I quit riding my bicycle, but I may take it up again. Not for health purposes, mind you. The reason I quit was it seemed, no matter where I rode, my tires would go flat. It didn’t matter whether I was riding on pavement, grass, sand or gravel, I would always get a flat tire. I’m sure I was driving up the inner tube company stocks along with my frustration level, so I quit as, more often than not, I was pushing my bike instead of riding it.
That may change however, as bicycle aficionados Nexo North America (NNA) have designed a pair of new lightweight tires they claim will never go flat even if punctured. The secret to the company’s Nexo and Ever tires is the NEXELL polymer composite, created by their partner OTRAJET Inc. “through the integration of more than three macromolecular materials via Cross Linking into the primary material.” The material is then formed using an injection molding process–a process which takes a mere 30 minutes compared to the traditional method of producing rubber tires that takes hours.
Here’s the secret in the science behind the tires:
As the tires are produced, millions of tiny pockets are created in the material, which are filled with the nitrogen. It’s these pockets that not only make the tire lighter but also ‘puncture proof’, as those pockets are independent and individually sealed from one another so only those that are punctured will be affected. This also means you never have to replace a tube or pump air when they start to go flat.
The Nexo tires attach to riders existing rims using a series of T-bolts that lock into the rim lip, securing the tire into place. This also helps prevent rim-out or the twisting of rims while riding. These tires are rated at 5,000 miles, however NNA states wear and tear all depends on conditions, environment and riding style with a disclaimer that “excessive skidding or sudden braking at high speeds will cause abnormal wear.”
The Ever tires are manufactured the same way as Nexo tires, however these incorporate a hollow structure design rather than a solid design like the Nexo tires. Ever tires are definitely the cooler looking tire, but rated at 5,000 miles for children’s bikes, cruisers or the casual rider. The Ever tires are also come attached directly on the rim, meaning you have to buy the Ever line as a set as they cannot be installed on after-market wheels.
To my dismay, Cross Country and Mountain Bike tires are not available yet, but the team (made up of avid mountain bikers) is working on a solution. Their reason is the tires currently don’t work well for off-road use as “the wider tires with bigger tread simply fry on the outside and are weak on the inside.” With the innovation in these wheels, I expect they’ll find a solution and have off-road wheels in the future.
As with other airless tires, like the Tannus wheel we’ve covered, these tires can greatly reduce the amount of tire and inner tube waste from traditional wheels. That, with the time saved and frustration eliminated, goes a long way toward making the world a more pleasant place.
NNA successfully funded both the Ever and Nexo line on Kickstarter with purchase available soon on their website. They both come in multiple colors and sizes with a pair of Nexos running $75 and the Ever line ranging from $76 to $105. More information about both can be found on their website.
