So when are we getting one of this as I am fed up with my flat tires …

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9SWIsY8rzQ&feature=plcp[/video]

Wow. Could they have made that less informative?

EDIT, probably just as well, here’s their marketing guff. GUess what, FREE ENERGY!!!!

The physics behind the ERW is similar to that of a garage door. Even though a garage door weighs several hundred pounds, when it is sprung by the use of springs, it becomes de-weighted. So when you lift it, it only feels like it weighs a few pounds. In summary, an object that is sprung requires dramatically less energy to move than an unsprung object. In addition to the use of springs, an object can be sprung by stretching rubber. Scientists call this “Elastic Potential Energy.” At the center of the ERW is a layer of rubber. Through the use of adjustable rods, the rubber is stretched which stores elastic potential energy in the wheel, turning the ERW into a 360-degree slingshot that retains energy (hence the term “Energy Return Wheel”). When the ERW is attached to an object, that object becomes sprung. Just like a garage door that is sprung, the attached object becomes de-weighted and requires dramatically less energy to move than an unsprung object. Less energy to move means an increase in fuel efficiency. road. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are over 200 million cars and trucks currently on the road just in the United States.

Would love to see how that coped with the SPAM Winter Challenge in above zero temperatures….

😉

If you get a stone stuck in that will it stop the free energy flow?

The only problem is carrying mud in the cavity of the tires …

Apparently they could make one with side rubber so mud doesn’t get in.

So… like a tyre then…

You could put a thin rubber tube inside to keep the mud out, maybe call it an ‘Inner tube’ ?

great idea, terrible video – seeing someone mince off a 1 ft drop doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence

I guess it’s good for XC rather big drop.

Brilliant idea! Couple of questions though:

How will it cope with riders who aren’t 72Kg exactly?

What’s the deal with the rubber coping with temperatures that often encountered outside of California?

As a further point, they seem to have reinvented the elastomer…

The idea has been around for a while – but for cars

But it does only work in very exact circumstances – so no letting air out to manage the grip avaialable etc….

good idea, sort of.

From the video looks like a pile of junk in reality though. I think its got a long way to go before it can imitates the rolling of a tubeless tire.

The science also doesnt really make sense. Who said turning your wheel into a pogo stick is a good idea performance wise, the cornering handling must be terrible.

Instead of puncturing your tire you will be able to break it instead!

Oooohhh I want one ( y am I so easy ) lol

Of course the air in a pneumatic tyre doesn’t act like a spring in any way – as we all know there’s no such thing as an air spring…