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Fed Up with Flats

Old 08-21-22, 05:16 PM
  #26  
Mtracer
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500 miles in several years suggests you do not ride often. If that is true, tubeless might NOT be your best choice becasue the sealant will dry out and if you're not riding and checking the sealant regularly, it will likely be useless when you do need it. I'd go with tire liners, heavy-duty tubes and Slime or similar tube sealant. If that doesn't work for you, then I'd go with the foam inserts, tubes and sealant. Heck, maybe even tire liners still. On an ebike, there's little reason to be concerned with extra weight or added rolling resistance.

Regardless of what approach you take, check the tires after/before every ride to remove any thorns or similar. The idea is to pull things out that might not yet have worked their way through the tire.
The fact that you have had a bad stretch of flats, could also just be down to bad luck. Could be as simple as a box of roofing nails dropped from a truck and you're passing through them in the same place on your regular route.

Also, carry a handful of CO2 cartridges and filler valve. These can be quick to fill a tire and a lot less work than using a pump. If the leak is slow enough, you can complete your ride and deal with the leak at home, rather than the side of the road.
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Old 08-22-22, 09:32 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by skycyclepilot
Actually, the tires are Schwalbe Super Moto X, and I'm not sure where you got the idea that I want to be "cheap". I'm just not sure which of the many solutions out there is right for where I ride and what is causing my flats. I ride on a full width paved shoulder, and the flats appear to be the result of hitting nails, brads, screws, etc. Usually, I see nothing, but hear the air go out quickly, and find a single puncture, but I never find the thing that caused the hole! And, I air the tires up to 55 PSI before every ride - that's the maximum rated pressure for my tires.
You made allusions to it things like too expensive that will actually be functional and "not wanting to break the bank" that is usually a decent sign. Would be curious what is causing the flats because you haven't seen anything causing the puncture. You might run a slightly lower pressure as maybe the max pressure is more than you need.

Also most actual highways don't allow for pedestrians and mopeds so not sure where you are riding on major highways that allow for that? Also not sure why you would want to ride on a highway anyway, that doesn't sound like a pleasant ride. There is a ton of flat causing stuff on highways and it is loud and fast and nasty. You do you but I would rather find some different roads to ride on unless I was commuting and had to take a small section and it was legal and even then I would try and find alternatives.
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Old 08-22-22, 09:37 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
You made allusions to it things like too expensive that will actually be functional and "not wanting to break the bank" that is usually a decent sign. Would be curious what is causing the flats because you haven't seen anything causing the puncture. You might run a slightly lower pressure as maybe the max pressure is more than you need.

Also most actual highways don't allow for pedestrians and mopeds so not sure where you are riding on major highways that allow for that? Also not sure why you would want to ride on a highway anyway, that doesn't sound like a pleasant ride. There is a ton of flat causing stuff on highways and it is loud and fast and nasty. You do you but I would rather find some different roads to ride on unless I was commuting and had to take a small section and it was legal and even then I would try and find alternatives.
Regarding the "cheap" comment - fair enough. I ride on the full width paved shoulder of a divided highway. That's legal here. I prefer that to the only other option in my area - riding in the traffic lane of two lane highways with no shoulder and 55 MPH speed limits that are routinely ignored. That seems crazy dangerous to me, especially considering how people drive around here.
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Old 08-22-22, 09:50 AM
  #29  
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Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires along with tire liners stopped my flats. And the Karma Gods hate ebikes :-).
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Old 08-22-22, 09:52 AM
  #30  
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I don't know where you live but I cannot imagine it is all just highways and no regular city or country roads or places nearby to ride. Maybe that is the case but it just seems odd. I mean are there paved trails anywhere nearby assuming of course you would be on a bicycle and not a moped or at least not using the moped function?
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Old 08-22-22, 10:55 AM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by skycyclepilot
I run the tires at maximum pressure, always.
There is no reason to run the tires at max pressure unless you are very heavy. Look up the proper inflation pressure for your weight. It's likely to be much lower than you imagined.
Too high a pressure could cause more punctures.
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Old 08-22-22, 12:57 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by icemilkcoffee
There is no reason to run the tires at max pressure unless you are very heavy. Look up the proper inflation pressure for your weight. It's likely to be much lower than you imagined.
Too high a pressure could cause more punctures.
Oh, okay. I weigh 195 to 200, dressed to ride, and the bike weighs 75 with the stuff I have loaded on it. I'll look it up!
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Old 08-22-22, 01:55 PM
  #33  
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Looking at the heat maps around you it seems that some are happy cycling on many of the 2 lane country roads around you. Local bike shops and clubs should be a wealth of information about where others ride their bikes. And being near Lexington KY, I'd think there'd be plenty of LBS's and clubs.

Shoulders of 4 lane highways are probably full of tire hazards as are ours down here. 55 mph traffic of any sort tends to blow all the bad stuff from the traffic lanes into the shoulder.
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Old 08-22-22, 02:00 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Iride01
Looking at the heat maps around you it seems that some are happy cycling on many of the 2 lane country roads around you. Local bike shops and clubs should be a wealth of information about where others ride their bikes. And being near Lexington KY, I'd think there'd be plenty of LBS's and clubs.

Shoulders of 4 lane highways are probably full of tire hazards as are ours down here. 55 mph traffic of any sort tends to blow all the bad stuff from the traffic lanes into the shoulder.
I've ridden many miles on those country roads. It is not safe. There are many bike shops in Lexington, and I've been to all of them, but they are a seventy mile round trip away, so I don't got over there very often.
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Old 08-22-22, 02:15 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by skycyclepilot
I've ridden many miles on those country roads. It is not safe. There are many bike shops in Lexington, and I've been to all of them, but they are a seventy mile round trip away, so I don't got over there very often.
Well there must be a lot of people getting run over on their bicycles there as someone sure is doing a lot of cycling on them. But I don't see any heat maps showing people riding on the four lane roads there.

I'd be more leery of the 4 lane highways shoulder or no shoulder. I've seen the amount of traffic on them up there.
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Old 08-22-22, 02:28 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Iride01
Well there must be a lot of people getting run over on their bicycles there as someone sure is doing a lot of cycling on them. But I don't see any heat maps showing people riding on the four lane roads there.

I'd be more leery of the 4 lane highways shoulder or no shoulder. I've seen the amount of traffic on them up there.
All it takes is one impatient driver - and this area is full of them - not seeing you, and you get hit from behind before you know it. If you're comfortable with that risk, great. I'm not - and I have almost three hundred hours flying ultralight aircraft.
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Old 08-22-22, 02:53 PM
  #37  
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However when I decided to quit riding the streets in the neighborhoods a long time ago, I was a little unsure how safe I'd be on the country roads outside the city where I live. Turned out they weren't a problem at all.

IMO, You'll stand a better chance encountering that crazy driver on a busy road. You'll be surprised how often people swerve into the shoulder just from inattention.

And generally, I feel that the safer routes to ride are the routes that other cyclists ride. And the heat maps show where that is.

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Old 08-22-22, 03:36 PM
  #38  
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I cleaned up the thread. Let’s avoid the arguments please.
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Old 08-22-22, 03:55 PM
  #39  
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+1 on letting a little air out of your tires. Believe it or not, I'd be trying 35 psi in front and 45 psi in the rear as a starting point. When the tires are softer and spreading out the load over a wider area, they can shrug off sharp things a lot easier.
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