Originally Posted by
maallyn
As we all know in this community, flat tires are the biggest bane for us. If there is something that can be done to eliminate pneumatic tires, our lives would be greater.
I disagree with this. ^^ Pneumatic tires have advantages that air-free tires will never have, including weight and quality of ride. When you hit a bump with a pneumatic tire, the shock compresses all of the air in the tire, meaning it is spread widely. With a air-free tire, shock it localized in the material and in the nearby part of the rim. As a result, airfree tires will alway give a rougher ride and be harder on the wheels. It's not just a deficiency in the materials, it's the overall concept.
You mention materials technology. Well, I think that improvements are best applied to making pneumatic tires more reliable and easier to fix, not applying them to replacing them. Sometimes flat-proof tires are worth all of the disadvantages; but I don't believe they'll ever be a viable choice for the average cyclist.