I got a frantic phone call a couple of days ago from my son. He had left for school as he always does on his e-bike, so when he called not long after, I immediately picked up. He blurted out something like “the front wheel on my e-bike just fell off!” I was not expecting that!
I’ve done lots of repairs and adjustments on both my kids e-bikes. One in particular seems to be more troublesome than the other, with constant brake adjustments, pedals getting damaged, punctures, etc. But the actual wheel falling off was a new one!
I hopped in my truck and went to retrieve the bike from the trail. Luckily he was going up hill when this happened. I hate to think of the injury he might have had if he was zooming downhill.
I could tell immediately what had happened when I saw the bike. The nut and washer on one side had worked their way off the bike, and the one on the other side had come loose too, giving enough space for the bolt to move and fall out. Crazy! In all my years on bikes, I have never seen this happen.
After re-tracing some of the route to try to find the missing pieces, I gave up and checked at the nearest bike shop. The guy told me that in place of the missing washer with the tag-looking thing on it (picture above), I could just use a normal washer. I’m taking his word for it, only because I couldn’t find a replacement. He couldn’t help me with either piece, but I found what I needed at the local hardware store. An M10 – 1.25 metric Flange nut was an exact fit.
SO…. Check your kids bikes! And show them what to check for too. It’s scary to think how badly they could get hurt when something like this happens.
And now for some stunning pictures of North County San Diego..
Hike number 14 in the 52in25 series was a beautiful one at Lake Poway, today, which happens to be St. Patrick’s day, 2025. Happy St. Patrick’s day! ☘️🇮🇪
