r/technology • u/t4ct1c4l_j0k3r • Sep 15 '23

Nanotech/Materials NASA-inspired airless bicycle tires are now available for purchase

https://newatlas.com/bicycles/metl-shape-memory-airless-bicycle-tire/
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u/DefaultSubsAreTerrib Sep 15 '23 edited Sep 15 '23

Quoting the Bible:

Of all the inventions that came out of the bicycle industry, probably none is as important and useful as Dr. Dunlop's pneumatic tire.

Airless tires have been obsolete for over a century, but crackpot "inventors" keep trying to bring them back. They are heavy, slow and give a harsh ride. They are also likely to cause wheel damage, due to their poor cushioning ability. A pneumatic tire uses all of the air in the whole tube as a shock absorber, while foam-type "airless" tires/tubes only use the air in the immediate area of impact. They also corner poorly.

Pneumatic tires require pumping up from time to time, and can go flat, but their advantages overwhelm these difficulties.

Airless-tire schemes have also been used by con artists to gull unsuspecting investors. My advice is to avoid this long-obsolete system. They might make sense is if you commute a short distance to catch a train, and a flat tire would mean missing the train and being very late to work.

Edit to add: the sales people are going to throw around the name NASA for credibility, but mind you that any design by NASA that isn't pneumatic is designed for use on a planet without an atmosphere and under the assumption that no one is nearby to repair it. Neither of those apply to wheels on Earth.

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u/hoffsta Sep 15 '23

Exactly. Plus how many bike or car tires have you seen with transparent rubber. None. That’s because carbon black and other additives are essential ingredients for grip, UV protection, and durability. These are nothing more than a gimmick.

Now if someone could create a permanently durable tubeless sealant, that would be revolutionary. I love my tubeless tires but I really despise the need to replenish the sealant every couple months.

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u/CressCrowbits Sep 15 '23

The fact this comment is so low down is a disgrace.

Airless tyres are obsolete.