Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have, for the first time, provided concrete figures on the abrasion of mountain bike tyres in off-road conditions. Their findings contribute to a better understanding of the global microplastic cycle. They report on their research in the journal „Science of The Total Environment“.
Butyl rubber. Iirc, it’s combined with plastics for bike tires. I’m hoping we can find biodegradable alternatives for cars and bikes. That said, the impact of bikes and ebikes is most likely far smaller than the millions of cars (including EVs) on the road across continents.
Ideally, we need to make rail a huge priority across the north and south American contingents. Rail and bikes will take a chunk out of microplastic production.