Bike tires made from NASA’s bizarre shape-shifting metal are now available to buy (from Kickstarter)
No more bicycle flats, forever.
This being a kickstarter makes it a non-starter for me but it looks pretty promising: Hopefully they work great and become popular.
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Amazing!
I'll check on this when they're mass produced to see if it's economically viable, stopping 12 mins to replace a tube for $7 is cheaper than all the bulletproof $250 tires made of NASA tech or $100 tubeless concoction.
12 minutes? what spell are you casting to automatically change the tube?
Or do you have bike shops that aren't filled to the brim with work, somehow?
You ... can't change your own tube?
I've been riding bikes for years, and I've only had to change a tube maybe 3 times. I only ride on paved surfaces though, so it's nothing like trail riding or what have you... anyway, I'm very unpractised on tube changing; particularly when trying to get the tire off of the rim. It takes maybe 30 minutes to change a tube with a lot of pinched fingers and swearing.
I made the experience that tires can vary a lot in how easy/hard they are to get off and on your rim. I thought I was just dumb until I swapped tubes on another bike and it just.... worked as it was supposed to
That makes a lot of sense. The tires I have were the cheapest ones I could find.
If I'm being honest I've actually had the same experience as you. I can do it and never thought to go to bike shop for it but it just sucks. And I also didn't realize it was probably my cheap tires lol
Ive only done it about 4 times in the last 10 years. The last time I changed my front tube was a few months ago, and it took me 10 minutes, which I know for a fact because my adhd ass went to sleep without doing it, thinking 'I'll wake up early and do it before work' and then promptly forgot until 15 minutes before I was supposed to leave. Granted that was in my kitchen not on the side of the road, with a real pump not a portable one. The biggest thing that helped me was getting a good pair of plastic tire keys or whatever they're called. They slide in my little maintenance pouch, are lightweight, and super easy to use. Like 6 bucks on Amazon or something too.
I never even implied that lol, kinda rude to jump to that honestly.
No, i can change my tubes, it's just an arse and a half because you have to unscrew the wheel, fiddle with the chain if it's the rear wheel, and then bending off the tyre is annoying as hell and so is putting it all back. Most people absolutely cannot do it in 10 minutes, that's a fantasy.
Get yourself quick release spindles and a single platic tire iron.
Flip the bike or put it on a stand.
Deflate the tire if it's not completely flat.
Inflate the tube just one pump so that the inside rubber unsticks, then put the valve through the valve hole.
Before putting the tube around the rest of the rim, stuff it into the tire and place the tire and tube around the rim in one go.
The first bead should be easy, and the second bead might require you to use the tire iron.
Put the wheel back on and then reinflat the tire.
It shouldn't take that much time.
Nah man, the ultegra wheels and GP5000 tires just work well once the tire has been seated for a while, additionally I just unseat one side and check for debris or sharp stuff and boom seating a new tube with C02 takes no time.
Yeah, if I weren’t having my tubes replaced every few weeks, if that, last year from nails and blowouts… at $20-25 a pop, I wouldn’t have went with tubeless (solid foam) tires. But, these ride well enough for ~$100-125 for the set and $35-50 for the install.
Sure, I guess I could get some more practice in on street repair, but meh. This is easier.
Have you looked at puncture-resistant tires like Schwalbe Marathon?
Exactly- I've been riding a $50 pair of Marathon Mondials for 5 years without a puncture, and the tech is well proven . Anyway, a sidewall cut in these new tyres is still going to allow the tyre to fill with water and road crud, so you are still going to have to repair bigger punctures anyway. Seems like an expensive solution looking for a problem.
The foam ones I bought are pretty awesome, so far. And they’re light weight enough for me as an amateur. I’ve been a long time runner, and recently moved to biking to continue my cardio without the hard impact of running.
Now, I’m not some fancy runner, either. Just for fitness. On my ‘in season’ I could get 20-30 miles a week, or in ‘off seasons’ 5 miles. 😂🤦♂️
But, regardless these foam ones I got are pretty decent and allow me to drive on my shitty inner city roads (with tons of gentrification construction and nails from that) without worry. Granted, I moved to what we call ‘the beltline’ after I got the new tires… but, either way, you can’t puncture foam. 😂🤷♂️
What are they called?
Depends how often you typically have to replace that $7 tube. Also depends on distances you travel.
While a $7 tube once a year is a much better price, that number skews if you happen to need to walk miles when it goes.
A tube often lasts me ten years and I always have an extra tube in my frame bag, because it's way easier than patching a flat.
I also do have most important tools, tube AND repair kit with me all times but you do realize that's not majority of the people. A grandma could ride with the same tires for 20 years (mine did) and never having a flat during those years could definitely be worth it.
I've never had a flat. It's just a matter of being prepared for the one or two times in my entire life I get one.
Tires like this significantly shift the cost/benefit analysis of biking in the first place, they're just not practical for the vast majority of users.
This specific type might be too expensive, but there's been a lot of work in non-pneumatic tires for bicycles as well as for heavier vehicles for some time. Wouldn't be surprised if they at some point would make their way to affordable commuter
I am a fan of Flatout: I use it in my hybrid bike and my ebike. Seems to work well, at least with tubes.
