Newcomer with Puncture Problems

[Graham D]

I am retired and live in the lovely Scottish Borders. Three weeks ago, after a fair bit of research, I bought a Volt Metro folding bike which is really excellent for my purposes. It easily fits into the boot of my Ford Fiesta so I can go off somewhere and have a few hours exploring the countryside. I just love it!

However, I am having a problem with it and I would appreciate any advice from other members. I have ridden 300 km on country roads so far had 4 punctures whilst doing that. This has meant that wife has had to come and rescue me from the last three rides as it’s not too easy for me to repair the punctures at the side of the road.

Each time I have checked carefully and there seems to be no sign of any thorns or other things getting through the tyre – indeed, there is no sign of anything. The puncture always seems to be on the inside of the tube rather than the sides or outside. There doesn't seem to be any sharp spoke ends or anything obvious on the inside of the wheel. The bike came with 20” x 1.75” CST Kevlar City tyres.

After researching a bit more, I thought the problem might be solved if I used Slime in the tyres so replaced the front tube with a Slime tube. As the rear wheel is more difficult to remove, the dealer (who is 40 miles away from me) replaced the tube after the first puncture with a Schwalbe tube. I then used a bottle of Slime for that. On the next two rides I had a punctures in both front and rear tyres. Obviously the Slime didn’t work.

I realise that, with this bike, there is a lot of weight on such a small wheels - particularly the rear one but, is it usual to get so many punctures with an electric bike when there seems to be nothing obvious causing them?

My next thought is to invest in Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. I would have thought with those and Slime in the tubes the chances of punctures would surely be lessened. The problem doesn't seem to be the tyres though.

Can anyone offer any advice at all? It’s got to the point where I’m scared to travel too far from home in case I get what seems to be the inevitable puncture. Am I just unlucky?

Graham

 

[JohnCade]

The Marathon Plus will probably do the trick. I use them at near maximum pressure of 80 psi which keeps the sides well away from most sharp things. Also helps with rolling resistance and handling at the expense of a firmer ride. There isn't much puncture resistance at the sides of kevlar belted tyres, it's only in the middle.

If you search here most people who use them rate them, and most people who have used the slime stuff don't think much of it. If it's both tyres it must be something from outside, like hedge trashing leaving stuff on the road or something like that.

 

[Kinninvie]

If tje puncture is on the inside and you cant feel anything I suggest you buy a roll of rim tape and remove the stuff thats on then redo it.
It may be that the current tape is nipping the tubes.

 

[RobF]

Buy a decent track pump if you don't have one so you can run at fairly high pressures.

My AVE is 20" on Schwalbe balloon tyres.

I have about 60psi in the back, a few psi less in the front - no punctures so far.

I'm not sure if you can get Marathon Plus in 20", but Schwalbe's most puncture resistant tyre in your size should do the trick.

 

[eHomer]

I can confirm that Marathon Plus is available in 20", I have one on the front (motor) wheel of my Hase trike.

I agree with the previous comments though, if you keep getting punctures on the inner edge of the tube, the part that's inside the wheel rim, then your problem is either spokes (which you've already said no to), rim tape (which was already mentioned), or the tube is not sitting properly inside the tyre when inflated by being caught under the bead of the tyre.

I would be inclined to change the tube, rather than repairing it, and inflate it very carefully to ensure it's seated properly.

If it still punctures again on the inside edge, mark the tube and wheel together carefully before you remove it, so that you can find the exact spot on the rim where the tube was punctured.

Being unlucky with punctures is a real worry if you travel many miles away from base. My wife can't drive, so I have no free "recovery" service !

 

[JohnCade]

He said he had punctures in both tyres though. So it may be that there is something on his usual route or his tyre pressures are too low.

 

[D C]

The puncture always seems to be on the inside of the tube rather than the sides or outside.

Graham

This points to the rim being the cause rather than the road and if so, puncture resistant tyres whilst worth having for on road use won't be the answer.
I think it would be worth removing tyre, tube and rim tape and thoroughly checking for anything sharp on the rim itself.
Also pull the rim tape gently through your fingers to check there's noting sharp caught in it.
Sometimes carefully and slowly running fingers round the inside of the rim can find a rough bit better than eyesight but careful with the spoke holes as they can have sharp edges.
Also check you aren't pushing the rim tape slightly off the spoke holes when re-fitting tube and tyre as that will allow the edge of the spoke hole to puncture the tube
Forgive the silly question but you do have rim tape? I once forgot to put it back in with the inevitable result!
Dave.

 

[Graham D]

Thanks for your replies which are all very helpful. There is rim tape on the wheels, but I did think it looks pretty sharp at the edges. That may indeed be the cause of the problem. Can you recommend a good rim tape? Is Schwalbe high pressure tape good?
Graham

 

[Gringo]

Several things spring to mind here,
first up is in all my years of collecting punctures, I've always been able to see what caused them.
if your tyres go down quickly, you could be looking at a pinch puncture from bumping curbs or stones with to low a tyre pressure.
Or do they go down slowly,
I had a friend who for quite some time needed to pump up his tyres before every ride and sometime during the ride !
It turned out he was nipping the tube against the tyre with his leavers, sometimes making a new hole but more often just weakening the tube so I would go down later. When I showed him the problem, his tyres stayed up

 

[D C]

A more "rubbery" tape could be best, I've even used soft plastic insulation tape without problem in the past, not one for the purists though.
Dave.

 

[eHomer]

Yes, I guess purists might cry down the use of plastic tape, but I have to admit that I've used it a couple of times when I didn't have the correct rim tape to replace a bad condition one.

It worked perfectly though, and the only real downside that I can imagine is the need to remove and replace it all in the event of changing a spoke, rather than just lifting the rim tape off.

As for always finding the cause of the puncture, yes I'd agree with that too, though one nearly eluded me where a thorn had just penetrated a non-kevlar tread and then worn off smooth on the outside. It was very sharp and only the very tip protruded through, so it could only just be felt, and needed a magnifying glass to see it.

 

[Twangman]

You seem to be unlucky I have had just 2 punctures in the 2 years I have had my Volt Metro and until recently was using the same tyres, now swapped them for a set of Big Apple 20" x 2" balloon tyres. The last puncture I had was a thorn through the side wall of the front CST tyre.

 

[Graham D]

Hello.
A few months have passed by now. I just thought I should give an update.
Following your advice, I purchased good Schwalbe tubes, Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres (20" x 1.75) and re-taped the rims carefully with Velox cloth tape. Since then I have cycled well over 1000 km with no punctures. The Marathon Plus use 70 psi whereas the CST tyres maximum was 45 psi which may be helping things. My confidence is restored! + I like the feel of the Marathon Plus tyres. Thanks for all your advice.
Graham