Alternative to hose clamps for fastening torque arms?

[drewdiller]

I'm lucky in that so far my e-bike hasn't suffered a flat tire.

Let's say I have one, but I want to fix the flat as quick as possible. I want to spend 90% of my time removing the tire, tube, finding the leak, patching it, and putting the rubber back to the rim. I'd prefer to avoid having to turn, turn, turn a clunky flat head screw before and after.

Any ideas?

 

[dequinox]

I don't have a hub-motor, but I used some ground-rod clamps to hold on my front rack. They did a darn good job for a while...then I busted my fork and found a new one that didn't need them. Be warned that they did deform a little...but that may be because I tightened them too much. Wrap some rubber around the frame before attaching them though or they will mar it up. Got them at home depot for a couple bucks each. I would think you could rig them well-enough to take a torque arm:

 

[mwkeefer]

Good idea... but aren't those clamps aluminum? If they are steel (even softer steel) they may work better than all but the heaviest duty clamps (they kind for turbos - which are my preference for clamps)...

I don't have any pics now but I did find a stainless steel piece about the size of a postage stamp (a little bigger) and it had the oddest setup... There was an eyelet coming off it for bolting fender / torque arm and it had a slight rise then a cutout on both sides to run a clamp within... so you clamp this to somthing and then can bolt...

When I find a commercial source for these I will post back because they do prevent damage to the forktube from the end of the torque arm... the one possible issue they are flat and come with several pieces of firm and flat on one side curved on the other to match a tube they are mounted to... Having seen this only once, imho they only would allow about a quarter of a mm travel and that could serve to protect the shock while having no effect on dropout reliability... there is atleast that much play in most dropouts for twist and really more like a full 1-2mm.

-Mike

 

[amberwolf]

What I suggest instead is not removing the wheel at all to just patch a tube. In front it's really easy to just pull one bead off the rim and pull the tube out from there, without taking the wheel off.

In the rear it depends on what you have on there how easy it is to get to, but on the average plain bike it is also easy to get to that one too.

If you cannot flip the bike upside down it is a little harder, but even if you can only lay it on it's side it still works. I recently finally got bar-ends for DayGlo Avenger so I can flip the bike over for such repairs without having to take the stuff off the bars for fear of crushing it.


FWIW, since I use hose clamps to hold on other things to the bike, I carry instead of a regular screwdriver a socket driver, with the right small sockets for hose clamps and to hold various screwdriver bits, some of which are useful for disassembling junk found tossed out along the road so I don't have to haul the whole thing back if I only want part of it.

 

[drewdiller]

...Honestly hadn't thought of doing it with the wheel still on. I'll have to take a practice run at it.

 

[biohazardman]

I bought a large heavy SS hose clamp cut it to size, bent it to shape, drilled a couple of holes, and it werqs great for holding the torque arm still.

I agree with amberwolf on patching the tubes for flat repair. I usually can find the bolt, nail ect in the tire and so only loose the tire bead and pull the tube out in that spot. Make the repair, push the tube back in, reseat the tire bead, pump it up and ride off into the sunset or away from it as is the usual case. Good if you only have one hole. I had three the other day so left the wheel on but pulled the whole tube out and pumped it up to find all the holes after the first patch session did not seem to fix things.

 

[morph999]

I went to lowes and bought a 1 " plumbing clasp or whatever the hell it was. I can find out what the exact name for it was if you want. It's metal but it has a rubber lining around it. It's used for clamping plumbing pipes or soemthing.

 

[dogman dan]

Or make an even stronger version of the same thing, out of thicker metal. The hose clamps are pretty weak in my opinion.

 

[Drunkskunk]

or hit up your bike shop and ask for a "P clip" for a coaster brake. its what holds the torque arm for a coaster brake and internal geared hubs.

 

[John in CR]

Fabricate or have fabricated bolt on torque arms that are dropout shaped, but nice thick steel. They stay on the bike and the wheel comes off normally. My bikes are steel so mine are welded on, but there's no reason the same thing can't be made a bolt on for an alloy bike. It gives my dropouts an additional 1/2" thickness of steel on each side. My newer bikes will be the same, but with a bolt across the end of the dropout to clamp it closed, but that's probably overkill with thick steel. I never had so much a nut budge in 18 months.

If you go that route, it's a good idea to make the new steel additions deep dropouts.

An option I just thought of is to machine out some lawyers lips in the steel, which would have the same benefit of closed end.

OR

Use motorcycle tires instead of bike tires that so frequently get flats. Then the trouble of the torque arm clamp is irrelevant, because you don't get flats, and would need to bring it to someone anyway.