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

[ebikeerwidnes]

Word of warning

our folder has different nuts on the front and back wheels so you need different spanners for each

I presume this is due to the hub motor on the back

but it does mean you need extra tools in your bag which comes as a bit of a surprise when you get a flat on the road and only have the one you used last time which is - naturally - for the other wheel!!

so - just basically - have a go on both n a sunny in the back garden before you go on a long ride in the rain!

 

[JonBuoy]

There's an image on the Tenways help page showing the cable location - it appears to be partly hidden within the chainstay, but is easily exposed for disconnection simply by pulling it out a bit so it's not as difficult as the linked review implies.
View attachment 796002

You have to remove a cover to get to that stage:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACd2eTtzzVc

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

People say "get decent puncture resistnt tyres"

Yes - help a lot

but the last puncture I had was a 3 inch screw then managed to to got right through the side wall and out the other side

Only the Gods know how that managed to happen on a canal path but there you go

and no puncture resistant tyre would have stopped it

unless you have those inserts - but rumour has it that the feel is rubbish

One year I did check my tyres and remove 7 thorns and 2 slivers of metal from them - none had caused a problem in the Marathons

 

[albion]

Actually, kevlar amd other materials are stronger than steel. My tyres are quite heavy and certainly seem thorn and glass proof.
It is hard to avoid glass here plus I always seem to pass farmers hedge cutting.
Lighter tyres do not use kevlay protection on sidewalls.

Some tyres claim 'steel puncture protection' but maybe that is simply the Chinese use term for the aramid type materials used. The material no doubt just needs to be the correct thickness for 'steel' protection.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Actually, kevlar amd other materials are stronger than steel. My tyres are quite heavy and certainly seem thorn and glass proof.
It is hard to avoid glass here plus I always seem to pass farmers hedge cutting.
Lighter tyres do not use kevlay protection on sidewalls.

Some tyres claim 'steel puncture protection' but maybe that is simply the Chinese use term for the aramid type materials used. The material no doubt just needs to be the correct thickness for 'steel' protection.

That old Kevlar vs Steel comparison is BS. Strength isn't equal to strength unless you know what you're comparing. There's compressive, tensile, torsional and bending strength. Weight for weight, Kevlar outperforms steel only in tensile strength and tensile strength is not what you're after when providing puncture protection.

Since puncture protection is the issue, let's consider this little thought experiment.

Take a small sheet of CroMo steel, say, 6 inches by six inches and about 0.3mm thick. Weight is about 250g.

Now take a similar size sheet of woven kevlar (weft and weave, which is the only way to get a flat surface with Kevlar since it is a fibre) which equates to 7.7mm in thickness. Place the steel sheet/tile on your thigh and stab it with an awl. using X Force. How safe did you feel?
Now stab, with the same force, the kevlar sheet with an awl. Do you think the awl will penetrate? Yes it will, because tensile strength does not prevent sharp objects from finding a pathway between woven fibres.

When penetrative forces are considered, steel is superior to kevlar by a big factor.

Kevlar is an excellent replacement for steel beads in tyres but a poor puncture protector and a leads to high rolling resistance.

Both Kevlar and its derivative (often used in tyres) Vectran, can be formed in almost monolithic sheets but even so, it is more like felt or paper, not uniform like steel or glass. Penetration is always a problem for these "strong" materials because they only offer tensile strength. Penetration is prevented by hardness, compressive strength, density, work hardening, plastic deformation and load spreading.

Puncture protection in tyres is purely a function of material thickness and it matters very little what that material is. All , tough, pliable materialswill work but they increase rolling resistance massively. A very good example of that is a PVC liner. Excellent at preventing punctures because the material is thick and tough. But damn, does it make pedalling difficult!

 

[albion]

I used kevlar as a generic term. Only so called 'premium tyres' pay for kevlar, though 'aramid' will have similar properties.
My tyres apparently use a patented polyester belt. Whatever, they work incredibly well for me.

