Pneumatic tire for bicycles with tire padding strips

Claim 2

A pneumatic bicycle tire to be operated with an inner tube, said tire comprising: a tread and two sidewalls; a bead connected to a free end of each one of said sidewalls for mounting said tire on a wheel rim with rim flanges having a maximum standard height limit; each one of said beads having a bead core; a carcass embedded in said tire and extending between said beads, wherein free ends of said carcass are wound about said beads, said carcass comprising at least one carcass ply; a padding strip embedded in each one of said sidewalls in the vicinity of said beads; said padding strip positioned along a curved section of said sidewall, said curved section beginning at a center of said bead core and having a length equal to 40% to 210% of said maximum standard height limit; and said padding strip having a hardness of between 40 and 60 Shore A, a rebound resilience of below 80% measured at a frequency of 2,000 Hz and a thickness of at least 0.6 mm.

Claim 3

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 1, wherein said length is equal to 50% to 170% of said maximum standard height limit.

Claim 4

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 1, wherein said padding strip is located axially inwardly relative to said carcass with respect to an axis of said tire.

Claim 5

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 3, wherein said padding strip has a maximum thickness of 1.2 to 3.5 mm.

Claim 6

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 1, wherein said carcass comprises two carcass plies at least in the vicinity of said beads, wherein said padding strip is located between said two carcass plies.

Claim 7

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 5, wherein said padding strip has a maximum thickness of 1.2 to 2.5 mm.

Claim 8

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 1, wherein said padding strip has a hardness of 42 to 52 Shore A.

Claim 9

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 1, wherein said rebound resilience of said padding strip, measured at a frequency of 2,000 Hz, is between 35% and 70%.

Claim 10

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 1, wherein a product of a maximum thickness of said padding strip in millimeters and said hardness in Shore A is between 80 and 160.

Claim 11

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 1, wherein said padding strip has a greatest thickness in an area where upon compression of said tire under load the portion of the inner tube located close to said bead first contacts the portion of the inner tube located close to said tire tread.

Claim 12

A pneumatic bicycle tire according to claim 1, wherein said padding strip has a greatest thickness within an area of said curved section spaced from said center of said bead core by a distance of 0.53 to 1.25 of said maximum standard height limit.

Claim 13

A tire equipment for a bicycle, said tire equipment comprising a tire and an inner tube positioned in said tire wherein said tire comprises: a) a tread and two sidewalls; b) a bead connected to a free end of each one of said sidewalls for mounting said tire on a wheel rim with rim flanges having a maximum standard height limit; each one of said beads having a bead core; c) a carcass embedded in said tire and extending between said beads, wherein free ends of said carcass are wound about said beads, said carcass comprising at least one carcass ply; d) a padding strip embedded in each one of said sidewalls in the vicinity of said beads; e) said padding strip positioned along a curved section of said sidewall, said curved section beginning at a center of said bead core and having a length equal to 40% to 210% of said maximum standard height limit; f) said padding strip having a hardness of between 40 and 60 Shore A, a rebound resilience of below 80% measured at a frequency of 2,000 Hz and a thickness of at least 0.6 mm; and wherein said padding strip has a hardness that is at most as hard as a rubber coating of said carcass and at most harder by 3 units of Shore A hardness than said inner tube.

Claim 14

A tire equipment for a bicycle, said tire equipment comprising a tire and an inner tube positioned in said tire wherein said tire comprises: a) a tread and two sidewalls; b) a bead connected to a free end of each one of said sidewalls for mounting said tire on a wheel rim with rim flanges having a maximum standard height limit; each one of said beads having a bead core; c) a carcass embedded in said tire and extending between said beads, wherein free ends of said carcass are wound about said beads, said carcass comprising at least one carcass ply; d) a padding strip embedded in each one of said sidewalls in the vicinity of said beads; e) said padding strip positioned along a curved section of said sidewall, said curved section beginning at a center of said bead core and having a length equal to 40% to 210% of said maximum standard height limit; f) said padding strip having a hardness of between 40 and 60 Shore A, a rebound resilience of below 80% measured at a frequency of 2,000 Hz and a thickness of at least 0.6 mm; and wherein said padding strip has a hardness that is at most as hard as a rubber coating of said carcass and at most harder by 3 units of Shore A hardness than said inner tube.

Claim 15

A tire equipment according to claim 12, wherein the hardness of said padding strip is lower than the hardness of said inner tube.

Claim 16

A tire equipment according to claim 12, wherein: said inner tube has a wall thickness; and a product of a maximum thickness of said padding strip in millimeters and the Shore A hardness of said padding strip is greater than the product of said wall thickness of said inner tube in millimeters and the Shore A hardness of said inner tube.

Claim 17

A tire equipment according to claim 14, wherein said product of a maximum thickness of said padding strip in millimeters and the Shore A hardness of said padding strip is between 80 and 160.