Tire Pressure and Maintenance

[Chris Westland]

Where the rubber meets the road, it seems, doesn't get enough love here.  So I thought I'd start a thread to share opinions about tire pressure, maintenance, etc. (starting with some of my opinions).

I find tire pressure to be one of the most important components of handling and ride, and I'm a bit obsessive about it on my EUC's (probably carrying over from motorcycles and bikes).   There are three things that make tire pressure a challenge with EUC's:

1. EUC's only have one tire, low pressure has a direct impact on ride, and tire failures are unforgiving
2. EUC's have unique bent valve stems that make it hard to find inner-tubes, and a pain to fill (you just don't want to do it)
3. EUC tire pressure is a bother to check compared to any other vehicle, because the valve stems are hidden in the EUC cavity, and difficult to attach to a pump

... and there are probably other things.   The net result is that you want to maintain the tire, fill to pressure and forget it. 

To that end, I've Slimed (https://www.amazon.com/Slime-10056-Tube-Sealant-oz/dp/B003V9XYNW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1487706156&sr=8-2&keywords=slime+bicycle) both my V8 and Zero.  I used about 1/3rd of the bottle on each one.  There is no effect whatsoever on the feel of the wheel, and I think it provides a certain security.  In Chicago, I can take my bike into any number of convenient shops to buy and install a new inner-tube; but the same shops would just draw a blank with an EUC, and the inner-tubes are hard to find.  Best to maintain what you have.

I like to keep my tire pressure up at 3 bar (~44 psi).  The sidewalls of my V8 and Zero tires both recommend 40-65psi pressure, and the V8 comes from the factory at 2.8 bar (~40psi).  So for me 3 bar seems the right pressure, and both wheels feel good at that pressure.   It's a real bother to fit a pressure gauge on the valve stem because they are bent against the wheel.  I almost never get a seal on my gauge without several tries.  

So instead, I pumped the wheels up with my Lezyne pump (https://www.amazon.com/Lezyne-Steel-Floor-Drive-Black/dp/B005UND3CY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487706504&sr=8-3&keywords=lezyne+pump) -- I recommend Lesyzne as the absolute best bike pump on the market -- and then put a Gozens 44psi cap  (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HRIKIY0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) on the wheel.  That way, I can easily check the pressure at the start of each ride.  You do need to buy the Gozens at a particular pressure (BTW, they have bluetooth systems, which I think are a bit of overkill) but you get 4 of the basic caps for $9, so NBD.

Edited February 21, 2017 by Chris Westland

[Mono]

I have no problems pumping any of my wheels using a rather smallish conventional bicycle pump which tightly attaches to the valve by moving a lever. It is even slightly easier than pumping my foldable bicycle with 18" tires. 

Pressure choice: as high as necessary to never get a puncture or rim damage due to hitting curbs, potholes, etc., but not higher (for comfort). 

I am also using slime in all of my wheels.

Edited February 22, 2017 by Mono

[Chris Westland]

1 hour ago, Mono said:

I have no problems pumping any of my wheels using a rather smallish conventional bicycle pump which tightly attaches to the valve by moving a lever. It is even slightly easier than pumping my foldable bicycle with 18" tires. 

Looks like you can carry it with you if needed as well ...

[Mono]

2 minutes ago, Chris Westland said:

Looks like you can carry it with you if needed as well ...

That's right, and it weighs only 98g. Yet I virtually never carry it with me, even when traveling. With slime, tires lose virtually zero air over time and I haven't had a flat in 4000km.

[Chris Westland]

33 minutes ago, Mono said:

That's right, and it weighs only 98g. Yet I virtually never carry it with me, even when traveling. With slime, tires lose virtually zero air over time and I haven't had a flat in 4000km.

I love to hear that.  I've only had the Slime in for a short time (<50 km) but very glad to hear that it is good insurance!

[steve454]

Here's an idea.  Inject slime into a tube to fill it completely.  Then add just enough air to get to 45-50 psi.  I wonder if that would be a soft ride or be so heavy that the torque requirement to turn it would burn out the board?  A small amount will seal it, sure, but what about mostly slime?

Reminds me of the industrial tires that you can pay to have filled with a kind of foam to provide any level of hardness and they are completely flatproof.  The floor scrubbing machine we have at work was filled with that because the tires were frequently going flat from running over sharp objects while cleaning the floor.  I told the guy, why don't you sweep first, then scrub the floor?  He said you can't always see all the sharp things on the floor.

Anyway, what amount of slime is best?  I know the recommendation is on the bottle, but has anyone experimented with it?

