Why do car tires not need a tube or liquid sealant but bicycle tires do?
In: Engineering
Bike tyres are much thinner then car tyres. This is done to make them lighter making them easier to bike. The problem with the thin tyres is that they tend to puncture much easier. The tyres are expensive and also somewhat large and heavy to carry. So cyclists carry spare tubes instead. These are much cheaper and fold up to fit in a small tool big that you can mount under the seat or on the frame. It is also much quicker to swap an inner tube then swapping the tyre.
For road racing you do often see tubeless bike tyres as these are lighter then the tubed tyres most bicyclists use. This may make a difference in a tight race. In old photos of bike races you can see the riders carry spare tyres around their torso but this is done away with in modern cycling. You can also get tubed tyres for cars and trucks. If you drive on rough roads where punctures are common this may save you a lot of money and even allow you to carry multiple spare tubes. I have also seen innertubes be installed as a way to fix a leak in an otherwise tubeless tyre. Care should be taken though as not all tyres and rims can have a tube as they might be abrasive on the inside.
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