Self-inflating tires have often seemed like a sci-fi vision of what one would get from riding in the World Tour, but this technology is one step closer to entering the World Tour peloton at the 2024 Gravel World Championships.

Marianne Vos (NL) showed off her Gravel self-filling tire technology before the Gravel World Championships, which had not been used in a professional race since Paris-Roubaix in 2023.

The Gravaa system uses a small compressor built into the wheel hub to increase tire pressure on hard surfaces and decrease pressure on rough surfaces where lower pressure is needed to optimize rolling resistance.

Gravaa owner Gertjan van Ginderen explained that the system has been developed considerably since its first release in 2022. The electronics have improved considerably,” he said. Inside each hub is a PCB [printed circuit board], which is very susceptible to moisture contamination. [So] we made some technical changes and completely epoxied the electronics. The antenna was modified and the disc brake interface was also changed.

The system uses a powered pump driven by the rotation of the wheels, so it does not need to be recharged and does not use an internal CO2 canister as seen in some previously tested self-inflating systems. This means that the tire can be inflated and deflated as often as the rider needs it.

“It's basically a very small compressor-clutch mechanism and an electronic printed circuit board, and the hubs talk to each other,” Van Ginderen explains. So the front hub is the master and the rear up is the slave. And you can connect to the front hub with either a smartphone or a cycle computer, as long as it is Plus or Bluetooth-enabled”

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The technology first appeared in 2022 when Team DSM used the Scope Atmoz system, and the potential improvement in rolling resistance offered a considerable advantage over competition on mixed terrain, surprising the cycling technology-obsessed world.

Despite initial interest, none of the riders who used the Gravaa system at Visma in 2023 were successful in that year's competition, and the hub was not used the following year.

However, with the technical updates and Gravaa's extensive business development, Van Ginderen is confident that the technology will become a more permanent part of the bike setup for the classic Visma Lease-a-Bike.

Marianne Vos explained that she had trained on this bike before the race. She said, “I've had my Cervelo gravel bike for two years now, but I just started setting up my new bike last week. At least the bike is ready,” he said with a laugh.

Vos is listed as a favorite to win the women's elite race.

“I have to have a good race and stay out of trouble. It's hard to predict how things will turn out and how I will fare. I feel good. I want to fight with the Dutch in the final.”

Dutch teammate Femke de Vries will also use the system in the women's race, while Belgium's Tiesj Benoot will use it in the men's elite race tomorrow.

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