Just a tthought.

[ding-dong]

May sound silly -but, do'nt you think it's time somebody invented a sort of "squishy" large "O" ring thing instead of inner tubes (and / or) tyres. No more punctures.!!!!!!?.
With all the modern polymers and stuff I would'nt have thought it would be all that difficult. Who's going to be the first to patent the idea?.
Ed. ding-dong.

 

[johnc461165]

Sounds like heaven,

 

[tillson]

May sound silly -but, do'nt you think it's time somebody invented a sort of "squishy" large "O" ring thing instead of inner tubes (and / or) tyres. No more punctures.!!!!!!?.
With all the modern polymers and stuff I would'nt have thought it would be all that difficult. Who's going to be the first to patent the idea?.
Ed. ding-dong.

It's been done. I remember seeing foam sausages of various size for sale a few years ago and I believe it was a man from Nottingham who marketed the idea. There was some dispute over the patent and they disapeared from sale. I have never seen them since.

 

[JuicyBike]

I guess you're trying to combine two functions: high tensile strength (to keep the tyre on the rim) and elasticity (to smooth the bumps). These are at odds with each other and the obvious solution is to combine two materials, traditionally rubber (tensile strength) and air (the elastic middle).
The problem material is the air.
How about bubble wrap or a hi-tech equivalent? Perhaps the foam sausage was a similar structure?

 

[JuicyBike]

Really shouldn't attempt sensible replies just after my first coffee of the day...

 

[Scottyf]

Sounds like over engineering, an wouldn't it be heavy?
With the laterst puncture resistant tires I havn't had a puncture in over 2000 miles. Thats on tires that are now squared off and dont actually have alot of tread left.

 

[banbury frank]

Hi

Solid Tires tried them a bit hard on the road They work like having 75 psi in normal tires

Hancox Ltd | Amerityre tyres stop punctures, puncture proof tyres, flat free tyres, replacement wheelbarrow tyres, bicycle tyres, all round protection from punctures

Frank

 

[ding-dong]

Sounds like over engineering, an wouldn't it be heavy?
With the laterst puncture resistant tires I havn't had a puncture in over 2000 miles. Thats on tires that are now squared off and dont actually have alot of tread left.

Thats tempting fate, make sure you take your puncture kit next time you go a ride. LOL.
ding-dong.

 

[peasjam]

I remember seeing some of these on mountain bikes some 15 years or more ago. They were crap from what I can remember - poor handling, wear rates and general durability. They never really took off and I've not seen any since.

 

[flecc]

As I've posted before, these are fundamentally flawed. Tyres need to have vertical flexibility to smooth out road variations and give comfort, but lateral stability to ensure safe cornering. Solid material tubes are either too hard to ride and therefore very uncomfortable, or flexible enough for comfort and be laterally unstable and dangerous when banked on corners.

In pneumatic tyres, the carcase fabric weaves and overlays are designed to give both characteristics, and often different types of rubber mixes are used for walls and treads to aid that. Of the two weaves, the later invented radial type is more expensive to produce but a better all round performer than the original cross-ply, though the differences are more important on high speed motor vehicles.