September 1, 2011

Pump Tire

The new self-inflating Pump Tire could save commuters time and under-inflation headaches.

Pump Tire is an automatically-inflating bicycle tire that sucks air into the tire up to a certain pressure.

The Pump Tire draws in air through a lumen - a small-diameter tube that runs around the tire. A valve that moderates the tire's pressure is designed to restrict the amount of air that flows into the tire, capping it at a set amount.

Bicycle commuters would likely welcome the idea of no longer having to pump their tires by hand or find a gas station with an automated air pressure machine. While still in the development stages, this innovation could also mean that a cyclist's tires would remain at the optimum tire pressure, a real bonus considering how much faster and more efficiently you can ride when your tire isn't under-inflated. 

The two prototypes that the San Francisco, CA-based Pump Tire team wants to bring to market are:

1. City Cruiser tire for casual cyclists: 26-inches in diameter, 1.5-inches wide. Up to 65 psi with a moderate tread design for riding mostly on pavement. 

2. City Pro tire: A high-performance 700c x 28 millimeter tire for the urban commuter with 100 psi maximum pressure. Comes with a high-performance user-adjustable valve that allows the user to set the pressure from 65-95 psi.

What do you think? Is the Pump Tire going to save cyclists everywhere from shoulder pain and forearm spasms caused by pumping up their tires by hand? Or are there pitfalls inherent in the Pump Tire design? Share your thoughts below.

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September 1, 2011

Comments (1)

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pump tire.

i like the idea. its really cool, put proof is in the pudding. i sounds like the auto inflation tires for cars. i know some people have used stuff like this for the dakar rally for motorcycles. they used a compressor in the hubs. badass, but expensive. i'll be on the look out for these bicycle tires for sure.

timm more than 1 years ago