Look Mom! No Hubs, No Spokes
Back in 2002 I get a call from a young man who said he was working on a project. He said he couldn't tell me anything but that once I did get to see it, I would be amazed. I asked him just how was I supposed to help him, if I didn't or couldn't know how to help him. He said "don't worry about it" and to "just recommend a good road tire". So I said the Daytona TT would be a good tire, but I told him that the airless tire has to fit a specific rim. He said "I'll machine a rim to fit the tire!"
So I sold him a pair of Daytona tires and he promised that he would send pictures when the time was right. I remember thinking that this was an unusual call because most people are very eager to share their inventions with me. I have signed a lot of non-disclosures over the years and have participated in the design of many projects that involved the use of airless tires and this fellow wasn't about to tell me a thing.
About four months later, I get three pictures sent to me via email and nice letter from the inventor thanking me and telling me that he had come in third place at a prestigious contest in Singapore. I'm not sure if his invention solves anything, but it shows what you can do when you have your own machine shop, time and airless tires.
Obviously there have been takes on this concept in the past, but he did win a prize at a contest, and he couldn't have done it with out an airless tire. Congratulations to him and congratulations to the airless tire industry. Airless tires have won a prize!
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