The most common and infuriating problem that electric scooter owners face is flat tyres; repairing them can be a real pain, especially when you’re far from home. It turns out that with a little effort and preparation, flat tyres can be significantly reduced.

Continue reading to learn some easy and inexpensive ways to keep your electric scooter from running a flat tyre.

Here are our most effective choices for preventing (or reducing) flats on your electric scooter:

Maintain sufficient tyre pressure.

Sealant for tyres (tyre slime)

Solid (airless) tyres

The first and most critical check is to ensure that the tyres are properly inflated. The significance of this cannot be overstated. This is because pinch punctures caused by inadequate pressure are the most common cause of tyre punctures on electric scooters. When the tyre pressure is low, the tube does not ‘bounce back' as well and the inner tube gets pinched on the rim causing it to puncture.

Using a normal bicycle pump with a gauge is the easiest way to check for adequate tyre pressure. The gauge removes the element of the guesswork from inflating and avoids over-inflation.

What is tyre sealant, also called tyre slime?

Tyre sealant or tyre slime is a viscous green or coloured liquid that is injected into your tyre to prevent flats or seal ones that have occurred.

Tube sealant is a liquid latex that can be pumped into the inner tube using the same valve that inflates the tyre. As the wheel turns, the fluid circulates the inside of the tube.

When a hole occurs, the fluid spills into it and soon dries, filling the hole and plugging the leak. It acts in the same way as blood clots to avoid bleeding in a wound. Both penetration and pinch punctures are covered by the sealant.

Punctures that are 2.5cm or smaller can be sealed with tyre sealant. Glass and staples, for example, are much smaller than most surface debris. The smaller the puncture, the better the chances of it sealing properly and easily. However, punctures or tyre failures that cause a blowout cannot be prevented or repaired with tyre sealant. Blowouts are usually caused by major tyre or inner tube failure, pinch flats, overvaluation, or extremely large punctures.

We like tyre sealant because it is cheap and applying it to your tyres is a breeze.

Check out our choice of Slime Sealant and Muc Off Sealant