Fixing a flat on an e-bike, step by step, and how to get fewer of them

Turn the bike off, take the battery out, and Rad suggests pressing and holding the power or MODE button to drain leftover power (Rad wheel guide).

Shift to the smallest rear cog. If you flip the bike, rest the bars on blocks to protect the display (Rad wheel guide, Aventon).

Find the connector near the chainstay, snip any zip ties carefully, and pull the two halves straight apart without twisting (Rad wheel guide).

Photograph the order of nuts, washers and torque washers or arms on both sides. Loosen the axle nuts and remove any torque arm bolt (Rad wheel guide, Himiway).

Pull the derailleur back and lift the wheel out. Don't squeeze a hydraulic brake lever while the rotor is out (Aventon). Ride1UP warns not to lay the wheel on the side where the motor cable exits (Ride1UP).

Let all the air out, push both beads toward the rim's center, then work two tire levers around under the bead. Park Tool says never to use a screwdriver or knife (Park Tool).

Pump the tube up and listen or feel for air, or dunk it in water and watch for bubbles (Park Tool patching). Then check the tread and inside of the casing carefully for glass, wire or thorns, and check the rim strip covers every spoke hole (Park Tool).

Roughen the area lightly, clean it, and apply the patch as the kit says. Park Tool calls glueless patches a temporary trailside fix (Park Tool patching). A cut in the tire casing needs a tire boot and then a new tire.

Put just enough air in the tube to give it shape. Fit the valve straight through the rim hole, tuck the tube in, and push the bead on by hand, using a lever only as a last resort. Check both sides that no tube is caught under the bead (Park Tool).

At low pressure, check that the molded line above the bead sits evenly all the way round. Then inflate to the pressure printed on the tire, checked with a gauge (Park Tool).

Lay out the hardware as in your photo. Seat the axle fully in the dropouts, torque washer tabs in place and rotor between the pads (Rad wheel guide, Ride1UP). Tighten the axle nuts with a torque wrench to your maker's number. Two examples: Rad gives 40 Nm for the RadCity and Ride1UP gives 30 Nm in its rear wheel guide, so don't guess (Rad wheel guide, Ride1UP, Himiway).

Line up the arrows or pins on the motor connector and push it together without twisting, then add a new zip tie (Rad wheel guide). Put the battery back, test the brakes and the motor, and only then ride (Aventon).