Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
the sidewalls of good tires are as thin and flexible as
possible to lower the rolling resistance.
Really? A flexing tyre (and an under-inflated one) will deform and
increase rolling resistance,
that's why we pump them up so hard. Any extra, or stiffer sidewall material would add
to stiffness and
decrease RR.
Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
With a flat tire, sidewall pads will just push into thin air
With a tyre as small as a bicycle tyre, the deformation wouldn't be that great, so
you'd still get some braking, and with a flat, you wouldn't want to slam the brakes
full-on anyway. And given the choice between a flat tyre and a rim failure,
I know which one I'd choose. That's the point of the idea, moving the wear from
braking from an expensive, infrequently-replaced component to a less expensive
frequently-replaced one.