Strong and durable, the rubber used to make tires has many uses long after the tires are no longer fit for the road. Unfortunately, more than 290 million tires are dumped or tossed into landfills each year in North America alone. If only more people completed brilliant recycling projects like these 25 examples – including jewelry, flooring, shoes and entire houses – we could slash that figure significantly.Stack tires and fill them with earth to make simple raised planters that cost next to nothing; the heat absorbed by the black rubber helps plants like potatoes and tomatoes thrive. Another idea hangs tires on a vertical surface, filling just the bottom portion with soil, to create unusual wall planters.Both vehicle tires and bicycle inner tubes can be transformed into durable, waterproof, non-slip surfaces for indoor and outdoor applications. Etsy seller ReTIRED Mats weaves strips of reclaimed tire rubber around metal frames. Bicycle inner tubes, as demonstrated above, is even flexible enough to crochet.

Says crafter Michaela, “After several attempts I found out that it’s the easiest way to use a tent peg. I cut out the valves and then slit the tubes lengthwise. Washing the tubes has to be done thoroughly because the valves are covered in a thick layer of powdered talc from the inside. Then you have to cut the tubes in stripes and either tack (like I did it) or sew them together. The result is a long “thread” which you just crochet and then you’re done.”Earrings, bracelets and belts get a tough urban look from recycled tires, even when used to create delicate leaf shapes and folded layers of ribbon. As belts, bicycle tires are still recognizable, perfect for cyclists who want to display their love for riding to the world.Tires were half-buried in the ground to make this clever and convenient recycled bike stand. With this simple solution, the bicycle’s tire could be locked to the tire in the ground to secure it.Who would have thought that recycled tire flooring could be so stylish?

Swedish company Apokalyps Labotek takes some of the 4 million tires that are disposed of in that country each year and grinds them into a powder, which is then mixed with recycled plastic and formed into flooring.It would take an awful lot of abuse to break or puncture a purse or wallet made out of reclaimed tire rubber, so these bags should last virtually forever. Etsy sellers Trigo, BlowUp Online Vintage and RubberPieces show just how versatile this material can be.Of course, tire swings are nothing new, but they’re no longer just as simple as screwing on some bolts and chain. Check out these incredible creature-shaped tire swings that practically double as garden art.  Wildlife Creations cuts and bolts tires into dragons, sharks, horses, dogs, elephants, dinosaurs and more.Animal-shaped tire swings are awesome, but what happens when you decide to make an entire playground out of reclaimed tires? With some creative thinking, the possibilities are practically endless.  Two examples include a fun scrap tire dragon in Maryland, and a ‘Rubber Tree’ design by AnneMarie van Splunter installed in Thailand for refugee children.

All of the qualities that make rubber tread ideal for tires also make this material perfect for the soles of shoes. The shoe company Simple Shoes includes reclaimed tires in many of their eco-friendly designs. You can also make your own hand-crafted recycled sandals from a bicycle inner tube and a scrap of used tire, as explained at Instructables.Furniture made from reclaimed tires and bicycle wheels ranges from elegant and modern to funny and kitschy. Labrador Puppies On HeatThe Tired Lounge chair by Leo Kempf weaves strips of tire rubber into upholstery for a rocker, while Bike Furniture Design comes up with crafty uses for practically every part of the bike – including, of course, the tires.Vintage Washer And Dryer For SaleYou can now purchase commercially fabricated roof shingles made from recycled rubber – or you could go DIY like this ambitious homeowner, who cut strips of tires and arranged them into interesting patterns on his roof.Vacuum Cleaner Extension Wand

Tires are a central component of earthships, which are sustainable, self-sufficient homes made of recycled materials. Packed with dirt, the tires often form the foundation and walls of these free-form houses. Reclaimed tires can also be used as extremely inexpensive building materials . Argentine architect Carlos Levinton designed dome houses for Haitians displaced by the 2010 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation.Korean artist Yong Ho Ji has gone above and beyond all of these innovative re-uses for old tires with a sculptural series that binds strips of used tires together with synthetic resins. His complex works, depicting humans and animals, makes a statement about humanity’s responsibility for nature. Keeping up with motocross’s latest and greatest is no easy task; more often than not, the flow of money needs to be constant if you really want to compete. Breaking down the price barriers for a more level playing field, Motorcycle Superstore and the dirt bike motocross closeouts department takes quality gear and parts and offers them at a greatly reduced price.

Find helmets, jerseys, pants, tires and exhaust all for a faction of their original cost. And even if you had your heart set on a Fox, Thor, Alpinestars or Shoei item, all the top dirt bike brands are well represented here, so you get the product you want.I’ve seen some pretty silly exaggerations on tire sizes, but none are quite as outrageous as the Vee Rubber Snow Shoe 4.5. I can say with some certainty that there is currently no rim manufactured in existence that are going to make these tires 4.5 inches wide no matter how much Viagra you feed it. There are a lot of different versions of the Vee Rubber Snow Shoe kicking around and it can get pretty confusing The tire I got ahold of were the 72tpi version of the Snow Shoe 4.5 which came installed on my FB 5 2.0 that I bought for the my upcoming Snow Shoe 2XL monster snow fat bike build : The Phat Phuk. The 72tpi Snoe Shoe tipped my scales at around 1225g and the folding bead seemed tight. I set it up tubeless on my Dark Matter BBS02 Bluto build which lately has been my favorite e-bike to ride.

I ran it at 10 psi on fall singletrack with lots of wet leaves and roots. The tire sealed and centered itself well. It got some strange white powder on the rubber when I left the bike in the sun but it wiped right off, I’ve never seen that happen with a fat bike tire before. Rating system is 5 (best) to 1 (worst) Powder – 4.5 : As a rear tire this works actually pretty well in the snow. It has decent traction and predictable loss of traction. Not an appropriate choice for a front tire (the 5 year old Surly Bud is still the gold standard) but a reasonable choice as a rear tire. Mud – 4 : Pretty big lugs seem to do well in the mud and they don’t clog up. Ice –  4 : Not as good as studs and inappropriate for a front tire choice on ice, works OK as a rear tire on ice with generally predictable slideouts and loss of traction. Recommend riding something with studs on the front tire. Singletrack – 4 : This tire on dirt and dried leaves was surprisingly predictable at 8psi.

It skidded out when I thought it would skid out and stuck when I thought it would stick. It had very good traction when I pegged the throttle and reminded me a great deal of the Surly Nate or the Panaracer Fat B Nimble. I wanted to hate this tire because of the overstated size and lack of deep tread, but I really didn’t. Road – 3 : Not really a road tire. Very little road noise. Rolling Resistance – 3.5 : Less than I expected. The shallow knobs are spaced pretty far apart. Weight – 3.5 : About what you’d expect at 1225 grams. The 120tpi version will be a bit lighter (probably 50-70g) and feel a little better on the trails as well. Would I go out and buy this tire or the Snow Shoe 4.7? I think there are much better tires out there for the money, like the 120tpi version of the Panaracer Fat B Nimble. That being said I’m pretty excited about the Snow Show 2XL which I will be reviewing in a week or so. Stay tuned for more madness and mayhem. I found that the Snow Shoe 4.5 fits well in the rear of the Boris X9 (The Reaper) and the Bullseye framed builds I’ve done.