You Can't Buy Airless MTB Tires—So I Made Them! | Berm Peak

The Gist

Mountain biking content creator Seth Alvo builds and tests 3D printed airless mountain bike tires made of TPU on local trails, proving that while they are entirely puncture proof, the rear wheel segments eventually shatter under heavy trail impacts. Airless mountain bike tires remain commercially unviable because tire punctures are not a severe enough problem to justify the heavy performance and comfort trade offs.

Quick Overview

Airless mountain bike tires remain a pipe dream because trail impacts destroy their structural integrity while pneumatic tubeless tires handle punctures just fine. Seth Alvo from Berm Peak uses a Bambu Lab H2D 3D printer and TPU filament to engineer and test a prototype set of airless tires on a full suspension mountain bike. After testing the tires on technical dirt and rock trails, he discovers that the front tire survives but the rear tire segments fracture sequentially at their joints. Ultimately, the video demonstrates that while DIY airless mountain tires are fun engineering projects, real mountain biking requires the compliance and shock absorption of pressurized air.

Key Points: Seth Alvo uses a Bambu Lab H2D 3D printer to fabricate airless mountain bike tire segments using TPU filament. The 3D printed tires consist of interlocking curved segments attached to a custom rim interface using standard screws. Testing on rugged mountain bike trails reveals that the front tire survives the ride with minor wear, but the rear tire suffers catastrophic joint failures. The video highlights that mountain bike tires take immense abuse, and rigid airless designs lack the necessary compliance for rough terrain. Seth concludes that airless mountain bike tires are not sold commercially because punctures are simply not a major pain point for modern tubeless riders. The total build and iteration process requires multiple revisions of TPU stiffness, segment geometry, and screw fastening methods.

Context: Mountain bike enthusiasts have chased airless tires for decades to eliminate flats, but commercial manufacturers have never successfully brought a viable mountain bike version to market. Seth Alvo, creator of the YouTube channel Berm Peak, decides to settle the debate once and for all by designing, printing, and trail testing his own DIY airless mountain bike tires using consumer 3D printing technology.