Punctures

[astroeyes]

Hi All,
A little worried about punctures in the back wheel of my wife's new Batribike Granite, which has a rear wheel hub motor and a seven speed gear block, so it's pretty heavy.
Any one any experience of 'Slime' which is a puncture repairing gel you inject into the inner tube and it seals the puncture before the air escapes - apparently!?
All best,
David..

 

[Ettica]

Don't be too worried about rear wheel punctures. I've had a few over the years. I just pull the tube out from the tyre, find and repair puncture, check inside tyre for any sharp objects, put tube back.

On a couple of occasions when I've had to replace the tube all I've done is loosened the rear nuts and just lifted the wheel off the frame enough, on one side, just to get the tube out and the new tube in without actually taking the wheel 'off'.

As regards the Slime type products, I have used it a few times and it will seal small punctures but anything major it won't necessarily help.

 

[John F]

I worry a bit more about punctures with my new ebike.

Actually fixing it is easy - just carry a spare tube.

2 problems with my advancing years are:-

1) Actually inverting the heavy bike and
2) damaging the gear lever and display because they are higher than the bars (I have made a wood handlebar support for garage maintenance which solves this one) Maybe not the end of the world if you have nice soft earth to work on, otherwise I'll damage my bike

On the subject of punctures - how much faith can I put in my Kenda "puncture resistance" tyres?

 

[Streethawk]

The only puncture resistant tyres that are actually good at stopping punctures are Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Specialised Armadillos.

 

[KirstinS]

The only puncture resistant tyres that are actually good at stopping punctures are Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Specialised Armadillos.

I'm afraid I don't quite agree. M+ are anecdotally the best at this BUT I am a big fan of the continental travel contact which has not let me down yet.

I run M+ on rear and conti on front

I have alfine hub and find punctures such a pig to change that m+ are worth it

However I find conti faster , less rolling resistance and much better grip - especially on wet roads and in turns.

I'm at around 4000 mile mark on both - no punctures and I used to them regularly

Can't comment on the specialised

 

[Mike63]

how much faith can I put in my Kenda "puncture resistance" tyres?

Not a lot I'm afraid...like Streethawk says....it's 'gotta be SMPs.

...I would just add to Ettica's post, if you know where the puncture is, It's easy, just remove the tube adjacent to the "thorn", remove the "thorn" and replace the tube, easy peasy 10 minute job.

Mind you, It's easy for me to talk...I'm now running on easy fit Continentals on easy on/off wheels.

good luck....Mike

....I forgot to say "repair the puncture" ...but you knew that

 

[billadie]

"On the subject of punctures - how much faith can I put in my Kenda "puncture resistance" tyres?"

I don't remember which model they were but my bike came with Kenda tyres. Had only 1 puncture in 9000+ miles. In the end the tread stripped off both tyres, but still held air.

When the first -rear- one went I replaced it with a Marathon Plus. Despite running at 70 PSI the rolling resistance was much greater than the Kenda. When the front tyre went I fitted a CityJet instead, a much nicer tyre than the Marathon for road use. So far, neither have punctured in 2000 to 2500 miles.

I only bought Schwalbe because the LBS had nothing else, otherwise I would have stayed with Kenda.

 

[Eaglerider]

I seem to suffer quite a bit with punctures, mostly they are caused by thorns from hedge cutting activities, but also paper clips, nails and more. I've had about 12 or 13 punctures over around 2500 miles.

I did experiment with slime filled tubes. I can't say they were any more resistant to puncture than without. Slime can also complicate the repair process and make a mess, often all over your trousers. I think the process used by Slime in a tube type tyre is flawed and I wouldn't recommend its use except in tubeless tyres.

I think the best insurance against punctures is to practice fixing it at home. When you are familiar with getting the wheel out and back in, a front tube change is 5 minutes max. A rear, perhaps a couple of minutes extra.

 

[Streethawk]

I'm afraid I don't quite agree. M+ are anecdotally the best at this BUT I am a big fan of the continental travel contact which has not let me down yet.

I run M+ on rear and conti on front

I have alfine hub and find punctures such a pig to change that m+ are worth it

However I find conti faster , less rolling resistance and much better grip - especially on wet roads and in turns.

I'm at around 4000 mile mark on both - no punctures and I used to them regularly

Can't comment on the specialised

I guess we all have different experiences, I've had lots of punctures on the Continent Travel Contacts, but I do agree they roll better. Not sure about grip, that's very subjective.

It is worth noting that rear tyre punctures are much more common than front wheel ones, either it's the extra weight, or the front tyre is flicking up whatever is sharp into the path of the rear. Running the same tyres I seem to get three rear punctures to one front on average.

 

[awol]

This post made me realize I have no puncture repair kit so off I went to order one and stumbled across a product called panaracer flataway which claims to prevent punctures by lining the inside of the tyre and protecting the innertube with a kevlar type material, so am giving one a go on the rear motor wheel. Prevention is better than cure, or so they say.

 

[SarahJane]

Recent experience with the Kevlar liner (on a non-pedelec hybrid) suggests that it was actually causing slow punctures by abrading the inner tube. YMMV, of course!

 

[ghouluk]

seconded - stay away from the liners, they cause more problems than they solve.

the puncture proof tyres - especiallhy the specialised, add quite a lot of road noise and harshen the ride, so try and ride a bike with them before you buy.

 

[Hugh]

Recent experience with the Kevlar liner (on a non-pedelec hybrid) suggests that it was actually causing slow punctures by abrading the inner tube. YMMV, of course!

Seconded - I had a similar experience where the tube was being cut where the ends of the liner met. I reckon you need to get tyres with the liner built in if that's what you want.

I also second the anti-slime comments. Makes a mess and more trouble than it's worth. Better (IMHO) to have good tyres, properly inflated, and carry a spare tube (and tools!) in case of puncture.

 

[RobF]

As Hugh, ghoul and Sarah Jane says, steer clear of slime and liners.

The cyclists' obsession with punctures is mainly caused by roadies with narrow, lightweight tyres which puncture all the time.

An ebike with wide, decent quality tyres, properly inflated should rarely get a flat.

I have two-inch Marathon Superemes on the Rose and have yet to have a puncture.

 

[awol]

Another one of my reckless impulse buys !! Fair to say it's going straight back.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Recent experience with the Kevlar liner (on a non-pedelec hybrid) suggests that it was actually causing slow punctures by abrading the inner tube. YMMV, of course!

Yup. Complete waste of time. They make more punctures than they save.

 

[EddiePJ]

I seem to suffer quite a bit with punctures, mostly they are caused by thorns from hedge cutting activities, but also paper clips, nails and more. I've had about 12 or 13 punctures over around 2500 miles.

East Sussex and punctures must go hand in hand.

I had four punctures three weekends ago, then one last weekend.

Thankfully I didn't get any today, but only went along one bridleway which fortunately didn't have any hedges.

Edit... Don't do what I did the first time. I fixed the puncture and then rode off quite happily. Second puncture arrived, and it was then that I discovered that I had left my tyre levers where I had the first puncture. I found them eventually, but had trodden them into some mud, which is why I probably managed to leave them behind. I won't make that mistake again.

 

[John F]

What about inner tubes then? Will the cheapest suffice when I get the worlds most puncture resistant tyre? Or will the most efficient tube mean I can save some money on tyres?

 

[atheo]

If you don`t mind the heavy weight,how about Kenda Thornproof tubes,a real belt and braces job.