power wheelchair flat tyre or puncture
power wheelchair flat tyre or puncture
Hello all,
we are coming to Japan in a month now, and I ask myself some questions.
Last year I put plain tyres to my chair to avoid any puncture problem during our trip.
This year, we go to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hiroshima. So it will probably be a little more bumpy, and less confortable with plain tyre that feel really hard when driving (they are plain, anyway…).
In Europe, there are plenty of potential problems with normal tyres on the roads or sidewalks : nails during street works, sharp pebbles, broken glasses, …
In Japan, everything is clean everytime, there are a very few opportunities to have a problem. Additionnaly, Japanese people are really kind and may probably help if I need some help.
Do you have any advice for our trip ? Do you think it is more secure to have plain tyres, even if it is really less confortable, or is the risk of having a puncture really far and I should not be anxious about this ? Do you have any contact or plan to change or fix a flat tyre easily/quickly if a puncture occurs ?
Thanks in advance for your replies !
- 2 Replies
Hello Stéphane
It’s not easy to answer your question, it seems to me that luck plays a part …. I’ll tell you what I do before each trip. I change my tyres before every trip abroad, I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus Evolution 24×1 tyres which theoretically have a puncture prevention zone. I used patches but they didn’t give me much security. Now I always carry a couple of inside tubes and the tools to change them, the pump is usually available in hotels.
In my 15+ trips abroad I have only had one puncture (Yosemite).
I don’t know if I have helped you …. I can only tell you my experience.
🖐
Inaki.
I love @inaki advice about changing before you come!
I have been living here and using an InvaCare power wheelchair for 17 years and think I have only had a flat tire once or twice. Even though it is very clean here, you can find a random nail here or there when going past construction sites etc.
In addition to the idea to change tires before coming, I would try to get in touch with the local distributor for your wheelchair here in Japan so you have a place to contact right away instead of searching in a panic. (Obviously good for non-tire related problems too.) While some wheelchairs allow for easy tire removal, some newer models really lock it down and make it so you need to call the specialist for minor repairs.
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