CA2013777A1 - Removable friction reducing tread for all terrain bicycle tires - Google Patents
Removable friction reducing tread for all terrain bicycle tiresInfo
- Publication number
- CA2013777A1 CA2013777A1 CA002013777A CA2013777A CA2013777A1 CA 2013777 A1 CA2013777 A1 CA 2013777A1 CA 002013777 A CA002013777 A CA 002013777A CA 2013777 A CA2013777 A CA 2013777A CA 2013777 A1 CA2013777 A1 CA 2013777A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- atb
- hoop
- tire
- tread
- friction
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60C—VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES
- B60C11/00—Tyre tread bands; Tread patterns; Anti-skid inserts
- B60C11/02—Replaceable treads
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF PATENT
REMOVABLE FRICTION REDUCING TREAD
FOR ALL TERRAIN BICYCLE TIRES
The tires of an all terrain bicycle (ATB) are converted from being wide, soft and covered with knobs as required for traction in dirt tires which are narrow, hard and smooth so as to greatly reduce the ATBs rolling friction over pavement. Installing this invention when appropriate allows the ATB to efficiently serve both for recreational purposes and commuting purposes. The invention takes the form of a removable hoop who's inside diameter is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of a standard ATB tire. It is attached to the ATB
tire utilizing friction resulting from de-flating the ATB tire, forcing the tread hoop onto its center and then re-inflating the tire. The hoop itself is composed of two elements. The first is an inner band made of steel, carbon fiber or other material having high rigidity and tensile strength. This band provides tensile strength in the hoop, distributes the load from the hoop onto multiple knobs on the ATB
tire and also keeps the hoop circular despite the widely spaced knobs supporting it. The second component of the rubber hoop is the rubber itself which forms the low friction tread and inside of which the tensile band is encased. The rubber component is roughly semi-circular in cross section and has the tensile band cast within it near its slightly concave inner side. The convex outer surface of the rubber component has a shallow road racing tread pattern cast into it.
REMOVABLE FRICTION REDUCING TREAD
FOR ALL TERRAIN BICYCLE TIRES
The tires of an all terrain bicycle (ATB) are converted from being wide, soft and covered with knobs as required for traction in dirt tires which are narrow, hard and smooth so as to greatly reduce the ATBs rolling friction over pavement. Installing this invention when appropriate allows the ATB to efficiently serve both for recreational purposes and commuting purposes. The invention takes the form of a removable hoop who's inside diameter is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of a standard ATB tire. It is attached to the ATB
tire utilizing friction resulting from de-flating the ATB tire, forcing the tread hoop onto its center and then re-inflating the tire. The hoop itself is composed of two elements. The first is an inner band made of steel, carbon fiber or other material having high rigidity and tensile strength. This band provides tensile strength in the hoop, distributes the load from the hoop onto multiple knobs on the ATB
tire and also keeps the hoop circular despite the widely spaced knobs supporting it. The second component of the rubber hoop is the rubber itself which forms the low friction tread and inside of which the tensile band is encased. The rubber component is roughly semi-circular in cross section and has the tensile band cast within it near its slightly concave inner side. The convex outer surface of the rubber component has a shallow road racing tread pattern cast into it.
Description
f r~ ~
DISCLOSURE
This invention relates to the tires of bicycles intended for use in rough or soft terrain, specifically the modification of said tires to enable them to roll with low resistance when operated over pavement.
In order to obtain sufficient traction in sand and mud, the tires of All Terrain Bicycles (ATBs) require a wicle ~ire tread covered with large knobs. They are designed to operate at low pneumatic pressures so as to flaten and contact the ground over a large area and ~Iso so as to absorb shocks before they reach the r;der. While these tires can bite into soft terrain for needed traction they have the drawback of producing high rolling resistance and noise when used on pavement Due to this high rolling resistance, riders wishing to use their ATB for commuting in the city suffer unnecessary fatigue To obtain efficient pedaling in both city and wilderness environments the rider must currently purehase two bicycles, each designed in large measure to accept the tires best adapted for each environment. A cheaper alternative is to mount special slick ATB
tires on the ATB rims when the rider wishes to commute over pavement and then re-mount the conventional ATB tires when wilderness recreation is the object. This option is relatively inexpensive however the work involved in repeatedly changing tires is prohibitive and the large slick tires when fitted to the ATB rims for commuting still have a large contact area with the road and hence a high rolling resistance.