 

[froze]

I'm 74 years old; I've been doing this method of tube repair since I was 8 years old...whenever possible, and most of the time it is possible.

All you do is remove about half of the bead on one side of the tire with the hold in the middle of that section. Then pull out about a fourth of the tube with the hole in the center of that section. Do the usual patch method and put it back together again. With this method most of the time you don't have to remove the wheel off the bike.

I would say about 75% of the time I can find the hole in the tire that the leak came from.

This method was taught to me by a 50ish year-old neighbor back when I was 8 years old, and he told me that's how most people fixed their flats. It is now a lost "art", when I show people how to do this, they are astonished.

Regardless, it is wise to know how to remove the wheel off of an E-Bike while on the road so you can fix the flat.

 

[albion]

Today it was the folding electric for a 45 mile round trip to Belsay Hall and Gardens.
Having just had to change a rear tube with a leaky valve this time a thorn penetrated.
It was quite an easy fix in situ. I am tempted to install a roll of kevlar protector. Just maybe PVC tape on top will smooth out the edges, and maybe the much lower pressure of 20" will help too.
I had to resort to an instant patch. They are usually unreliable as a long term fix but I am wondering if the lower pressure in the tyres makes any difference too.

 

[cyberknight]

someone at work had a flat and left the bike in the shed for 2 days , they had to resort to getting the tyre off whilst the wheel was still connected to the bike and fixing the punctures .

 

[albion]

I did that for my home inner tube change recent.
Getting a thorn puncture, a self sticking patch worked for my week in Fleetwood. But Monday it failed on my ride to the station for my week in Filey.
I fixed it on the train journey, this time having new glue. So I am not expecting further problems. In-situ is the sociable way to fix punctures on a train, and on the 20" wheel it felt almost as simple as for a road bike with quick release wheels.

Note, solo, I tend to release the whole tube when searching for a puncture.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

someone at work had a flat and left the bike in the shed for 2 days , they had to resort to getting the tyre off whilst the wheel was still connected to the bike and fixing the punctures .

This works fine - as I said up this thread my first ebike was hard wired in

but you could loosen bith nuts on the rear wheel and get it off if you tipped it up a bit
a faff - but perfectly possible

modern ones should have a way of disconnecting it easily
like I said "should"

 

[albion]

The bit through the axle nut is hard wired. Normally the cable will have a push connector on the chain stay. I would then snip the cable tie for ease. Still a big faff and why I have not yet tried putting in my tyre liner.

 

[cyberknight]

This works fine - as I said up this thread my first ebike was hard wired in

but you could loosen bith nuts on the rear wheel and get it off if you tipped it up a bit
a faff - but perfectly possible

modern ones should have a way of disconnecting it easily
like I said "should"

im still running quick release non motorised thankfully

 

[albion]

Well, after a 3rd thorn puncture on my 20" hub motor wheel I have finally taped in a tyre liner.
With two of the punctures it was also impossible to remove the whole thorn, too little protruding to be pushed back up, with zero evidence on top !

Early days but hopeful, especially with low pressure and the tape to tame the liner edge. I do fairly high mileage so a result is certainly needed.

 

[Gwylan]

Front wheel is relatively easy. Depends what fixing you have.
Last one was an Allen key. Bad news was that the numpty at LCS had chewed up the socket. Took an age to get off.

Rear wheel is a veritable pain.
Release the belt adjustment thingie. Release the belt tension
Find the spanner for the rear wheel bolt
Remember to release the sundry cables.
Oops, should have taken the battery and the bag on the handlebars off.
Remove back wheel.
Faff about, fix puncture.
Repaired wheel reinstalled with a new set of expletives.
Ah! But, you need to find that little gizmo to reset the brake pistons.
Oh and tension the belt. Easy, just tune it with the app.
Then of course reconnect all the electricals
What can go wrong?
Decent tyres help keep this faffing about to a minimum