Netherlands-based tyre manufacturer Vredestein unveiled a prototype of a bicycle tyre it has created with rubber made from dandelions.
The company introduced its Fortezza Flower Power at the Eurobike exhibition in Friedrichshafen earlier this year.
The road tyre is made of rubber extracted from the roots of dandelions, the result of a joint initiative with Wageningen University and Research called DRIVE4EU, co-financed by the European Union (EU).
This product is the first bicycle tyre in the world produced with natural rubber extracted from the roots of the Russian dandelion, hence the name “Flower Power”. This particular series of prototype tyres are made with rubber extracted from flowers grown and harvested in the Netherlands.
Vredestein worked closely together with WUR to develop the natural rubber, make production viable and test various compounds. Each improvement in the process of rubber extraction has reportedly also led to a direct enhancement of the quality of the rubber.
As a result, the brand claims that the compound now used as a test on the Fortezza Flower Power prototype provides increased grip when compared to traditional compounds. This is directly related to the higher concentration of natural resin in this particular variant of natural rubber.
Studies are currently exploring whether this tyre can be mass-produced in the future.