Fixing punctures on e-bikes - is it a problem?

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This Wreckage

Active Member
I'm considering replacing my manual Gazelle Esprit belt drive bike with a similar e-bike at around the £2000 mark. I am considering the Tenways CGO800S; one positive review states:
changing a puncture on the rear wheel would not be a job for home. First it’s a belt drive, so you’ll require some knowhow of tensioning those in replacing the wheel, but more so because the rear hub motor’s cabling seats within the chainstay with a connector apparently buried. That’s not a home DIY task
I can fix punctures on my current belt driven bike, but it seems that the motor connector position rules out DIY repairs. How is that to be solved 15 miles from home? Is this a problem common to electric bikes?
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
Photo Winner
I've no experience of ebikes, but it is possible to patch a tube in situ without removing the wheel - pull out the tube whilst still attached at the valve, glue a patch, replace.

Alternatively, special linear inner tubes are available which allow swapping the tube without removing the wheel. I think that's what I would do rather than risk being stranded.

https://gaadi.de/en/

I guess it's an issue for all hub drive bikes, but more or less severe depending on the cabling and drivetrain.

If you want to avoid the issue completely, a mid drive ebike would presumably do that.
 

All uphill

Still rolling along
Location
Somerset
My ebike is conventional in that it has mid-drive, QR and a chain, but I still dread fixing a puncture by the roadside just because of the weight of the thing.

I know I should practice at home, but, but, but...
 

Dadam

Über Member
Location
SW Leeds
Depends on the bike but I'd say it's not a common problem on electric bikes. Most hub drive bikes like my Orbea Gain have a connector plug on the motor cable, so it's a case of pulling this out to remove the wheel, then reconnecting it. It's a minor extra faff compared to a normal bike or a mid-drive. There's a plastic cover for the cable under the chainstay. I've done it out on a ride before with no issue. I also did it in the car park at work once. Sometimes the plugs can be a bit stiff to remove, especially if they've not been disconnected in a while so I grease mine with some silicone.

Some more modern bikes like the more recent version of the Orbea have a magnetic power connector so you can just remove and replace the wheel as normal.

Some cheapo bikes, conversions and older e-bikes have a wired connection with no plug. These would be a pain, so you'd have to patch the tube in situ, or use a "Gaadi" sausage style tube. Or go tubeless.

If I was interested in that bike I'd be looking for opinions of owners not that review. What does the Tenways manual say? I've no confidence in that reviewer who said this:
All this said, it’s no bad thing to have a professional mechanic handle your servicing anyway.
Servicing the motor maybe but fixing a puncture!?? :wacko: Ridiculous.

Personally I'd avoid a bike with no plug or an inaccessible one. Do you need a belt drive? I know they're relatively maintenance free but wiping and oiling a chain every week or two isn't much of a hardship.
 
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