[Mono]

Why isn't a fluid useful to fill the tire? I guess it's shock absorbing properties are not that great because of its mass and it would add about a 2.5kg to the overall weight. If you run a 60kg machine with 6km/h over a flat floor all that doesn't matter much. 

[Marty Backe]

I love the Internet, forums, etc. Always learning new things. I've never heard of or imagined those pressure monitor caps. Fantastic!. I'm buying a set immediately. Thanks!

I've slimmed all of my wheels, including the Monster (used half a bottle - 8oz - on that one). Provides piece of mine and I do think it reduces the rate at while air leaks from the tire.

I keep all of my tires at their maximum rated capacity, for better 'gas mileage'. I think the wheels are more responsive too, at a higher pressure. That's very personal though.

[Chris Westland]

Slime is pretty light, and you'd think it's viscous from the bottle, but once you start pushing it into the tire, it flows very smoothly.  I think the spinning tire just spreads it out evenly over the inside of the inner-tube, so there is never going to be a balance problem with the tire (the centrifugal force would see to that).  I'd read that Slime's green (denoting it is eco-friendly) tire sealant is composed of fibers, binders, and clogging agents that build up and intertwine to seal punctures in inner tubes and tires.  It's based on their branded Fibro-Seal® Technology which they license to others apparently for roof sealants and such.  It's produced by the Chicago company Illinois Tool Works.   The bottle says good for two bicycle tires = 3 unicycle tires (my guess).

Edited February 22, 2017 by Chris Westland

[Chris Westland]

1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

I love the Internet, forums, etc. Always learning new things. I've never heard of or imagined those pressure monitor caps. Fantastic!. I'm buying a set immediately. Thanks!

I've slimmed all of my wheels, including the Monster (used half a bottle - 8oz - on that one). Provides piece of mine and I do think it reduces the rate at while air leaks from the tire.

I keep all of my tires at their maximum rated capacity, for better 'gas mileage'. I think the wheels are more responsive too, at a higher pressure. That's very personal though.

I agree with you on inflating the tires to higher pressure.  The wheel is more responsive, and especially in making tight turns, is just a lot more reliable.

It's great to hear that I actually have a toy that you haven't already gotten first Marty .   I get 'gear envy' when you post your latest upgrades ...

Edited February 22, 2017 by Chris Westland

[Marty Backe]

8 minutes ago, Chris Westland said:

It's great to hear that I actually have a toy that you haven't already gotten first Marty .   I get 'gear envy' when you post your latest upgrades ...

My wife tells me that I need to experience 'gear envy' for awhile - NO MORE WHEELS  

[Chris Westland]

1 minute ago, Marty Backe said:

My wife tells me that I need to experience 'gear envy' for awhile - NO MORE WHEELS  

I've heard that from my wife as well ... No More Gear ...

 

Edited February 22, 2017 by Chris Westland

[Clovis]

On 2/21/2017 at 0:59 PM, Chris Westland said:

Gozens 44psi cap  (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HRIKIY0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) on the wheel.  

Just an FYI for those who own a Kingsong KS18.  I tried to install this pressure cap but the valve on my KS18 points outward (towards the pedal) rather than towards the front/rear of the EUC.  The result is that the cap will initially fit, but as the wheel rolls, it will rub against the upper part inside the shell.  I don't think the valve can be twisted so that it points towards the front/rear.

Edited February 27, 2017 by Clovis

[abinder3]

1 hour ago, Clovis said:

Just an FYI for those who own a Kingsong KS18.  I tried to install this pressure cap but the valve on my KS18 points outward (towards the pedal) rather than towards the front/rear of the EUC.  The result is that the cap will initially fit, but as the wheel rolls, it will rub against the upper part inside the shell.  I don't think the valve can be twisted so that it points towards the front/rear.

Since I inflated my KS18 tire to about 45psi, the valve stem rests very firmly against the rim and I don't think I can even get anything on it now to check the pressure or add pressure without fear of messing up the valve stem or inner tube.

 

Allen

[Clovis]

15 minutes ago, abinder3 said:

Since I inflated my KS18 tire to about 45psi, the valve stem rests very firmly against the rim and I don't think I can even get anything on it now to check the pressure or add pressure without fear of messing up the valve stem or inner tube.

 

Allen

That's interesting.  I have my tire inflated to 44 psi with valve pointing outward (towards pedal).  It sounds like it may be possible to deflate the tire and twist the valve to the desired position.  I will try that and see if I can install the pressure cap without rubbing the inside of the shell.

[Radislav]

About Slime:

AFAIK, it makes sense with tubeless tires only. Inner tube is too thin for the Slime to work well. Or convert a tire to tubeless by removing inner tube, sticking a special rubber band to the rim, filling in with Slime and inflating with CO2. 

