Air-Free Bike Tires..?

[Splintercat]

Has anyone ever used airless bike tires? I ran across this website offering them:

http://www.airfreetires.com/

I'd always looked at kid's airless tires with a bit of envy, but figured that the were too flimsy, or maybe just rode poorly for us grownups. But now I'm intrigued! I also like that these help protect the rim - one of the main worries I have when I take my bike onto dirt surfaces is mashing the rim on sharp boulder hidden in the trail surface. Been there, done that, replaced a brand new rim.

Any thoughts or info would be much appreciated - thanks!

Tom

[raven]

Compared to pneumatic tires, air-free bicycle tires offer diminished traction, the chance to feel the road with much greater intimacy, more rolling resistance, greater weight, etc. The physics are not encouraging. Adding sealants to tires, kevlar belted tires and thorn resistant tubes seem to be better choices--or all together when really needed.

See http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html
and http://www.sheldonbrown.com/flats.html

Steve

[Splintercat]

Thanks, Steve - that's very helpful!

Tom