The indoor wheelchair tire for sports | Developed with national players to set new standards: Schwalbe‘s new indoor wheelchair tire for sports is called Dunk King and was developed together with the national wheelchair basketball team over the past two years. The folding tire will be presented at Rehacare in Düsseldorf from September 14-17 (Hall 6, Stand B56).
THE REQUIREMENTS IN WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL ARE EXTREME
– The wheels are at an angle, have between 18 and 20 degrees of camber.
– The sport is highly dynamic and extremely demanding for man and material.
– The tire must be maneuverable, yet at the same time enormously resilient.
THE SCHWALBE SOLUTION DUNK-KING
– The tread is adapted to the camber of the wheels and offset accordingly. In addition, it does not extend over the entire width. This saves a lot of weight: the tire weighs only 230-265 grams.
– The properties of the newly developed rubber compound: low rolling resistance and high grip.
– The carcass with reinforced sidewall is enormously stable and allows extreme maneuvers.
– The tire with up to 10 bar air pressure is made for fast maneuverability and maximum loads.
– Thanks to 2Grip sidewall, the tire is very easy on the hands to drive.
– The white tread leaves no marks on the hall floors, the sidewall was designed bordeaux red analogous to traditional basketballs.
National wheelchair basketball player Thomas Böhme with the DUNK KING – Photo: Max Priess
National wheelchair basketball player Thomas Böhme: „“It’s cool that Schwalbe not only listened to my ideas and suggestions for improvement, but also implemented them. This is the best tire I’ve ever ridden. I’m super satisfied.”
The Dunk King has already proven itself as a prototype at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo last year. The development was based on practical experience. Through many test phases, feedback from the players flowed directly into the hoop development.
SIZES
25-540, 25-559, 25-590, 25-622
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
€59.90, available in spring 2023
Jakob Maßen, Product Manager Schwalbe: “For us, the project was enormously rewarding right from the start. Together, we have developed a tire that meets the highest demands in indoor
sports. In the rubber compound, we made a transfer of knowledge from our Addix compounds, which we use in various bicycle tires. This creates an unprecedented level of grip and speed.
Nicolai Zeltinger, national coach of the men’s team: “We needed the perfect interface to get the athletes‘ performance on the ground and get advantages over our opponents. With the Dunk King, we have a very dynamic hoop that brings exactly these capabilities. I‘m excited about the collaboration with Schwalbe.”
Errol Marklein, Business Development Manager Europe at Sunrise Medical: “Schwalbe is used to stepping in where the demands are greatest. That‘s wheelchair basketball. There, the tire is the direct link between athletes and the court. There‘s 120 percent heart and soul in this project.”
Schwalbe Dunk King – Photo: Schwalbe
DEVELOPMENT
Schwalbe incorporates expertise from two areas in the development of wheelchair tires – from the product developments of wheelchair and bicycle tires for the Race division. Europe‘s market leader for bicycle tires has been carrying high-quality wheelchair tires in its portfolio for over 20 years and currently offers a total of five different models
MARATHON PLUS WHEELCHAIR NOW WITH FAIR RUBBER
One of these models is the Marathon Plus: the first non-flat wheelchair tire. The tire is now manufactured with fair trade rubber. Schwalbe is the only bicycle tire manufacturer that is a member of Fair Rubber e.V.. Its premiums are paid out 100% to the smallholders‘ cooperative.
The press release as PDF can be found here: Click here!
PM: Schwalbe | Fotos: Max Priess & Schwalbe