A puncture-proof tyre similar to those fitted to the American Humvee military vehicle will soon be available for your mountain bike.
Colorado designer Brian Russell has developed what he describes as an Energy Return Wheel that he hopes will soon be fitted to cars – and bicycles – around the world.
Russell claims the wheel will save motorists fuel and cyclists the faff of having to repair flats at the roadside.
The wheels can be adjusted to suit different types of terrain and may be offered with a thin sidewall to keep the inside of the tyre free of mud.
Puncture-proof tyres
Non-pneumatic tires (NPT) are tyres not supported by air pressure. They are routinely used on plant equipment used for building demolition, where a conventional tyre would be likely to puncture. Solid tyres made of closed-cell polyurethane foam are also made for wheelchairs and less commonly, for bicycles.
Pneumatic tyres were unveiled 156 years ago by Robert William Thomson and remain with us to this day because, whilst an attractive prospect, completely puncture-proof tyres have problems of their own. They generally have higher rolling resistance, provide less suspension and are not as good at dissipating heat.
Resilient Technologies and the University of Wisconsin hope to overcome these drawbacks by creating a non-pneumatic tyre comprising a polymeric honeycomb wrapped with conventional rubber tread tread. The entirely puncture proof tyre is designed for the Humvee military 4×4.
Protect your bike
Bicycle insurance from the ETA includes cover against theft, accidental damage and vandalism and costs from 39p per week. It mirrors the cover you would expect from a fully-comp car insurance policy by including third party liability, breakdown recovery (yes, you can get it for bicycles), replacement bike hire and legal advice all for one price. Get an instant quote here, or give us a call on 0800 212 810. We are cyclists ourselves, we’d love to hear from you.
Have you insured your bike?
Our bicycle insurance will ensure you have peace of mind wherever you take your bike.
Janie
These look great – but is there a reason the cyclist in the film never sits on his saddle?
Decent non-pneumatic tyres can’t come soon enough for me – and for all bikes, not just mountain bikes.
Lisa
It’d be really good if they could do these for wheelchairs in the uk too I need decent latex free off road tyres for my chair
Tom cave
Would love to get these tyres for my mountain bike and my landrover defender….😁
David Müller
It’ll be really time and money saving for mountain bikers, time because you won’t need to repair a puncture and loose time, you won’t need to waste money on tubes and tube seals. If it works on an MTB it will work on a wheel chair or commuter bicycle. And for you guys, the man isn’t siting because that’s the way you go down on an MTB on a steep terrain like that on the picture, i doesn’ have anything to do with the stiffness of he wheel, in fact that bicycle has full suspension.