B5
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, MAY 1, 2021
Bend native creates space-age tire
Spurred by
internships
with NASA
By MICHAEL KOHN
The Bulletin
Growing up in Bend,
Calvin Young had all sorts
of interests. He was pas-
sionate about science, math
and music. Later he pur-
sued philosophy. Engineer-
ing was never really part of
the picture.
Then a chance encoun-
ter while working at a cof-
fee shop in Portland intro-
duced him to the world of
engineering, and his inven-
tor spirit was unleashed.
Today he’s producing his
very own space-age tire
invention that he hopes will
one day replace inner tubes
and make fl ats a thing of the
past.
Young’s invention, the
METL tire, is modeled on
the same technology devel-
oped by NASA for rovers to
be used on missions to Mars
or the moon. Young thought
the sturdy tire has Earth
applications too and during
the summer of 2018 came
up with a design that would
work for bicycles.
The METL tire is
non-pneumatic, that is, it
doesn’t require air. It holds
its shape thanks to tightly
woven interlocking springs.
The metal springs are
encased in polyurethane,
and a durable outer tread
adheres to the tire.
Non-pneumatic
bicy-
cle tires — also called air-
less tires or fl at-free tires
— already exist but are not
widely used because testing
has proven most brands to
be too stiff compared to reg-
ular tires with air.
Young, who graduated
from Summit High School
in 2007 and Portland State
University in 2012, was like-
wise not satisfi ed with what
was available on the market.
“They tend to do a poor
job absorbing bumps on the
road,” he said.
Then came summer
internships at NASA’s
Bend native Calvin Young adapted the Mars rover tires into airless bicycle tires.
Glenn Research Center in
Cleveland in 2017 and 2018.
He was working with engi-
neers on designing wheels
for rovers. The type of tire
being developed was air-
less and uses a shape-mem-
ory alloy that springs back to
its original shape after being
deformed.
“Colleagues suggested
that I take it further and
explore new applications,”
said Young.
Young set about creat-
ing a new tire that he could
fi t on his commuter bike, a
single-speed Schwinn he
bought in Bend years earlier.
“I decided it would be
the perfect test rig for a
new design,” Young said.
“The process involved a lot
of hands-on experimenta-
tion, and there was an ‘aha!’
moment halfway through
when I realized I had hit on
a working design.”
Young applied for a pat-
ent for the tire. Two other
NASA engineers, Colin Cre-
ager and Santo Padula, were
also credited as co-inventors
for their work on the rover
tires that opened the door
to Young’s bike tire inven-
tion. The patent for the tire
drew the attention of two
entrepreneurs, Earl Cole and
Brian Yennie. The pair had
already created a company
called Smart Tire with the
intention of bringing new
designs to market. Young’s
design was a perfect match.
“We fi rst had an inter-
est in the automotive ver-
sion of this technology, and
were preparing to create
a bicycle version but then
learned that a bicycle ver-
sion already existed that was
co-invented by Calvin and
two other NASA engineers,”
said Cole. “We were glad to
hear that and immediately
knew its potential.”
Smart Tire is now fund-
raising for product develop-
ment and is slated for sale in
2022. More than $1.2 mil-
lion has been raised so far. A
Wefunder page allows any-
one to contribute. The inves-
tors give Calvin credit for
the company’s success so
far.
“Calvin has been amaz-
ing. He works very quickly
and diligently,” said Cole.
“He was able to build our
fi rst bicycle prototype,
METL, in no time, and we
look forward to the next
iteration.”
The investors hope the
technology can be applied
to other uses too, and have
plans to develop tires for
cars, trucks and airplanes.
“The bike tire will be a
launchpad for tackling the
industry as a whole,” said
Young. “Replacing infl at-
able tires onto ground and
air vehicles promises to
have a huge impact on fuel
effi ciency and fl eet reliabil-
ity — and our goal is noth-
ing less than revolutionizing
the transportation sector.”
Those big aspirations
had modest beginnings in
Bend, where his family set-
tled after his father took an
engineering job in Redmond
with Precision Castparts
Corp.
Young attended Elk
Meadow Elementary School
and Cascade Middle School.
He still has fond memories
of riding bikes around Elk
Meadow in the days when
large meadows still existed
there. Summers were spent
creating bike parks with
friends along the canal in
southwest Bend.
Growing up in Bend gave
him unique perspectives and
experiences that sent him on
a twisted career trajectory
that mixed education, travel
and work.
“Though I had a late start
as an engineer, I wouldn’t
trade it for any of the expe-
riences I had along the way,”
he said.
Those
experiences
included math and science
classes at Central Oregon
Community College, liberal
arts classes at Portland Com-
munity College and then a
degree in philosophy from
Portland State University.
“I felt that it was import-
ant to have a well-rounded
education, or maybe that
was just my way of ratio-
nalizing the diffi culty of
picking a career path,” said
Young.
