How often should I change my inner tubes and tires?
Posted by mil0wCS@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 42 comments
I bought a ebike back in march. I commute 50 miles per day on it going county to county and already have racked up 800 miles on it and will be hitting 1k within the next couple weeks. My tires have a lot of wear because I traveled country roads and there’s a lot of gravel. I recently started taking the highway more often since it has no gravel.
But was curious because the treads on my bike are pretty much gone and I had to replace the innertube because it blew out. But it made me wonder how often I should replace my tire? Should I replace it every 1k miles? Every 500 miles?
Also was curious on how many miles realistically I could get out of an ebike before needing to replace it with a new one? 10k? 30k?
sanjuro_kurosawa@reddit
You should never change your inner tubes unless they flat, but tire wear is the primary determiner for changing tires.
While sometimes people use mileage, the surest way is to examine your tires. Tread wear is the primary sign but cracks and cuts is another sign.
And bike reliability isn't like a car; parts need replacing in different intervals. Your chain and tires will wear quicker than your saddle or cables.
mil0wCS@reddit (OP)
I’m confused why should I replace my bike chain if I’m not pedaling it? I fully rev my bike the entire time
WizardNumberNext@reddit
Do you have driving licence, registered and insured your "bike"? Your bike is scooter amd technically illegal on road.
Tomj_Oad@reddit
Exactly where did he specify his wattage or his speed? If I missed it please correct me
WizardNumberNext@reddit
It is neither. Throttle disqualifies it as e-bike.
mil0wCS@reddit (OP)
Have you bothered reading the rules of the road yourself? All bikes that are under 25mph are considered class a bikes and are legal without a license. Anything over 25 mph is considered class b and need a license.
I’ve literally rode my ebike and passed multiple police officers and have even talked to sheriffs before taking it on the highway and they said it was perfectly fine if you obey the rules of the road. 🙄
WizardNumberNext@reddit
US then. In UK we have reasonable definition of motor vehicle.
Superb_Raccoon@reddit
Sure you do. That's why we kicked you out 250 years ago.
WizardNumberNext@reddit
Not me. I am natively everything else, but not anywhere UK. 250 years ago there was no motor vehicles on road, even ships were still old fashion wind powered.
Superb_Raccoon@reddit
You are internally stupid.
stormdelta@reddit
Class 2 ebikes are legal in most of the US, and OP seems to be from US.
Tomj_Oad@reddit
Not true. Throttle to twenty mph and 38 with pedals going is the definition Federally.
Them's da rules.
WizardNumberNext@reddit
Federal law have no application in UK. We have different law here. And federal law changes definition of motor vehicle into real mess. So I have pedals, chain and then my motor can propel me to 20mph alone? That is motor vehicle, not bicycle. Have you traveled 38mph on bicycle? That is scary even for crazy people like me. Doing that on frequent basis is asking for death
Botched_Euthanasia@reddit
Do you use miles in the UK? I thought everything was metric there? Either way, your countries laws apply in your country, if the OP is not in your country, then your arguments here are off topic and pointless.
Since they predominantly used 'miles' and 'mph' I'm going to assume they are in the US, if they had used kph or kilometers, I would have assumed UK.
In the US, not all areas require a license or insurance or registration and even if they did becasue of a throttle, it isn't necessarily a scooter, it is more likely to be called an emoto or a lawnmower.
A scooter could be a skateboard with handlebars or a tricycle crossed with a recliner depending on who you talk to in the US.
I live on a hill. I go up to 38mph down the hill on my class 3 ebike everyday. it's fun. i wear a helmet. i broke my elbow. it was great.
Peterd1900@reddit
People incorrectly think the UK uses kilometres
It does not
Botched_Euthanasia@reddit
My bad. I've had a lot of online European friends and acquaintances, not to mention Canadian and Australian. I know the topic has come up before but I probably mixed up all the 'not-US but speaks English' folks into a single collective group in my head that all used kph.
Or maybe they were trolling me. Or is a Mandela Effect. Or has something to do with Celcius being metric and used almost everywhere, except the US.
That is the most likely reason. I feel my point still stands. The colloquial nature of informal English can lead to a lot of confusion.
WizardNumberNext@reddit
No we do not use km in UK. I am surprised you don't know that. I am still of very strong opinion it very right norm (EU per se, not UK) to limit e-bikes to 15.5mph (25km/h), 250W no throtlle. It is dangerous otherwise and I see the difference. Rental e-bikes are legal and people on them are so much less dangerous, rather quite safe to other users of road and themselves. Privately owned "e-bikes", which are efectively e-motorcycles with decirative pedals are massively dangerous to themselves and others. The moment I see 2kW motor I just steer way away from them. Like taking different route in order to avoid them.
A_Red_Void_of_Red@reddit
Not everybody lives in the UK how self centered are you? & how much do you hate fun?
mil0wCS@reddit (OP)
Not 38mph but I have gotten up to 30mph on a bike before so yes it is possible to get up to those high speeds. But only if you live in a really hilly area with a lot of hills. Max speed I’ve topped out at was 32mph.
