How do you fix a puncture

Im with Soundwave on this, Tubeless is the way to go.

 

Because its self sealing you can hammer a nail in to your tyre, pull it out and in seconds its sealed itself.

 

 

Thanks for reply. I have heard stories of air getting into the brakes and having to bleed brakes after bikes being upside down which puts me off upgrading to hydraulic brakes. Is this a regular or a rare occurrence?

Urban myth, its pretty much a sealed unit.

 

Shimano make good hydraulics, but currently some of their calipers have been suffering from micro leaks, so if you buy shimano, if you initially find they squeal and lose power, take them back to where you got them from.

 

When it comes to hydraulic brakes, usually the more you spend on them the better they are. 4 pot is better than two obviously, but two can still be good(and cheaper) if the type of riding you do is basically pottering along.

 

I've found this to be an excellent brake. its been well reviewed and got really good ratings

Currently 1/2 price on CRC

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/shimano-mt520-front-disc-brake?color=black&partLength=W%2FO+ADAPTER

 

You can pair it with this. The levers can be swopped about just so long as you have the 4 pot on the front. 4 pot front,2 pot rear isnt an unusual set up

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/shimano-deore-m6120-disc-brake-m6100-lever?color=black&position=Left+%7C+Front+%7C+850mm

 

Alternatively you can get something 2nd hand from ebay, and while I usually advise against 2nd hand ebay brakes, especially if they are shimano because shimano brakes are pretty much disposable, ie they cannot be fixed.(easily)

 

If you buy 2nd hand Hope brakes, those are still good and with all Hope brakes they are easily serviceable, and the parts readily available. Second hand Hopes I'd point you in the direction of Mono Mini (which are black with gold bore caps)

ie -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285636284689?hash=item42813fd111:g:M6QAAOSwbt9llWHq

 

If you fancy getting spendy, latest Hope tech4 V4(orE4) are probably in the top 5 most powerful brakes currently on the market. Been compared to trickstuff direttissima power wise.(Trickstuff make the best brakes for bikes)

A bikes worth inc basic rotors will set you back about £500

I've these(V4) on my EMTB, and also on my non E bike, and they really are a hell of a stopper.

 

Plus they come in a nifty range of colours

https://www.biketart.com/products/hope-tech-4-v4-disc-brake?variant=41247343214771

Edited January 6, 20242 yr by AndyBike

Urban myth, its pretty much a sealed unit.

It isn't a myth. I've experienced it many times on my own and other bikes.

 

Also, it's inevitable, considering the design of most bicycle hydraulic brake reservoirs. I haven't studied many of them, but the ones I did look at have a simple sealed area as a reservoir for the fluid. There is no expanding rubber bellows, like those used on motorcycle brakes. The bellows is to separate the air from the oil, and it adjusts its size as the fluid level goes up or down.

 

Without the bellows, you must leave some air in the reservoir and not fill it to the top, otherwise your brake will jam on when the fluid becomes warm and expands. As the pads wear, more fluid rests in the caliper, so the level in the reservoir goes down, and there's more space for air. You know if you have a bellows by whether you have to remove it to add more fluid. On the brakes I've serviced and installed, I've never seen bellows, but I can imagine that some high end ones would have them.

 

How likely the air is to enter the hose when inverted depends on the angle and position of the brake cylinder, whether the brake lever is moved when inverted, and the level of fluid in the reservoir.

Just taken wheel off and look what's inside tyre. Is anything going to stop this?

 

 

I ride past recycling centre. (tip) and it's an industrial estate. I'm thinking change my route to avoid debris like this.

 

Edited January 6, 20242 yr by Wayners

Just taken wheel off and look what's inside tyre. Is anything going to stop this?

 

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I ride past recycling centre. (tip) and it's an industrial estate. I'm thinking change my route to avoid debris like this.

 

[ATTACH type=full" alt="55790]55790[/ATTACH]

That would bounce off an MP. Look here post #7 when a 3" nail tried to attack my inner tube:

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/schwalbe-marathon-plus.29712/

It isn't a myth. I've experienced it many times on my own and other bikes.