The above limitations and disadvantages can be overcome by using my invention which quickly and inexpensively coverts an existing ATB tire into one possessing the rolling friction characteristics of a high pressure road-racing tire.
When mounted onto the ATB tire, the solid composite hoop described herein acts as a buffer between the ATB tire and the road. Once the rubber and metal tread hoop is mounted on the ATB tire, the surface area that is in contact with the road is greatly reduced and this contact area is much harder and smoother than that of a standard ATB tire. This lowers the rolling resistance on pavement, thus enabling the rider to travel faster for any given level of pedaling effort. Additional benefits are reduction of tire noise and rendering the tires impervious to punctures.
," ,-,. . . . .
,., ~ ~ .
.... :~ :
. . .
~.,,, ~ :
Since the solid tread hoop is slightly flexible ~md is itself swpported by the relatively soft ATB pneumatic ~ire, the rider benefits from a smoother ride over cracks and bumps in the pavement than if an equally hard road tire were mounted directly onto the ATBs wheel rims.
Since the removable friction reducing tread is signi-ficantly narrower than the underlying ATB tread, some traction knobs on the ATB
tread are still left exposed. This perrnits the rider to enjoy the benefits of low friction when riding on pavement and yet retain some degree of traction in soft terrain. If the rider wishes to traverse some sections of soft terrain such as mud, sand or snow, the smooth friction reducing hoop will sink into the soft terrain far enough that the ATB knobs on each side of it will gain a purchase in the terrain and thus allow some degree of flotation and traction.
When the removable friction reducing treads are mounted for commuting on pavement, the thickness of the tread hoop adds approximately one inch to the diameter of the ATB wheels. The increased wheel diameter has the effect of raising the overall gear ratio of the ATBs transmission. Since standard ATBs are geared for low speed climbing torque this higher gear ratio will automa~ically allow the rider to make better use of the higher speed potential that the lowered rolling friction presents.
'.~
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention;
Figure I is a side view of a complete ATB wheel indicating the concentric fashion in which the invention is affixed to the ATB tire.
Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the removable tread including the ATB tire on which it's mounted and their relation to the road surface.
Figure 3 is a blow-up of figure 2 showing the internal construction of the hoop itself.
The invention takes the form of a relmovable hoop who's inside diameter is slightly smaller than the nominal outside diameter of an ATB tire. It is attached to each bicycle wheel concentrically as illustrated in figure 1 It is affixed to the ATB tire utilizing friction resulting from de-flating the tire, forcing the hoop onto its center and then re-inflating it. Figure 2 illustrates how the tread hoop is supported by the ATB tire and how it smooths and reduces the tires contact area with the road so as to reduce the rolling fiiction.
The hoop itself is composed of two elements as shown in figure 3 The first is an inner band made of steel, carbon fiber or other material having high rigidity and tensile strength This band performs three functions;
l-It provides the tensile strength within in the hoop necessary to fully constrain the inflation of the ATB tire and thus achieve a tight friction mounting.
DISCLOSURE
This invention relates to the tires of bicycles intended for use in rough or soft terrain, specifically the modification of said tires to enable them to roll with low resistance when operated over pavement.
In order to obtain sufficient traction in sand and mud, the tires of All Terrain Bicycles (ATBs) require a wicle ~ire tread covered with large knobs. They are designed to operate at low pneumatic pressures so as to flaten and contact the ground over a large area and ~Iso so as to absorb shocks before they reach the r;der. While these tires can bite into soft terrain for needed traction they have the drawback of producing high rolling resistance and noise when used on pavement Due to this high rolling resistance, riders wishing to use their ATB for commuting in the city suffer unnecessary fatigue To obtain efficient pedaling in both city and wilderness environments the rider must currently purehase two bicycles, each designed in large measure to accept the tires best adapted for each environment. A cheaper alternative is to mount special slick ATB
tires on the ATB rims when the rider wishes to commute over pavement and then re-mount the conventional ATB tires when wilderness recreation is the object. This option is relatively inexpensive however the work involved in repeatedly changing tires is prohibitive and the large slick tires when fitted to the ATB rims for commuting still have a large contact area with the road and hence a high rolling resistance.
