eBike Commuting

photonic69

Hi all. My wife has just bought herself a lovely KTM Macina eBike for commuting on the cycle-to-work scheme. She's thrilled with it.
Just wondering how others deal with the eventuality of repairing punctures when using eBikes? She's got Schwalbe Marathon Plus's fitted which hopefully with give he some protection and they go off and on the rims with relative ease as we tried yesterday. However, when the worst happens the bike is really heavy due to the Bosch motor and battery (on down-tube). Also the spring in the rear derailleur jocky wheel arm is very springy - it took me effort to get the rear wheel off and I had the bike up in a stand. I'd not like to do this out on the road. The only way to do this would be to tip the bike upside down (shock-horror) as getting the wheel back single handedly with disk brakes and a springy derailleur and the weight would be almost impossible for her.
Any tips on man-handling ebikes in such scenarios?

Ta.

monkimark

I long ago came to the conclusion that my wife will never get the hang of repairing punctures (she never rides far from home except with me so it'd probably be quicker to walk the bike home than repair a puncture most of the time)

I've never had call to use it but I bought a can of repair spay in case of emergency, should do as a 'get you home' solution.
https://road.cc/content/review/270187-zefal-repair-spray

rakkor

I went tubeless, it's not fool proof, but it's easier to plug a puncture and reinflate using a CO2 cartridge than to replace or repair a tube. Obviously this has limitations, if the hole can't be plugged then you are walking or calling up transport or fitting a tube.

PMark

Those tyres are pretty bulletproof, so as long as you regularly check for any debris stuck in the tyres and replace when they look warn, you shouldn’t have a problem.

Otherwise if you live in a big city, could always look for a company that does break down support for bikes. My dad has it for his cargo bike which is almost 30kg, so probably even worse than yours to change.

whyamihere

Not sure which spec of Macina you have, but looking at the parts on some of them, it may have a rear mech with a clutch which could be why you'll be finding it so tough to get the wheel in and out. They have a grey lever next to the cage pivot, if you flip that, it will disengage the clutch and make the process a lot easier.

slowmart

2nd the slime tubes, easy, cheap and effective.

photonic69

Aaargh! Trying to find slime-filled inner tubes for Presta valve 700c x1.75 (45mm) tyres is a nightmare! The closest is 1.85-2.20 width 29er tyre tubes.

Can you get tubes to which you can add your own slime? I'm not talking personal ooze but shop bought puncture fix stuff. If so, what works?

monkimark

Yes, buy you'll need tubes with removable valve cores.

I've never used it, so can't comment on how effective it would be but between that and the Marathon Plus tyres, you should be able to ride over a bed of nails.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/slime-puncture-preventor-tube-tyre-sealant?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=481552&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=base&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhLKUBhDiARIsAMaTLnF7ScRyp0Em-ua16okmXERmLkT_qfl7XnBOqYez9Pk4KWkfioNAQioaAjrJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

photonic69

Thanks for all the advice. I shall get some slime and some new inner tubes. Which tubes have removeable cores? Is it just Conti that do these or are there others? It's Presta valves size 700c x 1.75 (45mm)

photonic69

Soooo.... I got the Conti Tubes and a bottle of Slime. Went to install this yesterday. Tubes and removable cores were fine. The bottle of Slime, or should I call it by it's proper name "The Devil's Snot", seemed to have had a slight leak around the foil seal. I persevered and got the tube to fit with the aid of a small zip tie and some PTFE tape etc but upon squeezing the bottle the stuff refused to flow through the valve. Had to remove the tube and poke a wire through the valve to clear the plug of gloop that had formed. This happened again. I had some 15ml syringes so in a hurry grabbed these and squirted the required amount into the tube. Blasted a shot of air through to clear any residue then replaced the core and pumped it up then cleared up resultant mess. Refitted wheels to the bike and spun them round to distribute the snot. I've a feeling the snot should have been runnier than it was to help if flow and this might have been due to the failed seal on the bottle. It was more of a fibrous gel than a liquid. Anyway, getting a replacement bottle from CRC.

Would it be wise to add the same amount again of the fresh stuff? 118ml. Or get new tubes and start again?

accountdeleted

How about going "airless" and get something like Tannus or Schwalbe airless? Never had them myself but considering when my current Marathon+ goes (currently on 3,500miles, I can see some deep cuts so not much life left).

Aireless isn't performance oriented, but given that it's for an ebike and for your wife, might be worth the money and time investment for her piece of mind?

dombo6

I use Stans No Tubes liquid, about two syringes full in the inner tubes. Seems to work very well as it has sealed at least one puncture.