[necovek]

My implication is that you want rubber for nice asphalt/road surface to avoid damaging it — for comfort, other suspension components can help out instead.

If you don't care about preserving the terrain (which you can when it's rough to begin with), you can just go with large surface metal feet and you should not get any rubber/microplastics, though you will get metallic dust.

[lucianbr]

Wht do you think mountain bikes have rubber tires? Or one of these? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-terrain_vehicle Or a dune buggy?

Pretty clearly the worry about the road surface is not the only cause of using tires.

Also, if you don't care for either preserving the surface or comfort (use something else for comfort) then... use metal wheels. Or ceramic wheels, or tracks or something.

[Loughla]

I believe the main issue is the rubber and chemicals from the nice road surfaces. So your argument seems like a problem looking for a solution?

[necovek]

That's wrong: the problem is the rubber on the wheel (or feet in case of legs) being spent due to the traction and emission of rubber microparticles as it is.

[Loughla]

Yes sorry I wasn't clear enough. Rubber and chemicals from tires on the nice road surfaces. That's what that should have said.

But the legs are still a solution in search of a problem.

[necovek]

Sure, the original article is about a legged movement, and the entire thread is about microparticle (plastics/rubber) emission comparison between wheels and legs.