RoadWearier

Not sure I'd pay $500 but maybe if the price came down to $200 I would ...

https://newatlas.com/bicycles/metl-shape-memory-airless-bicycle-tire/?fbclid=IwAR1-2lHpJPIYy-YSRWjjJXdiYztB8BoIHY3fsKlGFcrgdK9SGckgRmOGTMQ

azo

hmm so about $500 for spring based tyres that provide medium to low rolling resistance, good traction... and mid range weight..

not sure id pay that much for the puncture protection aspect.

pardon the pun but i dont think these will take off but lets see .. they do look cool.

choddo

They do.

If it's really $10 per retread, and if they work and don't just mash the rims every time you hit a pothole, over the long term that could be an interesting investment and perhaps more sustainable. But maybe not at 500.

RoadWearier

Yeah I guess I haven't had the joy of repairing a tire in a bad section of town yet (or anywhere for that matter) but I'm not looking forward to it. I know to the experienced it's not a big deal but I have only changed tubes twice in my life. I had a nail go all the way through my Bontrager Hard Case tire...right through the sidewall! So I haven't been super sold on these ultra-tough tires and they ride like crap.

FBinNY 

Sounds cool, and I'll be happy to watch other people give them a shot.

choddo

IME tubeless solves 95% of that anyway.

RoadWearier

Tubeless sounds like no fun at all. Messy. But if it works for you, great!

choddo

Hmm, not found it messy - can get a bit of stretchy stuff coating the back of the seat tube if a puncture sprays a bit (but I usually stop and rotate the wheel so it's at the bottom to speed up the sealing process (or whack a dynaplug in). And the stuff on the frame comes off easily. Or do you mean when installing? Not had any mess there, just squirt the stuff in when the tyre is 90% on, and rotate it out of sight to close off the tyre.

Biggest problem with it is the tyres are considerably tougher to get on the rim. Found the "tyreglider" invaluable.

RoadWearier

I just have read that putting sealant in is a messy hassle and I have learned that I am notorious for making a mess/spilling with maintenance stuff in general. I used to change my own oil on cars and motorcycles and without fail I would be mopping up oil off my floor at some point. Same goes with painting. I dunno maybe I'm just a ****.
**** is apparently a forbidden word here. Lol.

choddo

Ha, it's possible

Definitely took me a while to get a technique that works for me (might stick it on Youtube if I can persuade one of the kids to act as cameraperson) but yeah, bit off topic - recommend you give it a try if you ever get tired of punctures, of which I had WELL had enough after a few rainy ones making me late for work.

Velo Mule

I was playing tennis a bunch of years ago. It used to be that we would open a new can of balls every time that we wanted to have a good game. Tennis balls are pressurised. New balls play constantly from one ball to the next but they lose that constancy over time. A recent development has been the pressureless tennis balls. I was skeptical, but have them a try. They have a similar bounce to pressurised balls, they last longer and they maintain constancy. All the things that you want in a tennis ball. With bicycle tires, I am not sold on airless tires. Tires have gotten better over the 50 years that I have been riding bikes. For share bikes, some e-bikes and some commuters, I can see where a airless tire would be a big advantage. For me and my riding, I am experiencing perhaps a flat every two years, maybe even less. And I'm not even using tires with puncture resistance. I like the ride that I get from pneumatic tires.

RoadWearier

Have you ever tried slime or any other leak goo in your clinchers? I was thinking about maybe doing that

TiHabanero

Interesting concept. I like the idea of replaceable tread and the low cost associated with it. I like the idea of zero flats, no messy sealant, and a one time mounting. Lots of advantages that I see, especially for commuting or possibly touring. Cost of entry is steep and outside of what I am willing to pay. Perhaps in 10 years the price will come down to about a third of where it is now.

Crankycrank

I always get a yawn out of the new tire inventions that come out without any type of unbiased testing to accompany the claims. I'm always hopeful that a fast, smooth riding, flat-proof tire will come along some day but nothing so far has come close to equaling the ride of the pneumatic tire. Still hoping.

smd4

They don't come in 700 x 23C? What's the point?

Bill Kapaun

"The never-go-flat tires were created in partnership with NASA....
I wonder what the name of THAT company was? I doubt it's this company if they trying a kickstarter campaign.

RCMoeur 

Every non-pneumatic tire (so far) has had notably higher rolling resistance than a comparable pneumatic tire. Typically to the point of "I'm tired of my tires always feeling like they're really low". From their construction, these tires look like they may be susceptible to the same feeling, as the plastic surrounding the metal spring looks rather thick.

There may be a market for these tires on bicycles intended to survive the next scheduled apocalypse, perhaps on the affluent side of East Goathead, TX. But as others have noted, I'll let other brave folks perform the in-service product evaluation prior to my looking at it as an option.

grumpus

Is it that time again already? Why is it that nobody who thinks he can gainfully reinvent the wheel seems to be an actual cyclist?

tyrion

I bet they're not nearly as efficient or comfortable as old fashioned pneumatic tires, but if flat-proof and low maintenance are high priority...