 

Also, it's inevitable, considering the design of most bicycle hydraulic brake reservoirs. I haven't studied many of them, but the ones I did look at have a simple sealed area as a reservoir for the fluid. There is no expanding rubber bellows, like those used on motorcycle brakes. The bellows is to separate the air from the oil, and it adjusts its size as the fluid level goes up or down.

 

Without the bellows, you must leave some air in the reservoir and not fill it to the top, otherwise your brake will jam on when the fluid becomes warm and expands. As the pads wear, more fluid rests in the caliper, so the level in the reservoir goes down, and there's more space for air. You know if you have a bellows by whether you have to remove it to add more fluid. On the brakes I've serviced and installed, I've never seen bellows, but I can imagine that some high end ones would have them.

 

How likely the air is to enter the hose when inverted depends on the angle and position of the brake cylinder, whether the brake lever is moved when inverted, and the level of fluid in the reservoir.

 

Youre referring to 2 systems. 'open' and 'closed'

An example of closed is the Hope C2, one of the original brakes before 100% went to open. But either way with the closed you dont have air in it, you fill it right to the top them fit the master cylinder plunger that is used to adjust the pads. screw the top adjuster in which moved the plunger down, moved the pads in, back it off withdraws the pistons. Though with the closed system you had the pistons on internal springs.

The open system uses a diaphragm, but again there is no air as again you fill right to the top, then 'roll' the rubber diaphragm on to prevent any air getting in. Air causes the brake to have a spongy feel at the lever and the brake wont perform very well. Air is the enemy.

With the closed system, there is no expansion for heat, so as you said when the fluid heats up, the piston is pushed out further and can in some cases unless backed off at the master cylinder end can clamp itself to the rotor.

 

But thats only going to happen if the fluid is really hot, 150c hot, and then thats only going to happen in long DH runs where youre maybe on the brakes a lot. General bike use commuting its not going to heat the fluid enough where that would be a problem

 

In my experience brakes like the C2 are ideal for commuting. Its got a massive piston(26mm in diameter) the same size as the later V2 DH and trials calipers and with the ability to set the bite point or manually adjust for any pad wear.

 

Shame they discontinued it, but thats er.. progress.

 

All hydraulic bicycle brakes currently available use a diaphragm because they are open system. Clarks, Shimano, Sram, Hope, Trickstuff etc etc. Outwith the C2(which I think came out in about 1996) I've yet to see one without- well there was one made by Giant, but that was the patent they bought from Hope for the C2, but they made an 4r5e of it and it performed nowhere near as well.

 

Ive serviced a lot of brakes, Hope are by far the easiest. They perform very well, but its more about modulation of speed rather than initial bite. Shimano are a strong initial bite which then ramps up, Hope are a softer initial bit that then really ramps up. Sram are a mix of the two. Many riders I know prefer Sram, but only really high end sram are worth buying.

Currently have SCHWALBE LAND CRUISER 26 x 2.0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233891485926?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=0ap-bnpuR0S&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=QBnnCVhUSwu&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Thank for that information. I also had very bad luck with a pair of ordinary Land Cruisers 700 X 42 with frequent punctures. Even very small thorns seem to puncture. I eventually took them off as I thought someone had put a curse on them. They were only slightly worn. They were a nice grippy tyre but were the worst tyres I ever had for punctures. I have a Land Cruise plus version on another bike which seems better.

I have found marathon plus tyres fairly good but not perfect. They probably are as good as you can get but I still carry a spare tube. Also make sure your rim tape is good and has no sharp edges.

Edited January 6, 20242 yr by Sturmey

Just taken wheel off and look what's inside tyre. Is anything going to stop this?

 

My Marathon Plus tyres must have resisted lots of things like that, as they continue to remain puncture free despite thouands of km over rough potholed roads, industrial estates, roads with scrap metal merchants, some offroad when unavoidable. Mine are Marathon Plus, not Marathon Plus MTB or Marathon EPlus. When I do get a puncture, it'll be so noteworthy I'd have to write a post about that novel experience I haven't had since the late 1980s.

