The thing with the hose, or without
02/09/2022
The invention of the pneumatic tire was certainly essential for the breakthrough of the automobile. Michelin introduced tires with inner tubes as early as 1895, making driving more comfortable.
The first patent for tubeless pneumatic tires was granted in 1928, but it was not until the 1950s that such tires without inner tubes became established in cars. They offered a number of advantages, including a lower weight. This difference was particularly evident in truck tires on the scales, as the picture here clearly shows. The photo dates back to 1953, when Firestone began offering tubeless tires for commercial vehicles. A whopping 20 kg (or more) could be saved per wheel, or around 100 kg for all five wheels. So the difference really mattered.
The "war" of tubeless versus "with tube" has long been history in the automotive sector, but it is now raging in the bicycle sector. There, too, it is all about minimizing weight, but almost more about reducing rolling resistance. At the same time, the fear of a sudden flat tire is not entirely unfounded, especially with racing bikes ...
