Self inflating tire?
 

This is an interesting concept.

If the CRR is low enough, I can see some situations where it would be useful, but for those of us that already check our tires ~weekly, maybe not so much?

I wonder how well this would work in conjunction with a good flat sealant (I have been really happy with Flat Attack)?


https://airwinder.com/

The tech page explains how it works: https://airwinder.com/technology/

I'm not going to get in on this kickstarter, but I'm going to watch and see if this actually makes it to market.

Looks like a non-cycling student did a "project" for a non-cycling instructor, and they went off open loop.

30 seconds thing by a cyclist here...

What happens if a piece of glass or metal, or a thorn, punctures the inflation tube? (No pumping.)

So you have to buy an integrated tire and matching tube. How do you patch the tube?

Give the kid an A for originality, pat him on the head, and send him (or her) to Econ and Accounting classes.

I can see how the principle could work, but I'm not sure if such system would be capable to generate more pressure than there is in the tire at any given moment - which would be needed to actually pump some air into the tire.

That's what the super-tough anti-puncture layer is meant for.

It says nothing about tubes, so I imagine it is meant for tubeless setup.

A solution in search of a problem. This can't really do anything about a sudden flat, and I don't think anyone finds the occasional top-off a serious problem. Does anyone spend more than 2 minutes per week pumping up non-leaky tires?

Color me skeptical. I'd be a late adopter, after a few years of many people on Bikeforums posting how great it is... :)

I check the air in my tires every other ride, correcting as necessary. Some people hate to check/add air, to me it's just a normal part of my pre-ride process. My buddy hates checking the tires so much that he bought a Specialized Alibi with airless tires. To each their own! Viva la difference!

Yeah, I didn't look to see where the wannabe manufacturer is from, but I suspect this is intended for the casual rider/commuter that hates to put air in their tires. I've known commuters who don't even own a pump, and just put air in at the gas station when they think about it, so....

I can also see this being useful in touring situations, where the tire pressure automatically 'sets' as the temperature changes. Other than that, definitely not for 'serious' riders.

From the "Technology" page:

"As the tire turns, it pushes the air forward through the pumping mechanism and into the inner tube."

I think the theory is that the mechanism gets squeezed between the tire and the tube, so it wouldn't work on a tubeless setup.

Does it sound like they have a working "proof of concept" model?

My expert opinion: Probably will never work.

Their "pump" is a tube between the tire tread and casing. The "pumping action" relies on tire contact patch deformation to squeeze air through the tube.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7f43c12677.png


Squeezing a tube is a very crude mechanism to try to get several atmospheres of pressure, even in the best situation. I seriously doubt they can manage it in a tire.

Then there's the reliability/safety issue of putting a flexible tube between the tire casing and the tread. No thank you.

Why doesn't someone invent something really useful, like an electronic oil slick sprayer like the Batmobile had? Draft me on the M.U.P. without permission? I don't think so. Instead, we get things like disc brakes, gravel bikes and 1x drivetrains. :innocent:

I have a suspicion that the 'pumping tube' can never have a higher pressure than the tire itself.

So was most of the tech developed for the Space Race in the 60's

In the public sector none of those solutions had problems they could solve. But once the solutions were out there, we found problems to use them on and tech exploded in the public sector.

Nothing wrong with developing technology just to the heck of it and without a clear viable practical purpose.

This concept is cool. It's over thinking a bike tire flat. But the concept is cool and when put in front of enough eyes, I'm sure someone will see an alternative use for it.

Put some Penzoil in a water pistol and boom....you're the Bat Bike.

Wanna automate it? Just get a windshield washer tank and pump from an older car, hook it up to a small battery and put a button on the handlebars.

(I may or may not have had this idea before and have already given it way more thought than I should have. Maybe.)

I knew there was something "perpetual motion" about it--I think that's likely right.

Sort of. I assume the thin tube running through the middle (?) of the tire is fairly small. The squeeze from the tire can locally be higher pressure than the gross pressure of the tire, which is much larger volume. This can work in using that method. It's not intended to refill a tire after being patched, or running out of air because of an actual puncture or leak. It's only going to be capable of small volume, which means maintaining, or inflating a slightly under-inflated tire.

It's the same idea behind a hydraulic lift similar to what's used for cars. You have a small pump making fairly moderate pressure, but it moves a lot of liquid (slowly) over time. You can lift a car with only 10 psi, it just takes a large area. :)

And to think I solved this problem simply by buying a small air compressor.

Nakano Air Hub:

https://www.amazon.com/Nakano-Air-Hub/dp/B019NR0Q2C

Can it even work? Once the tire gets above atmospheric pressure, the pressure inside the tire will squish the tubing shut.

The tube is open at one end to tire pressure, so the pressure inside the tube and tire should be the same.

A polluted and warming Mother Earth would like to disagree....

Oh goody...virtue signaling....just what this thread needed

http://akns-images.eonline.com/eol_i...0:600;left,top

Why don't you try a different option?

This is quite something else.

For the tube pump to work, the pressure in the tire needs to be higher than in the tube, or it won't compress. But the the air doesn't flow into the tire.
It would need some pressure doubler.

Remonds me of my ideas to build a perpetum mobile... when I was 8.

Ok, reading comprehension time.

The website took 5 minutes to read and is devoid of anything that would make it above an 8th grade reading level.

The product is intended for commuter and city bikes (35-45mm wide tires, pressures from 65-35psi) seeing frequent use. Not high pressure skinnies.
Best bet on construction is that it's similar to a clincher tubular tire. They won't fully explain the trade secret because 'trade secret', but the pumping tube is likely outside the casing under the tread. Some one way valves are capable of stepping pressure up around the wheel to overcome internal pressure.

Biggest downsides are increased rolling resistance and potentially abnormal handling, depending on the valves and how much volume the pumping channel uses.

Maybe for mtb tires too, but the amount of pumping needed for loaded touring, sport, and road tires is likely impractical.