e
Bridgestone's Non-Pneumatic Bicycle Tires
No air pump necessary
Remember Ron Arad's bicycle designed with sprung-steel wheels?
Enter a caption (optional)Arad's crazy idea worked, though no bicycle manufacturer pursued the concept. In the years since, however, non-pneumatic tire designs have slowly become a reality for ATVs and John Deere mowers, and now Bridgestone reckons they might work for bicycles too.
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)Previously Bridgestone had developed non-pneumatic tire concepts for four-wheeled vehicles, but this month they've announced they're porting their "Air Free Concept" over to two-wheelers.
The "Air Free Concept" is a technology that eliminates the need for tires to be inflated with air to support the weight, using a unique structure of spokes stretching along the inner sides of tires. In addition, the resins that are used in the spokes and rubbers help realize more efficient use of resources.
Bridgestone Corporation and Bridgestone Cycle adapted the "Air Free Concept" to develop bicycle tires without punctures. The high flexibility for design granted by resin has also enabled proposals of next-generation bicycles which have never been seen before.
Regarding that last sentence, we're curious to see what these proposals are, but the company has opted not to include any information on them.
If you were designing a bicycle meant to incorporate these tires, what would you do differently?
Lastly I'll say: Vandalism still being a problem here in New York, if you had one of these in Manhattan I think you'd never not find someone had stuffed garbage in between those spokes. The bright orange is just crying out for someone to mess with it.
-
o2Favorite This
-
Q5Comment
Directory Company Profiles
Core77
Industrial Design
Resources
Industrial Design
Resources
-
Core77 Directory
Find the Best Industrial Design CompaniesGo -
Bould Design
BOULD DESIGN is a strategic partner for bringing highly functional, beautiful and successful product...
-
Doris DevDoris Dev is a New York and Hong Kong-based product development agency with a proven track record of...
-
Delve
We are a multidisciplinary product innovation and development firm that brings bold ideas to market....
-
aruliden
Aruliden is a global design agency born in 2006. We are a collection of people who care deeply about...
-
Artefact
Artefact is a strategy + design firm. Design is powerful. It determines how we experience life, and ...
-
Speck Design
Speck Design is a Silicon Valley product design and strategy consultancy. For twenty years Speck Des...
-
Sprout Studios
Sprout Studios is an award-winning, concept-to-launch design studio deeply rooted in technology and ...
K
{Welcome
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
K
Reset Password
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.
Comments
That Specialized Alibi is funny. Boast about no maintenance chain and tires, still use a derailleur and rim brakes. Anyway, I would mostly fear lateral stiffness on these wheels, as the springy part is quite large.
Non Pneumatic tires have already been produced in the cycling industry in multiple ways. The Specialized Alibi is an easy example. The wheels in the article have bigger issues when it comes to handling, especially at higher speeds. Weight also becomes a huge issue. If you remember the older mag wheels, they were heavy and were unstable. Also once out of true, they are worthless. In general the spring design is unnecessary. The tire is the focal point. Although here it seems we would need to replace the entire wheel once the tire is worn? For larger trucks this might make more sense, but it not quite there when it comes to cycling. I think the whole "The high flexibility for design granted by resin has also enabled proposals of next-generation bicycles which have never been seen before." is pretty ridiculous. This is just a hype phrase to promote the supposed strength of these wheels. Great concept, not suitable for the market just yet.
some playing cards and a clothes pin...
Is about time they make this. Pneumatic tire are #1 problem of bicycles. This concept has been testing for many years. Vandalism is a violent response of the young and poor, to the many sins of wealthy society. Design should not be accountable for vandalism. That is like saying beautiful woman should consider being attacked, when she chooses a dress. That is coward thinking.
Michelin has had something similar for a while now. Interesting to consider the usefulness of a tire that remains working after an explosion. Forget about nails and glass ruining a tire!