Ebike Rides Have More Punctures?

kitchenman

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 9, 2010
1,309
7
Aberaeron, West Wales
I would like to point out to prospective ebike owners that having an ebike may have some disadvantages to riding a normal bike. Take punctures for example. I suspect ebike riders have more punctures than the "normal" cyclist. Heres two reasons:
1. Love. Ebikes love their bikes so much they ride them all the time and wear out their tyres.
2. Speed. You will generally ride faster and be more susceptible to high speed pot hole impact punctures.

So, be prepared for incidents like this:

YouTube - CX700/PSP REAR CAM PUNCTURE INCIDENT
 

Norfolk Heatwave

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 6, 2011
15
0
Maybe weight of the bike won't help either.

I was thinking of buying a sealant puncture repair spray - does anyone have any tips or recommendations for the best brand for price/weight/effectiveness?

I have continental top contact tyres which supposedly have super-duper puncture protection - if anyone has any thoughts on these tyres I should appreciate the feedback.
 

morphix

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 24, 2010
2,163
119
Worcestershire
www.cyclecharge.org.uk
I'm glad I got my Marathon Plus tyres, they certainly give me confidence when I'm going on longer rides.. I think some form of puncture protection is a must for e-bikers because they generally travel much further than they might unassisted.. imagine getting a puncture miles away from home in an isolated place..every cyclists worse nightmare. Doesn't bear thinking about!
 

wharfitude

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 1, 2009
18
0
NR28
Is it just me or am I the only one who doesn't regard punctures as "evry cyclists worse nightmare". I've been fixing punctures by the side of the road for getting on for fifty years, and it's no big deal. Apart from anything else it happens much more rarely now than in the sixties, due to better tyre materials I imagine. And with a bit of luck it won't be raining, there will be a nice grassy bank to sit on and the whole job will only take twenty minutes or so. On the road I try and locate the thorn or nail or whatever and just extract that section of the tyre. A proper job can be done back at home if necessary.

I can recommend VAR tyre levers, which I think have been mentioned in the forum before. They weigh hardly anything and are miles better than the usual sort.
 

kitchenman

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jul 9, 2010
1,309
7
Aberaeron, West Wales
Is it just me or am I the only one who doesn't regard punctures as "evry cyclists worse nightmare".
I think it has to do with getting my hands dirty. I must get myself a pair of morphix's latex gloves and add them to my checklist.
This was a bad one. You can hear the tyre noise just prior to the bang. I actually like punctures now as it provides an opportunity to make another interesting video.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,850
30,402
Is it just me or am I the only one who doesn't regard punctures as "evry cyclists worse nightmare". I've been fixing punctures by the side of the road for getting on for fifty years, and it's no big deal.
It's a generation thing it seems, like you I've been fixing roadside punctures for decades and think of it as routine. I do have the advantage of repairing huge numbers of punctures in the years I was in the trade from 1950 on though. Marathon Plus tyres in recent years have relieved me of much of that, but trailer tyres still puncture regularly, particularly the nearside one.
My puncture frequency record is three separate punctures in a less than six mile trip, bike front wheel and both trailer wheels!
.