Degree in hand, Young
decided to go to the birth-
place of philosophy and
spent four months cycling
around Greece and Turkey,
exploring ancient ruins and
camping along the Mediter-
ranean Sea. Then there was
a stint in New York City
working at a design studio.
“In New York, I realized
that I wanted to do some-
thing bigger and more chal-
lenging,” said Young. “So at
25 years old I decided to go
back to school and become
an engineer.”
His interest in engineer-
ing actually started a few
years earlier. While working
at a coff ee shop in Portland,
he struck up conversations
with a frequent customer,
William Winters, a self-em-
ployed mechanical engineer.
Winters introduced con-
cepts of engineering, and
those conversations planted
a seed in Young to pursue
the fi eld as a career.
“We would stay late
talking theoretical phys-
ics, philosophy, religion,
politics, etc. And through
those conversations, I was
inspired by his knowledge
and intuition,” said Young.
“He never explicitly sug-
gested that engineering was
the best route for me, but
through him, I realized that
it was a powerful discipline
that would ultimately give
me the breadth of scientifi c
and technical knowledge
that I was looking for.”
Young studied engineer-
ing back at Portland State,
found his way to the labs of
NASA and his eventual path
to designing his bike tire. He
even managed to wedge in
work with Voltaic Systems,
a solar panel company.
Young isn’t quite sure
what’s next but hopes it will
be something that can bene-
fi t humanity. Making a tire
that gets more people out
on their bikes is a start, he
said. Or it could expand into
designing tires that improve
fuel effi ciency, a step toward
reducing carbon emissions.
“That is where I want to
end up, doing something for
the planet, for mankind,”
said Young. “That is how I
think about things now.”
WANTED
Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber
Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA
Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500
Fre
e
Est Fast
ima
tes
Call me
ti
Any
Jeff Hale Painting
•
•
•
•
Residential
Commercial
Cedar Roof Treatments
Exterior Repaint Specialist
Over 25 years local experience
503-440-2169
Jeff Hale,
Contractor
LICENSED
BONDED
INSURED
CCB#179131
Classifieds
Searching for Employees?
PLACE YOUR JOB
POSTING HERE
Special Includes:
• 2 Weeks in Print
& Online
• Logo Included
• Facebook Boost
• Featured Advertising
Call
at
503-325-3211 or email:
classifieds@dailyastorian.com
GARAGE SALE
SELL YOUR VEHICLE HERE!
SEASON IS HERE!
If it Drives or Floats...
ONLY
$ 25
$ 49.95
ys
for 3 da
Call 800.781.3214
to advertise today!
classifieds@dailyastorian.com
107 Public Notices
SOLICITATION FOR BIDS
The City of Astoria’s Parks
and Recreation Department
is seeking responses from
qualified firms to provide
project management services
for improvements to be
installed along the Astoria
Riverwalk. Details and
information can be obtained
via email: jdart@astoria.or.us
or by calling 503 298 2467.
Submissions due June 1,
2021.
301 RVs & Travel
Trailers
613 Houses
for Rent
Astoria-born local couple
looking for house with garage
to rent in Astoria or
Warrenton. Non-smokers.
503-310-5273
651 Help Wanted
Part-Time Employment
Ilwaco, Naselle, and Ocean
Park Timberland Libraries
are hiring half-time Library
Assistants. Apply at
www.governmentjobs.com/
careers/timberland
UPGRADING?
Sell your used equipment
fast, by listing it in
The Astorian classified section.
Call 503-325-3211.
Help wanted
1995 Winnebago Rialta/VW.
Excellent condition. 53,000
miles. 18 to 22 mpg. $26,995
obo. Astoria, (503) 468-0752.
www.DailyAstorian.com
Cashier: Full/Part time
&
Stock person
Ilwaco Food Market
(360)628-7159
ADVERTISE TODAY
800.781.3214
classifieds@dailyastorian.com
If it doesn’t sell in two weeks
We will give you two weeks for FREE!
GARAGE SALES
w w w .d ailyasto rian .co m
360 Garage Sales
Gearhart
HUGE MOVING SALE
Fri 10-6, Sat 9-4
Corner of 11th & Niagara
Misc Household Items,
Decor, Furniture, Tools,
Clothes, Dining Set, Kitchen
& Bath. Too much to list!
1409 11TH ST ASTORIA.
Neighborhood Garage
and Moving Sale:
2906 Pine Court - 3098 Pine
Court, Gearhart, OR.
When: Sat 4/1 and Sun 4/2
starting at 9:00 am
Several homes in the Shamrock
Pines HOA will be participating
in a garage sale this weekend.
Go. Do.
coastweekend.com
dining • the arts • music • shopping • museums • classes • movies • gardening • news • blogs • more