My Marathon Plus tyres must have resisted lots of things like that, as they continue to remain puncture free despite thouands of km over rough potholed roads, industrial estates, roads with scrap metal merchants, some offroad when unavoidable. Mine are Marathon Plus, not Marathon Plus MTB or Marathon EPlus. When I do get a puncture, it'll be so noteworthy I'd have to write a post about that novel experience I haven't had since the late 1980s.

 

Agreed, I've found the MPs almost bomb proof in the worst road conditions. I still remember one notable six mile round trip to the recycling depot on a bike with a Maxxis front tyre, MP on the rear and towing a trailer with ersatz Chinese tyres.

 

N/S trailer tyre punctured at two miles, tube swapped for speed. Arrived at depot three miles out to find my front tyre fast deflating so dropped the QR front wheel to patch repair the puncture. Half way on the three mile return the O/S trailer tyre punctured, patch repaired. Only the Marathon Plus on the rear wheel had survived that assault course.

.

Currently have SCHWALBE LAND CRUISER 26 x 2.0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233891485926?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=0ap-bnpuR0S&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=QBnnCVhUSwu&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I found those quite poor, puncture-wise. I think they are only 3/7 on the Schwalbe scale of resistance. My current rear is 5/7, only 1 puncture in 5,000 miles. My front, a cast-off emergency fix full of cracks is still going strong, no flats after about 2,500 miles. Some kind of continental.

I found those quite poor, puncture-wise. I think they are only 3/7 on the Schwalbe scale of resistance. My current rear is 5/7, only 1 puncture in 5,000 miles. My front, a cast-off emergency fix full of cracks is still going strong, no flats after about 2,500 miles. Some kind of continental.

 

My old looking ebay bargain Espresso arrived with new looking Continental Contacts... but they're several years old at least, so will they have biodegraded and fall to pieces within a few seconds of use? Stay tuned.

 

Have you installed a motor on your recumbent yet?

Edited January 6, 20242 yr by guerney

My old looking ebay bargain Espresso arrived with new looking Continental Contacts... but they're several years old at least, so will they have biodegraded and fall to pieces within a few seconds of use? Stay tuned.

 

Have you installed a motor on your recumbent yet?

My front tyre's cracks look alarming when inflated, but don't seem to affect the carcass. I'm running it to destruction for my amusement!

 

Yes, motor is on, battery mounts are there, wiring details and display mount to be finalised, bigger/better brakes and huge chainring to be sorted, and then a sunny day to be awaited. In my head it's finished, in reality, not quite!

schwalbe marathon plus mountain bike - Not good in mud.

schwalbe marathon plus mountain bike - Not good in mud.

 

I don't trust Marathon Plus an inch on mud. They also slip away sideways on wet metal grates and covers. Marathon Plus are fine on wet roads though, cue another of my very boring videos nobody should ever watch if their time is worth anything (going around the bend in the rain, sometime after the 18 second mark).

 

 

https://vimeo.com/874431040:18s

Edited January 7, 20242 yr by guerney

Yes, motor is on, battery mounts are there, wiring details and display mount to be finalised, bigger/better brakes and huge chainring to be sorted, and then a sunny day to be awaited. In my head it's finished, in reality, not quite!

 

I'm looking forward to seeing a thread detailing your eRecumbent build. How fast are you planning to go?

I'm looking forward to seeing a thread detailing your eRecumbent build. How fast are you planning to go?

Depends on the trial rides. I don't know if this will be 'longer range because I can ride without assistance above 25kph quite a lot' or 'potentially much faster but needs assistance all the time, and so needs to be an s-pedelec'.

 

To start with it will have my two bargain Shimano 8020 504Wh batteries, which lightly loaded should give easy 100 mile range and quite likely 125. I like 125, because my km calibrated display will shout '200' at me, which is a satisfyingly large number of smallish units of distance!

Depends on the trial rides. I don't know if this will be 'longer range because I can ride without assistance above 25kph quite a lot' or 'potentially much faster but needs assistance all the time, and so needs to be an s-pedelec'.

 

ICE trikes are very lightweight. 60T? Will there be enough motor grunt for Scottish hills? Is it possible to install a double chainring, or is there one already?