The above limitations and disadvantages can be overcome by using my invention which quickly and inexpensively coverts an existing ATB tire into one possessing the rolling friction characteristics of a high pressure road-racing tire.
When mounted onto the ATB tire, the solid composite hoop described herein acts as a buffer between the ATB tire and the road. Once the rubber and metal tread hoop is mounted on the ATB tire, the surface area that is in contact with the road is greatly reduced and this contact area is much harder and smoother than that of a standard ATB tire. This lowers the rolling resistance on pavement, thus enabling the rider to travel faster for any given level of pedaling effort. Additional benefits are reduction of tire noise and rendering the tires impervious to punctures.
," ,-,. . . . .
,., ~ ~ .
.... :~ :
. . .
~.,,, ~ :
Since the solid tread hoop is slightly flexible ~md is itself swpported by the relatively soft ATB pneumatic ~ire, the rider benefits from a smoother ride over cracks and bumps in the pavement than if an equally hard road tire were mounted directly onto the ATBs wheel rims.
Since the removable friction reducing tread is signi-ficantly narrower than the underlying ATB tread, some traction knobs on the ATB
tread are still left exposed. This perrnits the rider to enjoy the benefits of low friction when riding on pavement and yet retain some degree of traction in soft terrain. If the rider wishes to traverse some sections of soft terrain such as mud, sand or snow, the smooth friction reducing hoop will sink into the soft terrain far enough that the ATB knobs on each side of it will gain a purchase in the terrain and thus allow some degree of flotation and traction.
When the removable friction reducing treads are mounted for commuting on pavement, the thickness of the tread hoop adds approximately one inch to the diameter of the ATB wheels. The increased wheel diameter has the effect of raising the overall gear ratio of the ATBs transmission. Since standard ATBs are geared for low speed climbing torque this higher gear ratio will automa~ically allow the rider to make better use of the higher speed potential that the lowered rolling friction presents.
'.~
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention;
Figure I is a side view of a complete ATB wheel indicating the concentric fashion in which the invention is affixed to the ATB tire.
Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the removable tread including the ATB tire on which it's mounted and their relation to the road surface.
Figure 3 is a blow-up of figure 2 showing the internal construction of the hoop itself.
The invention takes the form of a relmovable hoop who's inside diameter is slightly smaller than the nominal outside diameter of an ATB tire. It is attached to each bicycle wheel concentrically as illustrated in figure 1 It is affixed to the ATB tire utilizing friction resulting from de-flating the tire, forcing the hoop onto its center and then re-inflating it. Figure 2 illustrates how the tread hoop is supported by the ATB tire and how it smooths and reduces the tires contact area with the road so as to reduce the rolling fiiction.
The hoop itself is composed of two elements as shown in figure 3 The first is an inner band made of steel, carbon fiber or other material having high rigidity and tensile strength This band performs three functions;
l-It provides the tensile strength within in the hoop necessary to fully constrain the inflation of the ATB tire and thus achieve a tight friction mounting.
2-It distributes the load from the hoop onto multiple knobs on the ATB tire.
3-On smooth pavement it keeps the hoop very circular despite the widely spaced knobs supporting it. This minimizes the tires contact area with the road.
The tensile bands cross section may be flat, corrugated or a more complex structural extrusion in order to attain the desired hoop rigidity. The surface of ~he tensile band may be smooth, textured or perforated in order to attain adequate bonding to the surrounding material.
