Researchers have created a hollow, tubeless rubber tyre fused with carbon nano tubes for the humble mountain bike, ushering a future where a flat is a thing of the past
A company based in Colorado called Britek Tire and Rubber have created a mountain bike tyre that is puncture proof and airless. Previously the company focused its efforts into creating airless tyres for automobiles, but their latest innovation is for the humble Bicycle.
The company founder and designer Brain Russel already has several patents for the Energy Return Wheel and other airless tyres.
In 29in bicycle tyres consist of a layer of rubber held taught by carbon nano tube rein-forced composite rods to provide cushioning, Daily Mail reported.
These rods can be adjusted, much like the amount of air in a pneumatic tyre can be changed, to suit different types of terrain or riders of different weights.
But the most incredible thing about the tyres is not that they are impossible to puncture, but that they also have the potential to improve riders speeds as they race around the track.
The company has been around since 2002 with a goal "to reinvent the wheel." Russell explained why he calls his concept "Energy Return Wheel."
At the center of the ERW is a layer of rubber. Via rods that are adjustable, the rubberis stretched, which stores elastic potential energy in the wheel. He said the ERW thereby is turned into "a 360-degree slingshot that retains energy."
When the ERW is attached to an object, it requires dramatically less energy. Less energy to move means an increase in fuel efficiency.
A car riding on this set of wheels would be "like riding on four slingshots," according to the designer. The Slingshot Effect could improve acceleration, and since the wheels could de-weight the car, he said, the rider would also see improvements in braking performance.
He also promoted the ERW's inner elastic layer construct, which provides the cushioning that air provides in traditional tyres. He said that initial tests show that the elastic layer takes away vibration.
A company based in Colorado called Britek Tire and Rubber have created a mountain bike tyre that is puncture proof and airless. Previously the company focused its efforts into creating airless tyres for automobiles, but their latest innovation is for the humble Bicycle.
The company founder and designer Brain Russel already has several patents for the Energy Return Wheel and other airless tyres.
In 29in bicycle tyres consist of a layer of rubber held taught by carbon nano tube rein-forced composite rods to provide cushioning, Daily Mail reported.
These rods can be adjusted, much like the amount of air in a pneumatic tyre can be changed, to suit different types of terrain or riders of different weights.
But the most incredible thing about the tyres is not that they are impossible to puncture, but that they also have the potential to improve riders speeds as they race around the track.
The company has been around since 2002 with a goal "to reinvent the wheel." Russell explained why he calls his concept "Energy Return Wheel."
At the center of the ERW is a layer of rubber. Via rods that are adjustable, the rubberis stretched, which stores elastic potential energy in the wheel. He said the ERW thereby is turned into "a 360-degree slingshot that retains energy."
A car riding on this set of wheels would be "like riding on four slingshots," according to the designer. The Slingshot Effect could improve acceleration, and since the wheels could de-weight the car, he said, the rider would also see improvements in braking performance.
He also promoted the ERW's inner elastic layer construct, which provides the cushioning that air provides in traditional tyres. He said that initial tests show that the elastic layer takes away vibration.
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