Patent ID: 7762299

Claim:
Self-supporting tire ( 1 ) for wheels for bicycles, motorcycles and the like, said tire being without compressed air or gas inside, said self-supporting tire comprising: an outer layer ( 5 ), suitable to establish contact with the ground ( 8 ) which further comprises a thread portion ( 7 ); an inner supporting layer ( 6 ), composed of a flexible polyurethane elastomer with a cellular structure, at least partially occupying the internal volume of said tire ( 1 ) and suitable to support said outer surface layer ( 5 ) to which it is integrated; a flexible membrane ( 9 ), having substantially the shape of said outer layer ( 5 ) to which it is integrated, said flexible membrane ( 9 ) is made of inextensible, yet flexible material, radially compressing toward the center of the tire said inner supporting layer ( 6 ), while reducing by compression its volume by a percentage ranging from 10% to 20% even when the tire is not operational on the ground; said compression exerted by said flexible membrane ( 9 ) is substantially decreasing, at the cruising speed, the mechanical power absorbed by the tire; a stiffening element ( 10 ) incorporated in said supporting layer ( 6 ) and suitable to increase the rigidity of said inner supporting layer ( 6 ) to make it withstanding the bending in a plane perpendicular to the axis ( 2 b ) of the wheel ( 2 ), said stiffening element ( 10 ) being configured to reduce the contact surface of the tire ( 1 ) on the ground ( 8 ).