ElectricScooter Tyre Maintenance

Proper and regular tyre maintenance can save you a lot of frustration and reduce the chances of a flat tyre. And it only takes a minute every couple of weeks.

Did you know that the majority of punctures on electric scooters aren't due to a foreign object penetrating the tyre but due to poor maintenance (or no maintenance at all) or due to not riding the scooter correctly - i.e. riding off curbs, performing jumps, tricks etc?

A weekly check on the tyre pressure is recommended.

So what tyre should you go for in the first place?
Generally the options are pneumatic (air filled), these can be either with or without an inner tube and the other option is solid, and these can be either solid or a honeycombed tyres. 

Pneumatic tyres provide a better option as they provide a better quality ride due to the in built "suspension" in the tyre and inner tube due to the cushion of air, you also get better traction between the tyre and the road.

The only real advantage of a solid tyre are no punctures, the traction isn't as good as pneumatic tyres and the ride quality can be very harsh. The honeycomb tyre is designed with air filled gaps and is a compromise between a pneumatic tyre and a solid tyre.

Pneumatic Tyres
There are two tyres of pneumatic tyres, ones that have an inner tube and those that are vacuum tyres (tubeless). When you get a puncture with an inner tube tyre you can replace the inner tube, just like you would on a bicycle, using the same tools. Check out the video below.

Most punctures with inner tube scooters are due to the tyre pressure not being maintained. This then causes friction between the inner tube and the tyres that eventually causes a puncture. So check that tyre pressure!

Tubeless pneumatic tyres
Tubeless pneumatic tyres (vacuum tyres) are now starting to make an appearance on electric scooters. These are the same type of tyre as found on cars, there is no inner tube and the tyres itself forms the seal or vacuum with the wheel. If you get a puncture on a tubeless setup you will either need a high pressure compressor to force air in under pressure to "pop" the tyre onto the wheel rim or if you don't have a compressor your can add sealant to the tyre, the sealant will then form a seal between the wheel and the tyre so that you can then pump up the tyre with a standard pump. An issue with adding sealant is that in order to add the sealant the valve core needs to be removed thus deflating the tyre completely, you then run the risk of it coming away from the rim and getting it back on with out a compressor or high pressure pump can be difficult.

With a tubeless setup you will find that the tyre will slowly deflate rather than suddenly going down as with an inner tube set up. 

As with an inner tube setup you can reduce the chances of a flat tyre by making sure you keep the tyre pumped up. Check your user manual or the side of the tyre for details of the correct tyre pressure.