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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on November 20, 2012 at 3:13am

I doubt it.  

Similar tire designs have been used in industrial equipment and pitched for automotive applications but short service life, poor handling and a lack of adjustability have left them failing.

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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on November 20, 2012 at 3:24am

This seems kind of key: 

"Durability and cost are factors, though the benefit of not having to worry about tire pressure or flats is considerable." 

Checking pressure once a week and keeping spare tubes doesn't seem like that big of a deal, when the alternative is much more expensive and less durable. It's kind of like the multitude clever bikes people have dreamt up to get rid of having chains (with the exception of the belts, which seem to be fine), it's a solution to a problem that is barely a problem in the first place. 

The big problem with tires like this is that all of the stress pressure is focused on the exact point where the wheel meets the ground, whereas with a regular pneumatic tire that pressure is distributed around the whole wheel. That's just loads, loads, loads more wear on the thing, and when it starts to fail and you're out somewhere, you're screwed. 

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on November 20, 2012 at 12:11pm

No.

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Permalink Reply by Chuck a Muck on November 20, 2012 at 2:42pm

I was part of a test group in the early 90's for the U.S. Army testing airborne folding bikes for long range recon teams. The bike included an airless tire and it was heavy, prone to falling apart braking on rough terrain and made bike handling a pain to say the least...

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on November 20, 2012 at 4:19pm

Nope

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Permalink Reply by Will on November 21, 2012 at 5:14am

I'm not sure how the bike share type of bikes work, but I could see this type of technology eventually making its way on those types of bikes. Most bike technology follows what's happening on race circuits, and unless these tires are proven in that world, they won't make it to the LBS any time soon.

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