 

About tire pressure sensing caps:

I've seen them after 1-year test drive on a car. Results are disappointing:

1) A lot of dirt and mud penetrated under their transparent cover and made the color gauge invisible and indistinguishable.

2) That made them stuck, so they didn't sense the pressure drops anymore.

3) These caps are not completely airleakproof. Therefore a tire pressure constantly drops by itself and you have to pump it up more often. 

These caps didn't make life easier. Even worse. 

Edited February 28, 2017 by Radislav
Added more details

[Marty Backe]

19 minutes ago, Radislav said:

About Slime:

AFAIK, it makes sense with tubeless tires only. Inner tube is too thin for the Slime to work well. Or convert a tire to tubeless by removing inner tube, sticking a special rubber band to the rim, filling in with Slime and inflating with CO2. 

 

About tire pressure sensing caps:

I've seen them after 1-year test drive on a car. Results are disappointing:

1) A lot of grease penetrated under their transparent cover and made the color gauge invisible and indistinguishable.

2) That grease made them stuck, so they didn't sense the pressure drops anymore.

3) These caps are not completely airleakproof. Therefore a tire pressure constantly drops by itself and you have to pump it up more often. 

These caps didn't make life easier. Even worse. 

Slime is made for tubeless and tube tires. I (and others) use it on all of my wheels. Instead of patching his punctured ACM tire, @jrkline injected Slime and it was fixed.

I did decide not to use those tire pressure caps. After all the negative reviews I didn't think it was worth the added hassle.

[Mono]

To my understanding there are two different types of slime sealants, one for tubes and the other for tubeless tires.

[Jrkline "Wheel Whisperer"]

1 hour ago, Mono said:

To my understanding there are two different types of slime sealants, one for tubes and the other for tubeless tires.

Not to my knowledge.I've been using it for years in my unicycles,motorcycles and vehicles with both tubes and tubeless tires and it works great.Slime is to pneumatic tires what a rubber is to sex."A little extra protection" when used preventatively.It can also permanently seal a lot of punctures like it did on my ACM when I was riding it without protection.Plus if your Catholic,the church as no quarrels with it! 

[Mono]

2 minutes ago, jrkline said:

Not to my knowledge.

https://www.amazon.com/Slime-10004-Tube-Sealant-oz/dp/B000ENSRS0

https://www.amazon.com/Slime-10011-Tubeless-Tire-Sealant/dp/B000C11PYW

[abinder3]

3 hours ago, Clovis said:

That's interesting.  I have my tire inflated to 44 psi with valve pointing outward (towards pedal).  It sounds like it may be possible to deflate the tire and twist the valve to the desired position.  I will try that and see if I can install the pressure cap without rubbing the inside of the shell.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm............
Mine is also pointed a little toward the pedal, but is up against the middle part of the rim.
(I don't think you want to try to twist the valve.  I'm pretty sure that it's attached to the tube and twisting it will probably tear it from the tube.)

 

 

Allen

[Jrkline "Wheel Whisperer"]

2 minutes ago, Mono said:

https://www.amazon.com/Slime-10004-Tube-Sealant-oz/dp/B000ENSRS0

https://www.amazon.com/Slime-10011-Tubeless-Tire-Sealant/dp/B000C11PYW

They may brand it differently,but it is the same stuff.If you put the tube version in a tubeless tire it will still work.

[Jrkline "Wheel Whisperer"]

3 minutes ago, abinder3 said:

 I'm pretty sure that it's attached to the tube and twisting it will probably tear it from the tube.)

You are correct.If it doesn't tear the tube it will put undue stress on it especially at higher pressure levels.

[Clovis]

2 minutes ago, abinder3 said:

Hmmmmmmmmmmm............
Mine is also pointed a little toward the pedal, but is up against the middle part of the rim.
(I don't think you want to try to twist the valve.  I'm pretty sure that it's attached to the tube and twisting it will probably tear it from the tube.)

 

 

Allen

Ok thanks.  Then your wheel is like mine.  The valve sits against the rim but points outward.  Adding the pressure cap increases the distance that the valve points outward and therefore rubs against the upper inner part of the shell.  Thanks for the heads up before I cause damage to my wheel.

[Chris Westland]

I just checked both my V8 and Zero, and in neither wheel does the valve stem or Gozen cap touch anything, either the rubber or the plastic case.   So I guess any problems are product specific, but certainly worth noting.   

With respect to the grease and grime, my observation is that this is an electric wheel, so we aren't really bathing the engine and suspension (whatever there is of it) in petroleum products as we would a car.    I'm a fair weather rider, so stay out of oil patches, tar pits and rainy days ... I'm not expecting too many problems either with Slime or with the pressure caps.