edwin_rm Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 While recently riding at the Marty Backe's LA EUC Tours many miles deep into an off-road trail away from civilization, the thought came to me about what to do in the event of a flat tire (which luckily, didn't happen)... Walking with the wheel would be a no-go while ~15 miles deep into a mountainous off-road trail (such as Cogswell Dam), especially on a hot weather day. Abandoning the wheel is also not much of an option due to the many miles of walking in rocky terrain, witch little to no water. So... The only option is: to ride the wheel on the rim! And trash the EUC later or replace the motor. That is what I would have done. I would have ridden on the rim and then trashed the EUC. But I am curious... What would you do in this aforementioned situation? Have any of you ever ridden on the rim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daley1 Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 carry a bottle of slime and a small bike pump on those long rides! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aneta Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 30 minutes ago, Daley1 said: carry a bottle of slime and a small bike pump on those long rides! How big of a hole can Slime plug? What can be done if the hole is too big? (even for a patch with glue) Are there any products that can inject, say, something like polyurethane that will solidify inside the tire and allow one to ride it back home? (the 8" front wheel on my e-scooter has such a PU "donut" instead of a tube) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_bike_kite Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Carry a spare inner tube (plus screwdrivers, tyre irons, pump and know how to do the change)? In a real emergency I guess you could try packing the tyre with grass etc so it maintains some sort of shape. I've heard of motorbike riders doing this in an emergency but I've no idea how this would work on an EUC. Actually I'm not really sure why EUC's have tubed rather than tubeless tyres - tubeless would be far easier to fix. PS just looked at your avatar. I'd suggest smiling at one of the other members of the ride and asking if they'll carry your wheel while you ride theirs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanghamP Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 I've had more than a few flats on my EUCs, usually nails but sometimes pinch flats. Slime works somewhat, but for sure the tire still loses pressure, and the valve core rusts out every few months. It's not practical to remove and replace/repair a tire like you can with a bicycle, but I don't know how manufacturers could make it easier for us. There a portion of my neighborhood that's under new construction, and the number of wood nails laying on the street and the sidewalk numbers in the dozens. They do use this magnetic broom thingy to try to pick up the nails but it's like trying to dry an ice cube. Since there's so many nails around, I think the best solution is to buy tires with a number of nylon and Kevlar belts. Those tires aren't well liked by bicyclists but EUC riders won't care about very heavy tires. However, I've not found such tires below 20 inches. 20 inch eBike tire is about the smallest they go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aneta Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 14 hours ago, mike_bike_kite said: tubeless would be far easier to fix How is tubeless tire easier to fix than tubed? (details, please) If I carry tools and a spare tube, I can just replace the tube (if hole is too big for Slime or patch), done. With tubeless - ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_bike_kite Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 6 hours ago, Aneta said: How is tubeless tire easier to fix than tubed? My experience with punctures is just from motorbikes. On a tubeless tyre I just pull the nail out and push in a tyre plug then wait a few minutes for the glue to set before inflating the tyre with a small compressor. The fix is as almost good as good as the original tyre (I have ridden tyres with 5 plugs in them). On motorbikes with spoked wheels you normally have to have tubed tyres because otherwise the air escapes through the spoke fittings. When my Royal Enfield Classic had a puncture in the rear tyre I would have to remove the rear wheel, break the bead on the tyre, find whatever caused the puncture in the inner tube and remove it, replace the inner tube or patch it, refit the tyre, refit the wheel onto the bike and then inflate the tyre. Instead I called a truck. Tubed tyres are a PITA on motorcycles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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