When exploring another planet, the last thing you want to deal with is tire damage when AAA is millions of miles away. It is a concern that led NASA to develop a airless titanium tire it is flexible like rubber, but almost indestructible. As has been the case with many of NASA’s inventions over the years, space-age tire technology will work. will soon be available to consumers.
Using air-filled rubber tires on a vehicle is not a practical solution for exploring nearby celestial bodies whose natural terrain is covered with rocks and sharp objects. So for a handful of wheeled vehicles that NASA has sent to the moon and Mars, metal wheels are a better alternative. For the Lunar Rover, which Apollo 15 brought to the moon, bare metal spring wheels were created that could absorb swelling to make the journey more comfortable for astronauts. But most metals lose their shape over time and become brittle when repeatedly bent, resulting in deformed wheels that do not roll as well and even worse, severe damage that prevents them from rolling at all.
Alternatively, NASA has spent several million dollars over the past seven years developing Nitinol: a metal alloy made of aluminum and titanium that behaves differently. Metal springs eventually lose their ability to return to their original shape because the bonds between their atomic structures become so strained that they can no longer return to their original arrangements. But Nitinol has a more orderly atomic structure and has something known as the shape memory effect, which allows it to be deformed, but to return to the original shape manufactured again and again, without permanent damage. It allows the creation of metal tires that can be deformed to absorb the impact of uneven terrain, such as rubber, without the possibility of a flat tire.
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It’s an incredible technology that will be available soon in the coming years for a vehicle that will probably never leave Earth’s atmosphere: your bike. A startup called The Smart Tire Company has announced that it is creating a metal bicycle tire using NASA’s Nitinol alloy that should never be inflated, will never leak and will probably survive much longer than the bicycle itself.
Named METL (Martensite Elasticized Tubular Loading), its creators hope it will be available as an alternative to premium bicycle tire options as early as 2022. It remains to be seen how much a titanium alloy bicycle tire will cost, but you can assume that it will it will be a long time before children find a bicycle with nitinol wheels under the tree. For cyclists who are happy to spend tens of thousands of dollars on motorcycles, however, METL tires could be the last set they should ever buy, although they will still require regular maintenance.
The most common problem with airless tires is that they often have open structures, which can allow debris to get inside and throw the wheel balance. Using a metal structure instead of rubber further complicates matters, as the smooth finish means that the tire does not have too much grip. To address this, METL tires will also be finished with a rubber-like tread made of a material called Polyurethane, which adds grip and makes them suitable for all-terrain travel, including paving, gravel and dirt. Over time, the tread will wear out and need to be reapplied, but maintenance is expected to be much cheaper than having to replace a set of tires on a regular basis.
METL tires are not suitable for every rider. After all, they are made of metal and are expected to be heavier than the premium lightweight tires used by cyclists and professional athletes. But for most other applications, including for athletes who use larger bikes on off-road terrain, the tires will not feel different during a ride.
Smart Tire makes a lot of promises about the advantages of its Nitinol tires over rubber ones – see this extended Frequently asked questions on his website promoting the virtues of technology – and there are good reasons to be enthusiastic about technology. Obviously, NASA thought it was important enough to spend millions of dollars on its development. But I was promised airless tires for many years now, from industry giants like Bridgestone, who have the production capabilities to make them a reality. However, I’m not here yet, not even for bicycles, which is just the least demanding application for technology.
There is no doubt that one day fixed tires will be a thing of the past, but will it be due to the efforts of this startup? If it can deliver METL tires in the next few years as intended, there are good reasons for Michelin, Goodyear and Bridgestone.