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Air-filled rubber tires have been around for quite a long while, though the evolution of their design has been relatively slow. But we are now seeing inklings of new innovations such as airless tires (at least for bicycles) making an appearance. They may even be 3D printed someday, as French tire company Michelin is proposing with this biodegradable concept tire that is uses computational design to come up with a sensor-equipped tire that can be modified whenever needed, using on-demand additive manufacturing technology.
Presented in a striking blue hue, Michelin's Vision tire has a spongy "permanent structure" that's produced by computational design tools, giving it an organic look that's quite different from the black rubber tires we are so accustomed to. It's this web-like yet solid structure that allows the tire to function without air, eliminating any possibility of a flat tire. The company says that the tire would be made out of organic and recyclable rubber compounds; for example, using orange zest, hay, paper and metal instead of petroleum and synthetic elastomers.
Michelin is behind this concept, so it's less vaporware than usual.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Arik on Friday October 13 2017, @12:16AM (7 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 13 2017, @12:32AM (2 children)
If you don't go fast or far, there are several airless bicycle tires on the market. The rolling resistance is noticeably higher than a pneumatic tire (2-3x?), but if you are just tooling around and don't mind a little more exercise (and a slightly rougher ride), this could be an option. It could be a good choice in areas with many puncturing objects (glass or desert thorns/goat heads).
There are also "city bike" pneumatic tires with thick treads & anti-puncture layers that are very tough--and roll much better than any of the airless choices. Once I remember visiting a place where goat heads were everywhere and the local solution was clever. They took an old tire, cut off the bead wires and then stretched it over the normal tire (when deflated) -- then inflated the normal tire which locked the extra layer of old tire (rubber and cord) on the outside. This was very effective for thorn protection.
Personally, I live in a civilized place (western NY state) where we have a 5 cent bottle return deposit, so there is very little glass on the roads.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 13 2017, @03:11AM
I live in Oregon (up to $0.10/can or bottle now), and am amazed to still see broken glass on the road. Even more amazed to see the beer bottle label left over.
Reminds me of a joke...
A rodeo clown was driving back to Cheyenne from a rodeo in Rapid City, SD. As he's cruising down US 87, a young woman zooms around him. He notices she's texting the whole time. Well... I'll show HER, he thinks... So he speeds up his van on the right side of her car (they were in a passing zone, she was in the left lane), rolls down his window, gives her the stink eye and maybe a hand gesture or two, and throws his can of beer at her...
(Score: 2) by Spamalope on Friday October 13 2017, @02:34PM
As an early teen I threw newspapers from a dirt bike (1984). I was able to stack ~150lbs of papers in the side saddle bags. (then needed to ride very carefully at first to keep from flipping over backwards)
I had blowouts and punctures frequently. I found a kevlar sidewall tire I could order, that took 55psi instead of the normal 25psi. Those reduced rolling resistance and ended the blowouts. I'm guessing they were new products at the time. I installed teflon lining strips between the tire and tube and didn't have another puncture, though I did have some popped tubes. The kevlar tires were stiffer and hard to mount and the teflon liners made that worse. The tube was being caught so it had uneven pressure against the tube. Once I realized the cause, I just partially inflated the tube a few times and massaged the tire before inflating fully and my problems were over.
That worked so well I'd be surprised if someone isn't making a 1 piece solution for that, especially for cruiser city bikes. (maybe kevlar backing on the tread?)
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Friday October 13 2017, @05:02AM (3 children)
Obligatory Sheldon Brown [sheldonbrown.com] quote:
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Arik on Friday October 13 2017, @01:09PM (2 children)
Unfortunately around here they get punctured very quickly. And once you let the air out they no longer work so well.
I don't even try to ride here now but I did for years. I had liners and supposedly thorn resistant tires and tubes as well and I *still* wound up patching a flat nearly every day, even more than once on some days. That's why I no longer bother to try, it's quite impractical. Extra heavy tubes, extra thick tires, extra shielding between the two - all that adds up to more weight and more stiffness and therefore a poorer tire for more forgiving conditions - yet it's still not enough to survive these thorns for long at all.
Given that background, perhaps you can understand why I'd be interested in the possibility of a more reliable tire, even if it was not the one I'd choose for use in perfect conditions.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Friday October 13 2017, @03:06PM (1 child)
I trust you kept your tyres well inflated, too?
A low tyre pressure means you're more succeptible to "snakebite" punctures, where on impact the wheel rim pinches the inner tube against the ground (e.g. when hitting a pothole). I understand that a higher pressure also means tyres will tend to deflect debris, rather than letting them embed in the tyre tread and get pushed in as you ride. (I know the first from experience, the second is received wisdom.)
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Arik on Friday October 13 2017, @03:33PM
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?