[Ebbc-Talk] BriTek's Brilliant Airless Bicycle Tire Reinvents the Wheel | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

Initally tested on cars, the airless tire is comprised of two layers of rub=
ber =96 one at the center, stretched and held by adjustable rods, and the o=
ther on the outside. The space between, usually filled with air, holds a se=
ries of elastic cushions. The internal scaffolding of rods and cushions all=
ow the tire go give and, according to Britek, react better to compression. =
As the internal rubber layer gets compressed by bumps from the road, the el=
astic potential energy stored within the wheel is returned and converted in=
to forward momentum.

The Energy Return Wheel is still being tested (the company is considering a=
dding thin sidewalls to the fiber rims, to keep mud and trail debris from p=
iling up within them). Whether or not the new bike tire represents the futu=
re of everyday cycling remains to be seen.

http://inhabitat.com/britek-reinvents-the-wheel-creates-airless-bicycle-tir=
es/
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