Non-pneumatic bicycle tire

Abstract

A solid, monolithic bicycle tire made of urethane rubber with a cured hardness of from 50 to 95 Durometer A. The tire is formed with a pair of laterally spaced bead shoulders that seat on the bead seats of the wheel rim, and has a circumferential, arch-shaped tunnel formed in the inner side of the tire between the bead shoulders. The tunnel co-operates with the channel in the bottom of the wheel rim to form an annular void, or air space, that allows the tire to collapse locally under excessive impact loads, and at the same time provides a space into which the solid urethane elastomer can be displaced under compression. Under normal riding conditions, most of the light shock loads experienced when riding on a relatively smooth road surface are absorbed by the resiliency of the urethane rubber, with only a minor amount of deflection of the arched tunnel. A severe impact causes the tunnel to collapse to a greater extent, thereby absorbing the shock load and preventing damage to the wheel rim. The tire is cast in a mold, using liquid urethane resin catalyzed to cure in 3 to 5 minutes at room temperatures (i.e., 80.degree. to 100.degree. F).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.