The rear tyre problem
When removing the tyre from the scooter, I realised that the paint was bubbling up and coming away from the alloy wheel, due to corrosion, which makes me think the tyre bead or the valve might not be sealing due to corrosion too
I decided to brush off the bits of corrosion that I could see, then take the wheel to the bike shop, then get them to check the tyre for punctures to be sure. They suggested putting an inner tube in the wheel if the tyre was okay, which was an idea I liked, but I didn’t like the idea that the wheel was still corroded and half-painted. I decided to buy the inner tube, and to take it home to do myself. This gave me a chance to strip and repaint the wheel properly inside and out.
Here is the wheel before stripping. You can see corrosion inside and out of the rim, and also around the valve. Not to mention the rusty glazed brake drum. No wonder that back brake was sticking on.
Here is the other side of the wheel after stripping the paint off. I used normal paint stripper from a tin, a screwdriver and a wire brush to do this, and it took about 90 minutes to do it thoroughly. And I didn’t burn myself once!
Here is the same wheel after two brushed-on coats of “Hammerite Special Metals Primer”, which is a water based etch primer for non-ferrous metals, aluminium, brass, etc:
And finally after 3-4 coats of satin black (acrylic from a spray can):
Just waiting for the paint to harden fully before I manhandle the tyre and tube back on. I know it will probably work without a tube now the corrosion is taken care of, but I didn’t buy a replacement valve, so I’ll stick to the idea of using a tube. When the tyre is eventually replaced, it can be replaced normally, of course.