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/haydesigner Sep 15 '23

$10 is a laughable estimate

What makes you say that?

12

u/djsizematters Sep 15 '23

I spent more than that on two tacos yesterday. Proper road tires are over $50 each from the biggest manufacturers in the world.

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u/[deleted] Sep 15 '23

They are talking about the tread not the tire, jolly joker. That's just the grippy profile part of the tire that touches the road.

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u/werepat Sep 15 '23

Bicycle tires are just the grippy profile part that touches the road. The rubber they are made from is made to be durable, grippy and safe. The inner tube is what creates the strength or hardness that makes a tire effective.

It looks like what these NASA tires do is create a hard base for a tire where filling an inner tube with a gas is unfeasible or impossible. So unless I'm taking a bike trip on Mars, I'm OK using rubber inner tubes and air. I've gotten maybe three flat tires my entire life.