Originally Posted by smashndash

So many questions.

A) what olympic sport is bridgestone going to be supplying to? Or is it just going to be showcased?

B) Bridgestone doesn’t make bike tires. So I’m assuming that these airless automotive tires are “as efficient” as their automotive Ecopia tire. That’s much less difficult considering the insane amount of reinforcement car tires need to not get absolutely shredded by roads and debris. I can’t imagine these will come close to even a gatorskin tire in terms of RR. I’d be overjoyed to be proven wrong.

C) they claim equal cornering grip, which I believe - that’s 100% down to the compound. What I don’t see is how their tire will be able to flex isometrically (am I using that word right?) when cornering. You’d be surprised how hard some commuters whip their bikes. If the tire loses all compliance and essentially becomes a solid rubber tire when cornering, I could foresee this being an issue.

D) Air has the advantage of being infinitely flexible. How much your tire conforms to the road surface is determined heavily by the tire TPI. The higher the TPI, the more the tire can “dig” into crevices for grip. It seems like the airless tire can easily handle macro bumps, but will simply glide over smaller bumps. Equal grip on a smooth surface, sure. Rough surface like chipseal? I’m not convinced.

That being said, air is enough of a PITA that I’d like to see this everywhere that performance isn’t as much of an issue.