A wheel for a racing bicycle including a rim with a rim body having a rim well and lateral rim flanks provided with rim flanges, the rim flanges showing bulges protruding inwardly, each defining an undercut at the pertaining rim flange. A tire with two circumferential tire beads is accommodated on the rim body between the rim flanges, the tire beads bearing against the inside of the rim flanges and entering the undercut at the bulges of the rim flanges. A tire retaining device is included which is disposed in the internal space between the tire and the rim well. The tire retaining device includes an insert member having a hollow space that extends between the tire beads and contains a radially outwardly peripheral wall and a radially inwardly peripheral wall, wherein at least the radially inwardly peripheral wall extends continuously across an inner axial width of the insert member.

A pneumatic valve for a tire having a stem fluidly coupled to a pressure vessel is provided. The pneumatic valve includes a core body that couples to the stem, the core body having an interior passageway. A cap is coupled to the core body, the cap having a concavity on an outer diameter and a bore hole extending from one end, the bore hole being in selective fluid communication with the interior passageway. The cap further has an interior portion, the core body being at least partially disposed in the interior portion. A valve seat is disposed in the interior portion between the core body and the cap member. A sealing plug is moveably disposed at least partially in the interior passageway and at least partially within the bore hole. A biasing member is disposed in the interior passageway and arranged to bias the sealing plug against the valve seat.

A wheel component for sports and racing bicycles with an annular tire and a central tread surface, which in proper use in straight-ahead travel on a plane ground circumferentially makes contact with the surface of the ground, and which opens up a central longitudinal sectional plane. Planar aero elements are configured on the surface of the annular tire, laterally spaced apart from the longitudinal sectional plane. The aero elements are configured as depressions in the surface of the tire and are disposed on the side surfaces and define angular bands rotating on the side surfaces. The surface proportion of the aero elements to the surface of an angular band is larger than 5% and less than 25%.

A wheel component for sports and racing bicycles with an annular tire and a central tread surface, which in proper use in straight-ahead travel on a plane ground circumferentially makes contact with the surface of the ground, and which opens up a central longitudinal sectional plane. Planar aero elements are configured on the surface of the annular tire, laterally spaced apart from the longitudinal sectional plane. The aero elements are configured as depressions in the surface of the tire and are disposed on the side surfaces and define angular bands rotating on the side surfaces. The surface proportion of the aero elements to the surface of an angular band is larger than 5% and less than 25%.

The present invention provides a non-pneumatic structural bicycle tire, manufactured from TPU, TPE, other thermoplastics including TPS and TPZs, or other polymers and additives, as well as similar or dissimilar plastic such as PLA, ABS, and or recycled plastic material blend. The tire includes structural members of various sizes, thicknesses and angles, both contouring with the wheel, forming both arches, bridges and angled, voids including Euclidian and non-Euclidian triangles, diamonds, “V” shapes and other voids either with or without similar or dissimilar plastic infill between members in various fill levels and designs. The structural members create cross members and supports for transverse protrusions which compress to varying degrees depending on their specific characteristics. The non-pneumatic structural bicycle tire provides increased comfort, weight reduction, and durability when compared to other pneumatic or non-pneumatic tires.

The invention relates to a vehicle wheel assembly, comprising 1) a wheel rim having two opposed circular rim flanges; 2) an outer tire having two beads secured at the circular rim flanges; 3) an inlay; 4) a non-pneumatic inner tire comprising expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU), which inner tire is enclosed by the outer tire, the inlay and the wheel rim. The inner tire in the assembly is in a compressed state S1, which state is compressed as compared to a relaxed state S2 when the inner tire is not enclosed by the outer tire, the compression being such that the cross-sectional surface area SA of the inner tire, which area is perpendicular to the plane of the tire, is smaller in state S than in state S2.

A rim for a vehicle wheel, the rim comprising: a circumferential tire bed surface, the tire bed surface comprising: a circumferential first bead seat and a circumferential second bead seat laterally spaced from said first bead seat, said first bead seat configured to support a first bead of a mating tire and said second bead seat configured to support a second bead of said mating tire; a circumferential rim well laterally positioned between said first bead seat and said second bead seat; wherein said rim well comprises a circumferential first step edge laterally inwardly offset from said first bead seat and a circumferential first spacer region laterally positioned between said first bead seat and said first step edge; at least a portion of said first spacer portion is radially inboard of said first bead; said first step edge extending radially inwardly from said first spacer region; wherein said first step edge is configured to provide for lateral alignment registration and/or visual alignment and placement of a first edge of a mating rim strip, said rim strip is a circumferential element that radially outwardly overlaps said rim well and extends laterally inwardly from said first edge.

An inflation valve for a tubeless tire may include a valve body defining a cavity having a proximal opening and a distal opening. A valve stem extends through the cavity and includes a plug at a proximal end of the valve stem. The proximal opening of the cavity is defined by a beveled surface, and an outer diameter of the beveled surface is larger than an inner diameter of the valve body. The valve is transitionable between: a) a closed position, where a resilient surface of the plug engages the beveled surface to seal the cavity, and b) an open position, where the resilient surface of the plug is spaced from the beveled surface to unseal the cavity.

A rim sealing strip comprising: a circumferentially elongated rim strip having a radially outwardly facing outboard surface, a radially inwardly facing inboard surface, a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge laterally spaced from the first lateral edge; where the rim strip includes an overall lateral width between the first lateral edge and the second lateral edge and a radial thickness between the outboard surface and the inboard surface; and where the radial thickness is variable across the lateral width to include a first lateral region having a first radial thickness and a second lateral region having a second radial thickness, where the first radial thickness is thicker than the second radial thickness. A rim sealing system comprising: a circumferentially elongated rim strip having a radially outwardly facing outboard surface, a radially inwardly facing inboard surface, a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge laterally spaced from the first lateral edge; a rim to receive the circumferentially elongated rim strip, where the rim includes a radially outwardly projecting first bead flange, a radially outwardly projecting second bead flange laterally spaced from the first bead flange, and a radially outwardly facing tire bed surface positioned laterally between the first bead flange and the second bead flange, and where the inboard surface of the rim strip circumscribes the tire bed surface; where the rim strip includes an overall lateral width between the first lateral edge and the second lateral edge and a radial thickness between the outboard surface and the inboard surface; and where the radial thickness is variable across the lateral width to include a first lateral region having a first radial thickness and a second lateral region having a second radial thickness, where the first radial thickness is thicker than the second radial thickness. A rim sealing strip comprising: a circumferentially elongated rim strip having a radially outwardly facing outboard surface, a radially inwardly facing inboard surface, a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge laterally spaced from the first lateral edge; where the rim strip includes an overall lateral width between the first lateral edge and the second lateral edge and a radial thickness between the outboard surface and the inboard surface; and where the rim strip includes a first lateral region and a second lateral region laterally adjoining the first lateral region; and where the material stiffness of the first lateral region has greater stiffness than the material stiffness of the second lateral region. A rim comprising: a rim, the rim comprising: a radially outwardly facing tire bed surfa

A tire structure disposed at a rim is provided. The tire structure includes a tire body, a flexible sealing member and a nozzle. The tire body is ring-shaped and includes a groove and two beads. The flexible sealing member is connected to the tire body to form an inflating space with the groove, and the flexible sealing member includes a through hole. The nozzle is disposed at the flexible sealing member. The nozzle includes a base and a valve stem. The base includes a screw hole and is disposed at a far side of the flexible sealing member. The screw hole corresponds to the through hole. The valve stem includes a fastening end and an inflating channel. The fastening end is configured to insert into the screw hole, and the inflating channel is configured to allow the gas to pass therethrough.