be just some harder polymer and I wonder if I can just make my own.  But I'll deal with that when it comes to it. 

[jcvdd]

My weight is 160 pounds, always ride on roadways and wondering which pressure I should use to maximize my ride and minimize my risk for flats.
I wonder if I can pressurize the tires over 30 pounds to the mid 30 range?
Are there any tubes in the 26 x 4 range that I can raise the pressure to over 30 pounds?

[Eric7]

To maximize your ride and to minimize flats are contradictory.

I think high pressure reduces rolling resistance - allowing to you go further on one charge.  I assume that is what you mean by maximize your ride.  I think people in the tour de france use pressures close to 80 or 100 psi.  Not suggesting you do the same but there are probably benefits up to that pressure.  Of course, you need tires that can handle such pressure.  They used to go to 120 psi but for some reason they don't do 120 psi anymore.

A blowout due to high inflation can really hurt you - don't try it. It can blow up in your face or fingers when you are inflating.  Also, when you are going at speed, suddenly losing pressure in your tire due to a blowout can kill you.  My CVT tires says 30 psi on the sidewall and that's what I use.

Lower pressure reduces flats.  But you can't have both high pressure and low pressure.  You can use slime or something similar inside the tube or use some armor tape outside the tube to reduce flats.

The tires, not the tubes, determine your maximum pressure so you higher pressure rated tires for higher pressure.

[jcvdd]

To maximize your ride and to minimize flats are contradictory.

I think high pressure reduces rolling resistance - allowing to you go further on one charge.  I assume that is what you mean by maximize your ride.  I think people in the tour de france use pressures close to 80 or 100 psi.  Not suggesting you do the same but there are probably benefits up to that pressure.  Of course, you need tires that can handle such pressure.  They used to go to 120 psi but for some reason they don't do 120 psi anymore.

A blowout due to high inflation can really hurt you - don't try it. It can blow up in your face or fingers when you are inflating.  Also, when you are going at speed, suddenly losing pressure in your tire due to a blowout can kill you.  My CVT tires says 30 psi on the sidewall and that's what I use.

Lower pressure reduces flats.  But you can't have both high pressure and low pressure.  You can use slime or something similar inside the tube or use some armor tape outside the tube to reduce flats.

The tires, not the tubes, determine your maximum pressure so you higher pressure rated tires for higher pressure.

Thanks, so what is the maximum pressure one can ride safely? Is it 30 or 33 or 27 ?

[Eric7]

Thanks, so what is the maximum pressure one can ride safely? Is it 30 or 33 or 27 ?
[/quote]

I have a Rad Mini Step Thru.  CST Big Boat Tire.  The sidewall says 30 PSI so that is all I am going to put in.  I am a road rider and I like it that way.

Are you running out of range?  I actually slowed down to enjoy the roses and I don't go much above 15 miles per hour after the initial thrill wore off and that wore off quickly.  Slowing down - to enjoy yourself not because you are trying to save the battery is quite enjoyable.  That also increased my range and I usually don't bike more than 2 hours and 30 miles.  So if you are like me, keep the pressure wherever you want for comfort.  If you have money, buy another battery and forget about efficiency.  Just a thought. 

I also carry a credit card and a ride-hailing appl on the phone.  If anything happens, I just hail a car and go home.

One thing I have learned, don't stress myself. Don't try to squeeze the last ounce of efficiency out of the bike.  We are all different - I thought I share.

Happy Trails

[Altema]

I'm fortunate to have no flats after 5000 miles on my RadMini, so I think I must have a guardian angel preventing them, lol. I have had Tannus Armour for the last 2000 miles, but mostly because they improve tire contact on bad pavement. I think something that helps is lower pressure. I usually run 15 PSI in the winter and 18 PSI in the summer, and have rolled over broken glass several times with no tire penetration. However, if there was a tire penetration, it would have to be longer than the depth of the tire liner in order to reach the tube. Tire sealants are a good safety catch, but make patching difficult or impossible.

[handlebar]

I'm fortunate to have no flats after 5000 miles on my RadMini, so I think I must have a guardian angel preventing them, lol. I have had Tannus Armour for the last 2000 miles, but mostly because they improve tire contact on bad pavement. I think something that helps is lower pressure. I usually run 15 PSI in the winter and 18 PSI in the summer, and have rolled over broken glass several times with no tire penetration. However, if there was a tire penetration, it would have to be longer than the depth of the tire liner in order to reach the tube. Tire sealants are a good safety catch, but make patching difficult or impossible.

I thought my problem must have been a valve because the tire could hold pressure for weeks, then lose a little or even go flat overnight. I bought new tubes. They're nominally 20 x 4 and laid out flat are the same size as the OEM ones. According to my caliper, the rubber is the same thickness. However, the new ones weigh more and feel more substantial.

After replacement, I inflated the old one and held it underwater, section by section. I've done it before, and the result was the same: no bubbles. The next day, I could see that the tube had lost air. Again, I added air and held it underwater. This time I found two leaks, an inch apart, where the center line of the tread would be.

Evidently, they are so small that they don't always leak. Apparently, riding could move the rubber enough to leave the holes leaking when I put the bike away for the night. They look too small even for a sewing needle, which would probably break instead of going through a tire tread. Besides, I've examined the inside of the casing. I think the OEM tubes are porous, and the leaks I finally found are from especially big bubbles. Movement of porous rubber might also explain why the front loses pressure much more slowly than in the first several weeks.

Latex rubber contains chemicals that can bubble in a mold. That makes it a challenge to manufacture tubes without much porosity. Cheap tubes are made of butyl rubber. Porosity isn't supposed to be a problem. In the past, I've found that they will maintain pressure indefinitely unless punctured.  I don't know why these OEM tubes are different.