I rode a mountain bike on fire roads for about 7 miles once on an airless
rear tire. It was stuffed with grass and leaves. On this I will
actually agree with Jan, I have no desire to ride that again, it sucked.
I do remember as a child watching my dad try to get a solid tire on my
bike. I recall screwdrivers, pry bars and swearing. No memory at all
of the ride.
Cheers,
Scott
On Friday, May 3, 2013, Jan Heine wrote:
> Sorry that there is a misunderstanding. I don't judge the merits of the
> invention until I have seen and ridden it. It is well possible that 15
> years from now, we all ride on those wheels. (Grant predicted/lamented in
> an early Rivendell Reader that spoked wheels would become obsolete, and he
> may be proven right after all.)
>
> I only noted that it was unfortunate that the inventor suggested that his
> invention eliminated the need of "wide and slow" tires, when wide tires
> aren't slow. Of course, this is a common misperception, and we shouldn't
> judge the inventor's knowledge of bicycle technology based on that one
> statement.
>
> I also suggested that anybody who is talks favorably about airless tires
> first should try them. I have ridden them for little over a mile, and I
> wouldn't want to do it again! At lower speeds, the added resistance will be
> even more noticeable, because air resistance is reduced, and rolling
> resistance makes up most of the resistance the cyclist has to overcome.
> Most of all, since the tires don't hold their shape, the handling is best
> described as "wayward."
>
> Jan Heine
> Editor
> Bicycle Quarterly
> www.bikequarterly.com
>
> Follow our blog at www.janheine.com
>
> On Friday, May 3, 2013 10:30:55 AM UTC-7, pb wrote:
>>
>>
>> On Thursday, May 2, 2013 7:51:58 PM UTC-7, Jan Heine wrote:
>>>
>>> Airless tires have so much resistance that you'd rather change a flat
>>> every 10 miles! We tested a set of airless tires for our latest tire test
>>> (Bicycle Quarterly Spring 2013), and found that they used 50% more power
>>> than a good racing tire. Maintaining 20 mph was very hard work. And in
>>> corners, they squirmed so much that it was really disconcerting.
>>
>>
>> Jan, all due respect, I think you're still completely missing the
>> point. I doubt that many riders on the Dahon which is the current target
>> of this work are trying to maintain 20 mph. Additionally, the small
>> diameter of the 20" wheel reduces rotating weight to an extent which might
>> somewhat offset rolling resistance. (No doubt I'll be mathematically
>> proven completely wrong about that, but consider that urban trips are
>> heavily stop-start-stop-start.) If one considers the likely trip distance
>> and trip type of an urban Dahon, utility effectiveness may trump other
>> factors.
>>
>> On another subject -- I have to give the inventor credit for a campaign
>> which has exceeded its investment target. The kickstarter is pushing
>> $US70,000, more than 10% over its target, with two weeks yet to go.
>> Apparently a number of people think this idea has merit. Even if it
>> ultimately fails, I sincerely congratulate Mr. Pearce on his efforts.
>>
>>
>>
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