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Wave goodbye to the puncture fairy - with tyres that will never get a flat (+ video)

Ever Tire and Nexo Tires are airless - so inventors say you can leave the pump and tyre levers at home

A product that has been successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter makes the promise that you will never be visited by the puncture fairy ever again – but while the campaign is still open, unfortunately they’re not shipping to the UK as yet.

Around 250 people have backed Nexo Tires and Ever Tires through the website as of lunchtime today, together pledging $34,669 of the $24,597 goal.

The difference between the two products? Well, the obvious one is that while Ever Tires have holes in them, Nexo Tires don't and just look like regular tyres - and with the help of an adapter kit, will fit to your existing rims. Ever Tires come complete with specially designed wheel set and are said to be “great for kids bikes, cruisers, and the casual rider.”

The Utah-based team behind the products also claim they are more eco-friendly than existing tyres on the market, saying:

The manufacturing process of traditional rubber tires requires eight to nine steps. A single tire requires numerous hours of production including labor, materials and resources consumed during the manufacturing period. Our tires only require one process and only take 30 minutes to produce. Due to the fact that our tires are a one piece manufacturing process they are greener to produce and to recycle. Both you, our environment and the mighty Sasquatch deserve something better.

But they acknowledge that there are some drawbacks, as you can imagine, including that they “aren't as cushioned as an air filled tire,” making them unsuitable for extreme mountain bike trails, and that “when used in place of road tires there is a 15 per cent increase in drag which is great for training but not for race day.”

On the FAQ on Kickstarter, the product’s creators say: “We'd love to be able to ship outside the US. However, with shipping costs as high as they are we're not able to at this time.

“Thanks for your patience and if you have any suggestion on making this more economical please feel free to contact us.”

Hopefully Liam Fox – or whoever occupies his post in a decade or so – can negotiate a tariff-free deal for airless bicycle tyres when the time comes.

Find out more on Kickstarter, and let us know what you think about them in the comments.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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11 comments

Avatar
brooksby | 8 years ago
2 likes

I used to use Continental Touring Plus, but they finally wore out and my LBS had stopped stocking Conti.  I now have Schwalbe Marathon Plus. They're a real pig to get on and off, but feel like they'd stop a bullet.

With solid tyres, don't you lose the cushioning effect which is why inflatable tyres were invented in the first place? Boneshakers, anyone?

 

Avatar
drosco | 8 years ago
1 like

I've been riding Durano plusses for many months, which are similar construction to the Marathons. Fantastic tyres. You wouldn't want to race on them, but for a commute they're pretty much fit and forget.

Avatar
burtthebike | 8 years ago
1 like

“when used in place of road tires there is a 15 per cent increase in drag....."

Well, at least they are more honest than all the other puncture proof tyres.  I'm still not going to buy one, but I admire their honesty.

Avatar
HalfWheeler | 8 years ago
1 like

Nothing new here. I remember when they tried to market them in the early 90s. They were utter shit. There was no give in them which made going round corners 'interesting' and riding on typical potholed roads a hellish experience. All that energy had to go somewhere. The reuslt? Broken spokes aplenty.

They were horrendous to fit too, 20 minutes of wrestling them on with a huge plastic tyre lever. Most bike shops refused to fit them.

Best left alone. 

Avatar
barbarus replied to HalfWheeler | 8 years ago
2 likes
HalfWheeler wrote:

Nothing new here. I remember when they tried to market them in the early 90s. They were utter shit. There was no give in them which made going round corners 'interesting' and riding on typical potholed roads a hellish experience. All that energy had to go somewhere. The reuslt? Broken spokes aplenty.

They were horrendous to fit too, 20 minutes of wrestling them on with a huge plastic tyre lever. Most bike shops refused to fit them.

Best left alone. 

I remember these. They were called "green tyres" or at least one brand was. When you did as many skids as I did in those days the results were a flat spot and a bumpy ride.

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Canyon48 | 8 years ago
0 likes

Tubeless.

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mattydubster replied to Canyon48 | 8 years ago
1 like

wellsprop wrote:

Tubeless.

 

Agree.

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pakennedy | 8 years ago
4 likes

Tens of thousands of miles on Schwalbe marathons on 3 of my bikes. 1 puncture. That was a pretty slow leak due to the thorn getting in through the sidewall and staying embedded. I didn't deal with it for a few days. Snakeskins on another bike have seen 2 in 2 years. Solid tyres don't appeal.

Avatar
urbane replied to pakennedy | 8 years ago
0 likes

pakennedy wrote:

Tens of thousands of miles on Schwalbe marathons on 3 of my bikes. 1 puncture. That was a pretty slow leak due to the thorn getting in through the sidewall and staying embedded. I didn't deal with it for a few days. Snakeskins on another bike have seen 2 in 2 years. Solid tyres don't appeal.

Put Slime in the inner tube(Continental)  too and a thorn puncture gets sealed in seconds after the thorn has been removed, I was able to cycle for months with no loss of pressure!  I only got a glass slash punction on Schwalbe Marathons after they were well worn and I rode over some rare razor sharp glass shards.

I really don't see the point of solid tires, they will always have extra compromises and inconveniences which air filled tires don't have.  Spare folding air tires take up little storage space, however solid tires are likely to be much harder to source and quite bulk for storage as spares.

Avatar
levermonkey | 8 years ago
1 like

Tannus!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Beecho replied to levermonkey | 8 years ago
0 likes

levermonkey wrote:

Tannus!!!!!!!!!!!!

which I have on my hybrid for the winter commute. I'm still not 100% convinced I'll replace them with another set when they wear out, as they've sucked a bit of the joy from a really good bike, but zero punctures midweek (especially in the cold, wet, dark winter) is a blessing.

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