The second element of the tread hoop is the rubber material itself inside of which the tensile band is encased. This rubber hoop is roughly semi-circular in cross section. It may have some complex ,",' ~ . . , i ' ' ' ~, ~., ~ , , . ' ~
'"';~ " ' ' ' ' `
2~137'77 curved segments in order to achieve adequate road adhesion and clearance It has the tensile band cast within it near its slightly concave Inner side. This slightly concave inner surface allows the hoop to more easily achieve firm contact with the convex crown of the ATB tire as the tire is re-inflated, This concave inner surface may be textured or covered with a h;gher adhesion material than the tread rubber itself in order to improve the hoops friction bond to the ATB tire. The convex outer surface of the hoop has a shallow, low friction road-racing tread pattern cast into it which may be comprised of both transverse and lvngitudinal ridges and grooves, The flexibility of the two materials usled in the hoop and their structural relationship are engineered such that under smooth road conditions the hoop remains rigid enough so as to maintain a minimal contact area with the road surface. However, when a road imperfection is encountered the the hoop materials will yield somewhat under the shock and thus transmit some of the energy into the lower part of the relatively soft ATB tire, The pneumatic ATB tire will in turn absorb some of this shock and thus prevent it from being transmitted to the rider, f ~
~ ~ .
.. .
, . . .
, .~, . . .
, .. . ..
The tensile bands cross section may be flat, corrugated or a more complex structural extrusion in order to attain the desired hoop rigidity. The surface of ~he tensile band may be smooth, textured or perforated in order to attain adequate bonding to the surrounding material.
The second element of the tread hoop is the rubber material itself inside of which the tensile band is encased. This rubber hoop is roughly semi-circular in cross section. It may have some complex ,",' ~ . . , i ' ' ' ~, ~., ~ , , . ' ~
'"';~ " ' ' ' ' `
2~137'77 curved segments in order to achieve adequate road adhesion and clearance It has the tensile band cast within it near its slightly concave Inner side. This slightly concave inner surface allows the hoop to more easily achieve firm contact with the convex crown of the ATB tire as the tire is re-inflated, This concave inner surface may be textured or covered with a h;gher adhesion material than the tread rubber itself in order to improve the hoops friction bond to the ATB tire. The convex outer surface of the hoop has a shallow, low friction road-racing tread pattern cast into it which may be comprised of both transverse and lvngitudinal ridges and grooves, The flexibility of the two materials usled in the hoop and their structural relationship are engineered such that under smooth road conditions the hoop remains rigid enough so as to maintain a minimal contact area with the road surface. However, when a road imperfection is encountered the the hoop materials will yield somewhat under the shock and thus transmit some of the energy into the lower part of the relatively soft ATB tire, The pneumatic ATB tire will in turn absorb some of this shock and thus prevent it from being transmitted to the rider, f ~
~ ~ .
.. .
, . . .
, .~, . . .
, .. . ..
Claims (5)
1) A removable treaded hoop to be attached to the tread of a standard ATB tire reducing it's area of contact with the ground as well as reducing the irregular bumpiness of the ATB tread at this contact area and thus reducing the ATB tires rolling friction when traversing pavement.
2) An apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the hoop is constructed so as to be affixed concentrically to the ATB tire by means of friction resulting from pneumatic expansion of the ATB tire.
3) An apparatus as defined in claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 in which the hoop is comprised of two concentric structural components; one imparting to the hoop low rolling friction while the other component imparts tensile strength and rigidity.
4) An apparatus as defined in claim 1 or claim 2 in which installation of the hoop increases the overall gear ratio of the ATB.
