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From the article:
The Serenity tire is made from a microcellular tube that fits into a specially designed tire casing. It rides like any bike tire with about 60 pounds of pressure, which is comparable to the pressure of a mountain bike or city bike. Because the tire has no air, it doesn't add rolling resistance from air loss. They weigh about 1,400 grams (3 lb) a pair and feature a reflective sidewall that provides visibility during night rides. The tires are also claimed to provide more shock absorption than typical tube tires and are rated for about 3,000 miles (4,828 km) of wear.
-- http://www.gizmag.com/no-flat-bicycle-tire-wheelset/23435/
Seems like a great idea for commuters.
indeed. commuter tastic.
rides like any bike tire with about 60 pounds of pressure
reckon they can do a softer one?
hang on... 1.4kg!!!
There were some around in the early 90s. It was like riding it wet sand. Horrible things, really draggy. Not sure if they fixed that issue.
The early 90s ones were a disaster for all sorts of reasons.
How are you supposed to get this thing on the rim, that's what I would like to know.
Too heavy, too soft for road commuting. Too heavy and too hard for MTB use. Naturally all of the above could be adapted.
The early 90's ones were called green tyres as I recall. My mate had some when we were kids, they used to roll off when he went round corners.
A Schwalbe Marathion Plus in 26x1.5" weighs in at 860g. That's 1720g the pair, plus the weight of a couple of tubes.tracknicko - Member
hang on... 1.4kg!!!
tracknicko - Memberhang on... 1.4kg!!!
I have just googled the weight of my commuter tyres and tubes. (Specialized nimbus 26x1.5") -turns out I would have to have no slime in them and 50 gram tubes to come in at 1400g for both ends. Realistsically, I think my tyres and tubes must be more like 1600 grams altogether. So yeah, 1400g isn't really that bad compared to what some of us might have on our commuters. It will be interesting to see how they actually ride, and whether they can make one you can wrestle on to a normal 17mm internal diameter rim.
[edit] -druidh beat me to it.
FWIW I also keep my nimbuses/nimbii at 60-80psi, so maybe a touch soft, but then if i forget to check the pressures for a while, I don't think "blimey the back's soft on this" until it gets down to 50...
If you watch his video (in the linked article) you can see why he might prefer a slightly harder tyre...
It will be interesting to see how they actually ride, and whether they can make one you can wrestle on to a normal 17mm internal diameter rim.
This guys Kickstarter is that he has already found "perfect rims" for them and sells them as a complete wheelset.
Nice that he is saving non-mechanically minded folk a lot of bother, but I still think you need to be able to get them on and off yourself:
1) not everyone is in the market for wheels+tyres combo.
2) what happens when you wear out the tyre?
3) what happens if you wear the braking surface out first? (I have achieved this on both ends on the same set of commuter tyres: ie the tread outlasted the rim)
4) what about when you need to replace a cracked/sheared/rounded nipple, or even trash the hub (I see they are fairly normal looking cup'n'cone hubs) or pringle the rim and need to rebuild the whole wheel?
...Actually a bit more googling suggests that despite what the linked article says, the insert (ie the 'tube' weighs 1050 grams, and the tyre is 350g. So more like 1400 grams [i]per end[/i]. Ah well. 😕
The 90s ones were great- they didn't puncture but they did sometimes fall off the rims when cornering. One of my schoolmates still has the scars.
A similar sort of idea is used by Paris Dakar motorcycle racers but they are doing 100mph across desert terrain laden with many litres of fuel so I suppose thay aren't worried about weight!
"Rolling resistance from air loss"??? Rolling resistance comes from hysteresis and friction and air compression generating heat.
1) not everyone is in the market for wheels+tyres combo.
They are already available separately - his USP is putting them together.
2) what happens when you wear out the tyre?
He reckons they're good for 3,000 miles. That'll last most commuters a good few years.
Nothing to stop you buying the tyre separately and fitting it (or getting the bike shop to do it)
3) what happens if you wear the braking surface out first? (I have achieved this on both ends on the same set of commuter tyres: ie the tread outlasted the rim)
Disc brakes FTW 😀