ICE trikes are very lightweight. 60T? Will there be enough motor grunt for Scottish hills? Is it possible to install a double chainring, or is there one already?

I'm HP Velotechnik rather than ICE, but probably very similar. I think it is quoted as 'from 16kg' before I add the motor etc, so the basic electrified version will be lighter than my Ridgeback.

 

Gearing is an interesting challenge as the rear wheel is only 20" so I can't use my preferred 11-51 11 speed setup. Derailleur 5mm above the ground is no basis for a reliable drivetrain!

 

Because the chain run is very long, there is no issue with chainline and offset, I can do what I like, so initially it will be 1x8 or 1x9, 11-32 or 34 or 36, whatever is lying around, and a 52T chainring bolted to a wornout 38T chainring acting as spider. My e5000 motor is too cheap to have a spider!

 

Highly likely to get a 2x setup later on, as I don't see any other way to replicate the range of gears I have found I need on the Ridgeback.

Derailleur 5mm above the ground is no basis for a reliable drivetrain!

 

Potholes and jumps. How fat can you go for the rear tyre? (Granny, here are some eggs)

 

 

Edited January 8, 20242 yr by guerney

I haven't measured the rim width, but the tyre is a 47mm marathon plus.

 

In dreamland I build a new swinging arm for a bigger wheel.

I haven't measured the rim width, but the tyre is a 47mm marathon plus.

 

In dreamland I build a new swinging arm for a bigger wheel.

 

Of course Big Ben Plus go up to 2.125"/53.96mm wide; would site that derailleur a bit higher if safe for use on your rims - for pothole bumping comfort I was going to use them on my 20" wheels, but after replacing my very old wheels because their rims wouldn't safely take any wider than jarring 1.5" (no suspension options on my bike at all), I tried 1.75" Marathon Plus and that's worked out ok.

 

Would thicker balloon tyres be too wobbly?

 

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/tour-reader/big-ben-plus

Edited January 8, 20242 yr by guerney

Marathon Plus are fine on wet roads

Marathon Almotion. Another sketchy tyre.

Cornering in the wet they have the road holding of a slippery eel on an icy path.

 

By cornering im not meaning gentle corners, but more sharp type, like turning a corner type sharp. In there I tended to try to keep the bike upright and shifted my weight right off to the side. I tend to corner fast and lean a lot.

 

I think its down to the compound, its too hard so it lasts longer, but not soft enough for good road holding.

I took them off and switched to Michelin Run-r, which is actually a completely smooth tyre, but the compound is way better. Not long lasting but better to replace than eat tarmac.

Re punctures.

 

I noticed that at large junctions, or in my case large traffic lights there are areas of debris and grit. Often triangle shaped areas. I have ridden through these areas like I did on friday when I got a flat. I've also touched on these areas when keeping to the left when on road junctions vs cycle path or traffic light controlled crossing. I'm now thinking about where im riding. I'm looking way more and you can see glass and debris built up in areas not driven on.

Re punctures.

 

I noticed that at large junctions, or in my case large traffic lights there are areas of debris and grit. Often triangle shaped areas. I have ridden through these areas like I did on friday when I got a flat. I've also touched on these areas when keeping to the left when on road junctions vs cycle path or traffic light controlled crossing. I'm now thinking about where im riding. I'm looking way more and you can see glass and debris built up in areas not driven on.

When on my KTM, untouched areas of tarmac often put me off filtering. Motorbike tyres are the dearest of the lot.

By cornering im not meaning gentle corners, but more sharp type, like turning a corner type sharp. In there I tended to try to keep the bike upright and shifted my weight right off to the side. I tend to corner fast and lean a lot.

 

How fast? I was going about 35kph downhill around that bend leaning, certainly wouldn't risk any faster than that in the rain. My GoPro camera stablised side to side movement. I should manage sharper bends in wet conditions going slower, if necessary. Marathon Plus are ok on even wet tarmac in my experience. They can't be trusted an inch on mud however, and manhole covers should be avoided wet or dry, but especially when wet.

Edited January 9, 20242 yr by guerney