5) An apparatus as defined in claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 or claim 4 in which the protrusion of the low friction tread hoop above the underlying ATB tread is narrow enough to allow some underlying tread exposure which can still provide some flotation and traction if the low friction hoop sinks into soft terrain.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002013777A CA2013777A1 (en) | 1990-04-04 | 1990-04-04 | Removable friction reducing tread for all terrain bicycle tires |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002013777A CA2013777A1 (en) | 1990-04-04 | 1990-04-04 | Removable friction reducing tread for all terrain bicycle tires |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2013777A1 true CA2013777A1 (en) | 1991-10-04 |
Family
ID=4144667
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002013777A Abandoned CA2013777A1 (en) | 1990-04-04 | 1990-04-04 | Removable friction reducing tread for all terrain bicycle tires |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2013777A1 (en) |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2873327A1 (en) * | 2004-07-23 | 2006-01-27 | Jnov Sarl | DEVICE FOR REPRODUCING THE CONDITIONS OF A SLIDING SURFACE DRIVE FOR A WHEELED VEHICLE AND METHOD OF MOUNTING THE SAME |
| WO2006048510A1 (en) | 2004-11-03 | 2006-05-11 | Purtechnic Finland Oy | Vehicle tyre |
| WO2008093242A1 (en) * | 2007-01-31 | 2008-08-07 | Alexandre Hayot | Skid aid |
| US20100200136A1 (en) * | 2008-09-08 | 2010-08-12 | Hamilton Brian H | Modular Tire with Variable Tread Surfaces |
| EP3590730A1 (en) * | 2018-07-03 | 2020-01-08 | Douglas Merrill Herbert | Annular low friction tire sleeve |
-
1990
- 1990-04-04 CA CA002013777A patent/CA2013777A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2873327A1 (en) * | 2004-07-23 | 2006-01-27 | Jnov Sarl | DEVICE FOR REPRODUCING THE CONDITIONS OF A SLIDING SURFACE DRIVE FOR A WHEELED VEHICLE AND METHOD OF MOUNTING THE SAME |
| WO2006018566A1 (en) * | 2004-07-23 | 2006-02-23 | Vassia Jerome | Device for reproducing driving conditions on a slippery road for a wheeled vehicle method for assembling said device |
| WO2006048510A1 (en) | 2004-11-03 | 2006-05-11 | Purtechnic Finland Oy | Vehicle tyre |
| EP1819531A4 (en) * | 2004-11-03 | 2015-07-01 | Skidtyre Oy | Vehicle tyre |
| WO2008093242A1 (en) * | 2007-01-31 | 2008-08-07 | Alexandre Hayot | Skid aid |
| US8584720B2 (en) | 2007-01-31 | 2013-11-19 | Alexandre Hayot | Skid aid for tire which generates substantially less friction against asphalt than rubber does |
| US9884527B2 (en) | 2007-01-31 | 2018-02-06 | Alexandre Hayot | Skid aid |
| US20100200136A1 (en) * | 2008-09-08 | 2010-08-12 | Hamilton Brian H | Modular Tire with Variable Tread Surfaces |
| US20140150939A1 (en) * | 2008-09-08 | 2014-06-05 | Brian H. Hamilton | Modular Tire with Variable Tread Surfaces |
| EP3590730A1 (en) * | 2018-07-03 | 2020-01-08 | Douglas Merrill Herbert | Annular low friction tire sleeve |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US4741578A (en) | Assembly of composite materials forming a spoke wheel rim | |
| CN107139643A (en) | On-inflatable mountain bike wheel and mountain bike | |
| US5100161A (en) | Skateboard for use in off-road situations | |
| CA2013777A1 (en) | Removable friction reducing tread for all terrain bicycle tires | |
| US20070222278A1 (en) | Wide-low profile tire and a standard hub mounted on a wheel | |
| CA2676937C (en) | Amphibious all terrain vehicle with track assemblies | |
| US6120105A (en) | Wheel rim for bicycles | |
| US1696927A (en) | Vehicle | |
| US6701985B2 (en) | Energy return wheel systems and methods | |
| JP3103641B2 (en) | tire | |
| WO1995021006A1 (en) | Scooter for descending rough terrain | |
| CN115570913A (en) | High-stability damping type double-wheel structure for mine transport vehicle | |
| EP1819531B1 (en) | Vehicle tyre | |
| CN201136557Y (en) | Dual-purpose wheels of automobile for driving and climbing | |
| JP7208403B2 (en) | Bounce control band for non-pneumatic tires | |
| US9649884B2 (en) | Bicycle tires with four treads | |
| CN107175989A (en) | Damper assembly | |
| CN219789789U (en) | Tubeless bicycle rim | |
| JPH01186402A (en) | Wheel | |
| US3612613A (en) | Auxiliary supporting, tractive and capstan wheel for vehicles | |
| CN103935415B (en) | Snowmobile | |
| CN2241074Y (en) | Triangle wheel of vehicle | |
| CN2256382Y (en) | Millipore inflation-free tyre without inner tube | |
| US3584669A (en) | Hub and axle assembly | |
| RU209773U1 (en) | LIGHT ATV |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |