New zippable tyre tread design claims to enable a bike that “can go from road racer to off-road king in seconds”.

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Coming straight outta Norway is a start-up company called reTyre that is promoting a new concept in changing tyres. Namely, keep your tyre installed – even keep your wheel in the frame – and simply zip-off and zip-on different tyre treads depending on the demands of the terrain.

One of reTyre’s main goals with this design is actually to reduce the rather large level of consumption and ensuing waste that comes with the global tyre market. Did you know that approximately one billion tyres end up in garbage dumps every year? Tyres are one of the biggest villains in the damage done to the environment.

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The adaptability of differing zippable trends is the next signifiant intent of the reTyre system as it would allow a quick and easy way of switching a leisure bike from road-going guise into off-road going guise.

There are clearly going to be limitations for off-road usage. Namely, how well the zips would withstand standard offroad abuse and cornering and braking forces. Imagine having your tyre tread peel off mid-way around a berm. There’s also not info at the moment about expected cost or indeed how the main ‘base tyre’ installs.

That said, it’s a genuinely new and interesting concept that we reckon could lead to wider developments.