Spiritual_Builder240@reddit
I got mine to 40mph going downhill pedaling and full throttle
WizardNumberNext@reddit
I did 32mph on flat and just 38mph downhill. Going faster was deathwish
mil0wCS@reddit (OP)
A professional cyclist can average about 30mph easily, while a casual cyclist can average around 15 to 20mph so is kind of dumb that the uk bans motor vehicles that average 20mph.
WizardNumberNext@reddit
Motor vehicles can do up to 70mph in UK depending on where.
UK is right about speed limit for e-bikes. I live here and for 95% "e-cyclist" this is still too fast and leathal, as they simply should not be on road PERIOD. No training, no behaviour, simply dangerous to themselves and others. Maybe US is different, because it is actually dangerous to try to walk anywhere, as you lack state built and maintained pedestrian pavements. Here we have nearly as much pedestrian pavements in towns, as roads.
OlDirtyBaskets@reddit
Not scary at all actually
sanjuro_kurosawa@reddit
I didn't consider the multiple variations of ebikes. You could have a rear hub drive, even a front hub drive.
My point is that parts wear out in different intervals. If you have a rear hub drive, your back wheel will not last as long as a front hub drive bike. You certainly will go through rear tires more quickly
Laserdollarz@reddit
My front tube has 9k miles on it because ebikes never get front flats lmao
MaxTrixLe@reddit
If your tubes have sealant in them, it's a good idea to inspect the tube every now and then because you might be riding with 10 sealed punctures
Such_Can_5353@reddit
have you ever owned a bicycle? it's no different. don't change tubes unless they have a puncture.
tires will vary depending on brand, compound, model. cheat shit you get on chinese bikes will last maybe a thousand or two. the schwalbe marathon you get on brand name bikes can last you up to 4-8k miles.
ebikes are same as tires. cheap chinese brands can die in a thousand or two or less. the bosch/shimano/yamaha equipped ebikes can go up to 50k miles. there will always be exceptions but that's the general rule of business.
HG1998@reddit
The frame itself will last more than 10k or even 30k, given that you aren't somehow smashing ot into anything. Everything else depends on maintenance.
band-of-horses@reddit
That really depends, the shitty $500 ebikes have pretty poorly welded frames and it's not exactly uncommon for them to fail and develop stress cracks well before a more quality frame. A quality bike frame indeed should last pretty much forever but a lot of people are buying the opposite of quality.
HeyBeers@reddit
When you get a flat.
unseenmover@reddit
its not a mileage thing as much as it is replacing it based on inspecting it and how the tire feels. I usually replace when the centers no longer have tread or when at my normal psi the tire squirms or rolls sideways b/c its losing its integrity..
OutboardTips@reddit
My rear tread wears out before 2k miles, my front tread is getting questionable at 6k miles, I have sealant in my tubes replaced one because of nasty slice from glass, but otherwise have held up fine.
JSSOnTheRun@reddit
Varies with road type. Gravel wears the most, pavement the least. Change them when the threads are gone. I change the tubes when I change the tires. Tubes are inexpensive and slowly dry out over time. BTW: not cheap but, I also have tire liners to assure on long trips I don’t get a flat. They’re relatively expensive but, assure I’m not caught pushing my bike for miles because of a flat tire.
Ok-Land-3907@reddit
You probably shouldn't be riding a bike!
TopRepulsive4766@reddit
I wouldn't change the inner tubes unless you get a puncture (or other damage where air is leaking). And then I will often patch them instead of buying new ones. It's probably better to go with new ones, but I'm stingy.
As for tyres, just keep track of their wear and condition. If the tread gets shallow, then replace the tyre. Of if you see cracking or other damage, then do a replacement.
And as a side note: I carry some of that 'slime' stuff on longer trips. It often will seal up a puncture temporarily so you can ride home.
So far, I have over 2000 miles on my current tyres. And they are still in good enough condition to withstand another 2000 miles probably. Most of my riding is on hard surfaces though. Gravel and off-road surfaces will probably shorten tyre life.
Keljian52@reddit
Best to change tubes when you change tires (unless you get a flat or two first), they are a low cost item, and form fit to your tires.
Rattlingplates@reddit
When they quit working…
RipOk3600@reddit
Tubes, when they puncture, tyres when the tread wears down (like car tyres)
Salemsara@reddit
That wear sounds normal for how much you ride, especially with gravel. If your tread’s basically gone at \~1k miles, yeah it’s time. On rough roads, 1k–1.5k miles per set isn’t crazy. Pavement should last a bit longer.
And tubes don’t really have a schedule, you just replace when they pop. Keep your tire pressure up, helps a lot with wear and flats. Bike itself can go 10k+ easy if you keep up with maintenance. You’ll just burn through tires, brake pads, and chains faster than most.
mack-y0@reddit
whenever they are flat
Fair-Discipline-1005@reddit
There is no limit when changing tires, I have 3500 km and drive on all kinds of terrain, my tires are still like new... When you see that the tires are worn out, you change them, only if you want another brand of tires...👍