Each bead of a pneumatic tire has the following characteristics:a) it has no bead wire and has an annular element whose tensile strength isppreciably less than that necessary for a bead wire;b) at least two reinforcing plies are placed in contact with or near this annular element;c) the combination of reinforcing plies has a tensile strength at least equal to that which would be necessary for a bead wire;d) the carcass ply is wrapped around the annular element;e) the outer region of the bead includes a rubber having an elastic loss modulus G" of less than 1 MPa and/or it includes a rubber whose thickness is at most equal to 2 mm.