• vintageballs@feddit.de
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      9 months ago

      Tires aren’t made exclusively of natural rubber, they contain synthetic polymers among other things.

      Additionally, by vulcanizing the rubber, three-dimensional chemical bonds resembling those found in synthetic plastics are created to harden the material.

      So the end product is not really “natural” or “rubber” anymore.

      • Jake Farm
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        9 months ago

        What’s the alternative? Basically all wheels use vulcanized treads.

        • stabby_cicada@slrpnk.netOP
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          9 months ago

          That’s the point of the 15 minute city - that is, a city where everything its people need is within a 15 minute walk. People travel less and when they travel they walk or bike. The alternative, in other words, is better city design.

          • Player2@lemm.ee
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            9 months ago

            I think you mean that no one will be allowed to go more than 15 minutes away and everyone will be in concentration camps!0👿👿👿

        • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          The heavier the vehicle the more wear on the tires, and that works the other way around too. Bicycles are so lightweight that they don’t shed rubber much faster tennis shoes.

            • Player2@lemm.ee
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              9 months ago

              More efficient to have one central system over many small ones. Also, many forms of transportation can easily use steel wheels, such as trains and trams.

              • conquer4@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Mine doesn’t have a subway/metro. A 1route regional train. We are finally making light rail, but it’s very behind schedule and has cost 142 billion and still isn’t very wide. The primary public transit is busses.

        • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de
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          9 months ago

          The last time there was a similar thread there were some links to some plant based alternatives. They seem viable but there was no investment because you guessed it, they would be more expensive than the tyres we use now.

          • Jake Farm
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            9 months ago

            Rubber is plant based though. A different commenter explained that vulcanized rubber is basically a plant based plastic.

            • prashanthvsdvn@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              Natural Rubber is plant based but there are synthetic rubber like SBR or BR also used when making different tyre compounds.

        • prashanthvsdvn@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          There is Michelin’s Tweel concept but it takes a huge cost for additive manufacturing required to manufacture it since it has replicate the cushioning and dampening aspect of tires. (Or else the ride will be bumpy as hell). Only NASA uses it for the rovers and stuff coz it’s about $20k for each wheel of 4 in width.

          • Jake Farm
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            9 months ago

            Im almost certain the tread is still rubber.

            • prashanthvsdvn@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              It’s rubber mixed with carbon fiber and other processing oils plus wax for oxide protection plus sulphur and with which it’s vulcanized.