537 miles on my Lectric XP cargo and the rear tube looses air constantly

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marcos 22579

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Got a flat yesterday, put air on it, rode 5.5 miles last night. It held air until 4 miles. Got a full flat again. Put 4 oz of slime, 28 pounds of air, rode 1 block. Full flat again. Put air rode 1.5 miles and now is parked probably loosing air. I noticed that I needed to keep an eye on the tire because it got out of the rim while pumping air in the tube.

Guess I need a new tube that would last more than 500 miles? Any suggestions on a brand name? Brass valve perhaps?

BTW they are the tubes that came with the bike.
 
You could put some HD tubes like Bakou makes or there is cheaper options. I think I would put motorcycle tubes in it, depending on what wheels you got.
 
Maybe buy some Mr. Tuffy tire liners in it too. I think 20" fat bike liners are around $60-70 a pair.
 
marcos 22579 said:
I forgot to mention my tires are 20"x3"
Click to expand...
A 20x4 tube will work marvelously with a 20x3 tire. I always oversize my tubes. You get a tube that is not stretched out under the tire. Think of a balloon. Blow it up all the way and touch a pin to it. Boom. Now take another balloon and put just a puff of air in. You can take that pin and poke it all over the place without issue. Same deal with an inner tube that is not distended.

the only caveat is when putting it in, you put that puff of air into it while installing so it just barely has some shape. That keeps its oversized nature from getting a snakebite pinch somewhere during installation.

You can go too far with this. My 26x2.8" cargo bike tires worked wonderfully with 3.5" tubes, but 4.8" tubes were a bridge too far.
 
Did you check the inside of the tire if there is anything stuck that might puncture the tube?
Debris can get stuck in the tire and puncture tube when you inflate them, leak maybe slow.
 
A said:
Did you check the inside of the tire if there is anything stuck that might puncture the tube?
Debris can get stuck in the tire and puncture tube when you inflate them, leak maybe slow.
Click to expand...
No I haven't check. The first time it happened was right after I caught a massive pot hole because an idiot swerved right and almost hit me. Then I kept riding to work and like half hour after I parked the bike I saw the flat tire.
 
As long as you are looking at alternate tires, the Schwalbe Pickup is available in a slightly smaller 20x2.35 but its probably the sturdiest tire you can get your hands on in a 20" size absent the use of a motorcycle tire. Pickups are all the rage for cargo bike riders and they were designed specifically for that platform. They have superior flat resistance thanks to their double-thick casing, which is the entire tire casing not just a belt. So the stronger sidewalls give increased load capacity on the tire. I use one on the front of my flat-land Bullitt that only sees pavement. They're also made in 26" sizes. Under the Pickup I use a Schwalbe Air Plus tube which is thicker than a normal tube but not as thick as a thornproof. Inside the tube is Flatout sealant.
 
Glass/metal shards, thorns can easily get embedded in the tire and difficult to see, best to use your fingers to feel the inside of tire for sharp things.
 
marcos 22579 said:
Got a flat yesterday, put air on it, rode 5.5 miles last night. It held air until 4 miles. Got a full flat again. Put 4 oz of slime, 28 pounds of air, rode 1 block. Full flat again. Put air rode 1.5 miles and now is parked probably loosing air. I noticed that I needed to keep an eye on the tire because it got out of the rim while pumping air in the tube.

Guess I need a new tube that would last more than 500 miles? Any suggestions on a brand name? Brass valve perhaps?

BTW they are the tubes that came with the bike.
Click to expand...
marcos 22579 said:
Got a flat yesterday, put air on it, rode 5.5 miles last night. It held air until 4 miles. Got a full flat again. Put 4 oz of slime, 28 pounds of air, rode 1 block. Full flat again. Put air rode 1.5 miles and now is parked probably loosing air. I noticed that I needed to keep an eye on the tire because it got out of the rim while pumping air in the tube.

Guess I need a new tube that would last more than 500 miles? Any suggestions on a brand name? Brass valve perhaps?

BTW they are the tubes that came with the bike.
Click to expand...
Tannus armor inserts, also letric is know for having metal shavings and sharp spoke nipples that need to be filed depending on how old it is.
 
marcos 22579 said:
Got a flat yesterday, put air on it, rode 5.5 miles last night. It held air until 4 miles. Got a full flat again. Put 4 oz of slime, 28 pounds of air, rode 1 block. Full flat again. Put air rode 1.5 miles and now is parked probably loosing air. I noticed that I needed to keep an eye on the tire because it got out of the rim while pumping air in the tube.

Guess I need a new tube that would last more than 500 miles? Any suggestions on a brand name? Brass valve perhaps?

BTW they are the tubes that came with the bike.
Click to expand...
You have a puncture, the offending object is probably still in the tyre. Find and remove object, fix or replace tube. Inflate.
 
My new (8/27/23) XPedition's new tubes failed in only 10 miles. The seams on both tires (next to the rim) had failed. Had 30-35 lbs if air. Maybe bad batch of tubes from Lectric. Ordered tubes on Amazon, replaced and all is well after 50 miles. However - I'm going with heavy motorcycle tubes which I ordered from RexZilla. Also, I'm trying a motorcycle tire as soon as it arrives. I was told a Shinko 241 works great but I'm going with a Pirelli scooter tire I think will work. I'll post pics and info after I swap the tire and test (1st front tire, test and then swap the rear tire). I understand, from another forum, that the valve stem must be a TR6 to fit the XPedition. Lots of questions like the weight difference, the ride, etc. etc. which I'll answer as soon as I test.

BTW: Lectric was great and said they will be sending me two new tubes. They were slow answering my e-mail, but I understand they are BUSY. Here's the scooter tire (link below), the motorcycle tubes and the forum link to the Shinko / tire expert. The tubes are the "double-tough" brand and again, note the TR6 stem size. I must say, although my wife and I have been riding bikes for 50+ years (we're in our 70s), I'm new to e-bikes. I'm no expert. I'm still getting used to the XPedition but love it and while I'll still ride my non-powered TREK mostly for now, I'll use the XPedition to go shopping etc. as we are lucky enough to have a bunch of bike trails near us, some of which leads to some good shopping areas. I haven't even had the bike past a PAS-3 setting on class-2. I did use a PAS-4-5 on a straightaway and was sailing down the road. The thing climbs hills like they weren't there. I'm 5'8" and 190 and my weight doesn't seem to faze the XPedition. Will update after I get the new tires.

https://www.cyclegear.com/tires/pirelli-angel-scooter-tires?sku_id=1713341
https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/double-tough-inner-tubes?rrec=true&sku_id=1132896
https://forums.electricbikereview.c...-23-a-lectric-xpedition-2-failed-tubes.54038/
 
Check the rim strip, it's usually a cloth tape on the metal rim that cover the spoke nipples.
If the rim strip is not covering the nipple, that would cause puncture within a few miles of new tube being installed.
30-35 psi is a bit high for 20x3 or 20x4 tires, I weight about 175 lb. I usually leave the tires inflated at 20-25 psi, for a nice cushy ride.
But do inflate the tires in increments, 5-10 psi first to seat the bead, spin the wheel to check for balance, then inflate to full pressure.
 

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