It’s safe to say that making Wheel-less Bicycles wasn’t enough for YouTuber The Q. The crazy builder is back with yet another zany invention – creating airless tires that are rugged, have shock absorption, and are entirely handmade from sliced PVC pipes.
Airless tires have been around for practically decades, and even NASA has seen the merits of building tires that aren’t pressurized or prone to puncturing. However, their invention hasn’t really affected consumer-grade vehicles yet, given how complex they can be to manufacture. The wheels of most airless tires, like the Michelin concept shown here, are designed using complex algorithms. These algorithms generate such intricate designs that 3D printers can only build them. The Q circumvents that with a lifehack of his own – using cross-sections of a PVC pipe to replicate the same bounce of a regular tire with the robust reliability of an airless one.
Designer: the Q
The tire’s design bases itself on one of The Q’s older prototypes, which used 60 tennis balls instead. This PVC version, however, has the look and feel of an ingenious life hack. It could work well. A long piece of PVC pipe is better than having to replace tennis balls each week.
For the airless tire section, Q began by cutting 1-inch-thick sections from the PVC pipes (which also meant choosing the best, most sturdy PVC pipe). He began by drilling holes in the PVC rings and then screwing them around the perimeter of the wheel. For each wheel, 66 PVC ring were needed in three rows with 22 rings per row. This totaled 132 rings. Once the PVC rings were glued together, the YouTuber attached the tread to each wheel.
Each wheel was fitted with 66 PVC rings
It’s a clever video that can be used by anyone who wants to make their own airless wheels. Finding the right diameter PVC pipe for your wheel frame may require some math or a little trial and error if you’re like me, but once you’ve found yourself the perfect PVC pipe, make sure you cut it to the right cross-sectional width to give yourself at least 3 rows of rings to ensure the wheel has a reliable and durable build. Obviously, we don’t recommend trying this for a motorcycle or a car… but it helps to just make our disclaimers clear!
Although the tire tread mounting doesn’t look like the most secure fit, it hugged the wheel well enough for a trial run. The tire treads could be held in place by an expanding PVC material. But the PVC build was an excellent proof of concept. It required less than $50 in equipment.
After each tire was assembled and installed back on the bicycle frame, the YouTuber took it out for a spin, riding it along on tarmac and a park pathway, occasionally alternating between the two to show the wheel’s ability to take minor bumps and undulating terrain. What The Q didn’t display in the video was rough usage (like riding down stairs) or even the condition of the wheels after a day’s worth of riding. If the wheels were damaged, chances are it would have been minimal. The PVC pipe is designed to last and will only wear out if it’s exposed to UV radiation or chemicals. It is not difficult to replace a PVC ring if it cracks. The broken ring will be visible and can simply be unscrewed.
