Pneumatic tires have been a fixture on bicycles for over 100 years. You fill them with air to inflate the tire and adjust the pressure to alter comfort and traction properties. But something inherently challenging with any pneumatic setup (tubular, clincher, or tubeless) is that you can always get a flat. That is where SMART Tire Company wants to bring technology designed for the lunar and Mars rovers and provide an airless tire that they claim will be just as comfortable as a pneumatic, grip in all conditions, last longer, and never have a flat. It’s a lofty goal, but they think they can do it.
The name of this tire is METL. It’s made using NASA developed technology called Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) using an advanced, lightweight material called NiTinol+. The lattice like structure is elastic like rubber and strong like titanium, and keeps its shape perfectly.
There are other airless tires out there, usually just a solid material. These tend to be heavy and ride harsh compared to a pneumatic tire. The advantage they have is that they are extremely durable and you won’t flat. The SMART Tire Company is hoping to create something that performs just as good as a pneumatic tire, with the durability of an airless tire.
The material used in the METL tire has the “ability to undergo phase transitions at a molecular level under strain,…exhibiting thirty times the recoverable strain of ordinary steel”. What this means is that it will flex and move like a traditional pneumatic tire under load, yet will come back to its shape when the force (ground contact) is no longer applied to it.
“Shape memory alloys look extremely promising in revolutionizing the entire terrestrial tire industry,” says Santo Padula, PhD, Materials Science Engineer at NASA, “and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Cyclists will not be able to wait for these very cool-looking, space-age METL™ tires that don’t go flat,” says Earl Cole, former Survivor champion and CEO of The SMART Tire Company. “The unique combination of these advanced materials, coupled with a next generation, eco-friendly design make for a revolutionary product.”
The SMART Tire Company is already working with Felt Bicycles to test and develop the METL tires further. “The SMART Tire Company’s METL™ tires show an exciting new frontier and we’re excited to offer our bikes to support their testing,” says Eric Sakalowsky of Felt Bicycles.
While it’s still early, there are some questions we already have, like how easy is installation, how do they handle riders of different weights, can you tune the ride like you would with air pressure, and if the METL is an open design, how does it handle water and mud? If we have any answers to these questions, we’ll update the article in the future.
Tubeless and advancements in compounds are the latests innovations in tire technology, but METL tires could be the next revolution in tires.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
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