Wyatt Harrison Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Just bought a new Kingsong 14s and the tire started leaking air the first day. This is my first wheel and I don't know how to ride yet. The valve stem was so tight against the rim with so little sticking out that air could not be added, so we deflated the tire and pulled the stem up better and I checked that the stem did not scrape the wheel well. But the next day it had popped out further and was scraping. We tried to push it down with a pair of pliers but the stem cracked and deflated and the ruined the inner tube. So now I need a shop in San Francisco that can replace the inner tube and preferably take the wheel apart, one-stop shop. Is this what you would do? Or would you take just the wheel, disassembled, to a bike shop? That then puts the valve stem positioning problem on me to deal with. Is valve stem positioning a common problem with euc's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyTop Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 I think what happen is that you got the wheel with a low tire. usually ships with very low pressure. Then riding the wheel pulled the valve in. The valve stem should stick out an inch or so an bend and lay against the rim. In the above picture the stem is push way too far in. The tube is a special tube with a special bent stem. You can buy one at eWheels.com. As far as who does the work. I don't think a bike shop will pul the wheel apart but they might put the tube in. Sorry for the trouble when you just want to ride. My first wheel was DOA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyTop Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 see the valve stem in this video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyTop Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick McCutcheon Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 When you pull the stem out, does it bend to the left or to the right? If it bends to the left, the tube was installed backwards for some reason. Ewheels has a great guide detailing how to change the tire, or in this case, change the inner tube. It can be found here. The tube may not be damaged, but if it's already leaking air, then it's better to be safe than sorry, and get a new inner tube (which can be bought also from ewheels). It's entirely possible the tube will work fine after switching its orientation, and I would try reusing the current tube first, but I would order a replacement tube right away just in case that doesn't work. The tire change process as described in that guide helped me change my tube when it broke, but I had to learn some stuff along the way, so let me know if you get stuck during the replacement. Also, this wouldn't really help if the tube is already ripped, but I would recommend putting slime (Marty determined that 3oz. is a good amount for 14" wheels) in the new inner tube, or in the old tube if it appears to hold air. It will fix flats due to tread-area punctures by filling them in after your remove whatever's causing the leak, essentially making the tire self-healing. On the 14S, you'll also need this valve core remover, since the one that comes with the slime is too fat. However, if the stem bends to the right, you should be safe (just a weird installation), but the leaking air concerns me, and I would still get a backup tube from ewheels for if/when your tube dies for whatever reason. Trust me, it will save you the mental pain of having to wait for a few EUC-less days while the tube ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Harrison Posted July 17, 2018 Author Share Posted July 17, 2018 That makes sense. That's probably what happened. Well I'm not demotivated, I'm even more fascinated with this wheel than before I played with it. It is so uncanny how it doesn't accelerate except to keep the wheel under the unit's center of gravity. It only moves in response to an imbalance. I can't get my head around that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
who_the Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Hi @Wyatt Harrison and welcome! Sorry to hear about the issues with your wheel. We have a small but growing and enthusiastic EUC community here in San Francisco. The only local repairs I am aware of are via @Nevin@Tec-toyz.com down in Santa Clara. Nevin is great but also very busy, due to limited resources he prioritizes repairs for his customers who bought their wheels from him. Unfortunately for repairs like this, most of us bear down and grind out the fix ourselves. Luckily it's far from impossible, essentially an exercise in careful, cautious, well-documented disassembly and reassembly. The video above is nice, but begins with the wheel already disassembled. Here's a disassembly video for your a Kingsong 14D (same shell and basic assembly): If the tube won't hold any air, start by sourcing a new tube, reviewing the disassembly video carefully, and making sure you have all the tools needed. You will likely need at least one and possibly two tire levers to wedge between the rim and tire to ease removal. I like your idea of bringing (just) the wheel/tire itself to a bike shop for help though I'm not aware of a shop that would be willing/able to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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