A web search for “Best Bicycle Upgrades” will produce suggestions with tyres at or close to the top of the list. It shouldn’t be surprising that tyre upgrades have been a “must have” since the bicycle was invented.
Karl Drais invented his Laufmaschine (running machine) in 1817. Later known as a “draisine,” this vehicle had wooden wheels. Despite unpaved roads and solid wheels, Drais propelled his machine, Fred Flintstone fashion, nearly 16 kilometres in just over an hour.
By 1866 Pierre Lallement received a US patent for a bicycle propelled by pedals attached to a slightly larger front wheel. These bicycles were called bone shakers because of the exceedingly uncomfortable ride caused by the stiff wrought-iron frame and wooden wheels surrounded by iron tyres.
An upgrade, available since Charles Goodyear patented his vulcanisation process in 1844, was solid rubber tyres. Such tyres improved on solid wooden wheels or spoked wheels with iron rims, but they still gave a jarring ride.
In 1885 John Kemp Starley and William Sutton introduced the Rover safety bicycle with a chain and sprocket drive and equally sized wheels. The Rover came with solid rubber tyres.
Arguably the last major innovation in tyres came in 1887 when John Boyd Dunlop, in an attempt to smooth the bumpy ride of his son’s tricycle, nailed linen-wrapped inflated tubes to the solid wooden tricycle wheels. These were the first pneumatic, or air-filled, tyres.
The photograph above shows Johnny Dunlop riding his newly improved tricycle.
An improved version found immediate use among the growing number of enthusiastic bicycle riders. The first pneumatic tyre factory was started in 1889 to make tyres under Dunlop’s patent of 7th December 1888.
The photograph above shows Dunlop holding a bicycle fitted with pneumatic tyres.
In 1891 André and Édouard Michelin introduced detachable pneumatic tyres for bicycles, and August Schrader invented his namesake Schrader valve. At the end of the 19th century, Etienne Sclaverand registered his patent for the Presta valve.
One can argue that the next step-change in bicycle tyres didn’t come until 1999 when Mavic introduced the first tubeless wheel and tyre system for mountain bikes. It was 2006 before Shimano and Hutchinson introduced a road tubeless standard.
The next bit of bicycle tyre innovation came when Marianne Vos showcased self-inflating tyre technology while winning the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships. The Gravaa system uses tiny compressors within the wheel hubs to increase or decrease tyre pressure.
Despite these innovations bicycle tyres are what they were 135 years ago. They are air-filled tubes inflated via a valve. Admittedly bicycle tyres are better designed and constructed today.
That may be about to change. The SMART Tire Company aims to commercialise an airless alloy tyre called METL (Martensite Elasticized Tubular Loading). METL was invented for space exploration. SMART is an acronym for Shape Memory Alloy Radial Technology.
METL promises to revolutionise bicycle tyres. Airless, never flat, elastic like rubber yet strong like titanium. At launch, these tyres are expected to cost USD150 each. The tread is rated for 13,000 km and retreads will be available for about USD10 per tyre.
The key phrase is “at launch.” The initial launch was expected to be in Q2 2022. That slipped to June and ,then Q4 2024. Today you can visit the SMART Tire Company’s website and add your name to a 2025 Wait List.
I hope the SMART Tire Company does launch METL at an affordable price. That would be a proper tyre upgrade. Perhaps there will be an option for sidewalls that match your bike.
Old Roots, New Routes 