The tyres on a Mountain Trike all terrain wheelchair are very similar to those on a mountain bike which means they can be prone to punctures. The good thing is that it is very easy to fix – in fact easier than on a bike as there is no frame enclosing the wheel on each side!
The tyre values on a Mountain Trike are ‘car type’ so you’ll need a normal bike pump, tyre levers and a puncture repair kit. All these can be picked up from your local bike shop – most bike shops will fix the puncture for you too, but obviously if you are out and about when you experience a puncture then you might need to do it yourself.
You might also want to have some spare inner tubes (that way you won’t need to repair the puncture, just replace the inner tube). The size you’ll need are 24 x 1.75-2.1, although the width isn’t too crucial so if your spares are slightly wider, say up to 2.5 then that should be fine.
The rear wheel is 12 x 1.75-1.9, again, width is not to crucial as long as its not too narrow.
For the rear wheel you will need a pair of 13mm spanners (or a 13mm and an adjustable spanner) to undo the axle and remove the wheel to change the inner tube. However, if you just repair the tube, you won’t need to undo the axle, you can leave the wheel on and just use tyre levers to take one side of the tyre off the rim (no need to take the tyre fully off), slide the tube out to fix then put the repaired tube back inside the tube and refit the tyre on the rim.
The front wheels don’t need to be removed whether you repair or replace the inner tube. Just run the tyre lever around the outside tyre bead to remove it from the rim (no need to take the tyre fully off), pull the tube out and either fix the tube or replace it then refit the tyre.
We will be making our own ‘how to fix a puncture on a Mountain Trike’ video for further guidance, but in the meantime here is a video to watch of someone repairing a puncture on a standard bike:
For other maintenance tips on the Mountain Trike please click to our Maintenance blog and also our How To blog.