Believe it or not, I have actually read complaints from people on cycling forums where they whine about having to pump up their tires once a month. Presumably these slobs never wash the dishes, either. Or even get out of bed.
But while I can’t fix their filthy kitchens, I can point them to the PumpTire, the “Self Inflating Bicycle Tire.”
This Kickstarter project is ingenious. The tire has another thin tube running around the outside. As you ride, this tube is squeezed agains the tire and air is squished out. Inventor Benjamin Krempel says it is like squeezing toothpaste from a tube. This air is then passed into the innertube via a specially designed valve assembly, and once the desired (user-selectable) pressure is reached, the valve shuts off.
The tire itself is actually connected to this valve, which is how the air gets from the length of thin pump tube into the innertube itself. You won’t be pumping up a tire from flat this way, but as long as you remain puncture-free, you’ll never need to top up the tires again.
I can’t see myself bothering with this. It’s easier to carry a small pump in my bag along with a spare tube. But I can totally see something like an electric bike coming pre-fitted with these tires. I doubt electric bike riders are the kind to do their won maintenance anyway, so this could be a good fit.
If successfully funded, there will be two tires. A $65, 65psi “City Cruiser PumpTire” and a set of two adjustable-pressure (up to 100psi) 700 x 25c tires for $150. The minimum pledge to get a tire is $45.
PumpTire: Self Inflating Bicycle Tire [Kickstarter via Urban Velo]
See Also:
- Tires
- Pimp Your Ride: Cyglo Bike Tires with Embedded LEDs
- Spring-Loaded Space-Tires Win Award for Goodyear and NASA
- How Zip Ties Can Help You Bike Through a Blizzard
- Stylish Italian Belts Fashioned from Bike Tires
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