At the world’s biggest bike expo, Eurobike 2023, igus will showcase recyclable and partly-recycled components for bicycle manufacturers, including handlebars that are about to go into production. Bicycle manufacturer Advanced is the handlebar’s first customer

Following
last year’s launch of the plastic igus:bike, the motion plastics specialist is
now exhibiting a new product line made of high-performance plastics for bicycle
manufacturers. In addition to an all-plastic frame made of several components,
wheels and cranks, a new handlebar is about to go into series production and
will be used on bike company Advanced’s Reco Bike.

The
polymers used to make the handlebars are developed and tested in igus’s greatly
expanded bicycle laboratory. The products are both recyclable and partly made
from recycled material. Production will start in Cologne and will then expand
to Asia and North America to offer local supply chains to bike OEMs.

Resource
conservation is becoming increasingly important in bicycle design and manufacture.
The transport, energy-intensive production and subsequent disposal of bicycles
and components accounts for a substantial quantity of CO₂. “We
see plastics technology as a new option for the industry, with all components
in one wheel in the future,” says Matthew Aldridge, Managing Director of igus
UK. “Carbon reduction, recyclability, durability, and local supply chains are
increasingly demanded by our customers. At Eurobike in Frankfurt, we have been
showing some imaginative solutions that work”.

igus sees
sustainable bikes as a growth industry is investing heavily in this market. For
new off-the-shelf products for bicycle manufacturers, igus will present ball
bearings, cranks, steering head bearings, and a freewheel made of
high-performance plastics specially developed for movement. Frames, wheels and
handlebars will be available soon. The seatpost and saddle frame are also
already in the works. As a strong USP, igus offers OEM customers everything
from a single source. igus has a large research and product development
facility, and will soon be testing bicycle products on 25 new test benches
developed solely for bicycle components, with tool making for producing
components from specially developed plastic compounds.

igus has
been supplying plain bearings and other moving components to many well-known
manufacturers of bicycles and their suppliers for over 30 years. In the future,
supplying parts for bike OEMs locally will be provided by 12 factories on four
continents.

First customer: Recyclable handlebars for the Advanced Reco bike

igus has
now completed its first customer project with bicycle manufacturer Advanced, a
pioneer in successfully launching a next-generation e-bike on the market. The
“Reco” bike’s key component is the frame, so-called because it is made of
plastic and is 100% recyclable. To support Advanced’s low carbon approach, the
Reco bike now also uses a handlebar developed by igus. It is manufactured from
high-performance polymers in a special manufacturing process, and its strength
and stability is equivalent to an aluminum handlebar, but its production
requires significantly less energy and takes place locally at igus in Cologne.
The handlebars are also 100% recyclable.

Thanks to
injection molding, it is made of a single piece, with no annoying seams.
“We have developed this manufacturing process for such bent parts with
high stability and cavities from scratch. As a result, we are free to choose
plastics, we can choose different colors and even create holes for cables on
the inside,” explains Matthew Aldridge.

Recycled plastic bicycle is a “live test laboratory” for
bike industry

The
development of the mostly-plastic igus:bike (the wheels and select components
are 100% plastic, but some components are not), which was first launched at the
Hannover Messe 2022, is progressing well in cooperation with co-developer mtrl
from the Netherlands. The ambition is an all-plastic bike, with a frame and
wheels made from post-consumer waste such as shampoo bottles and fishing nets,
recovered from the oceans. All wear resistant parts of the bicycle are made of
the durable tribo-polymers from igus. The goal is a rust-free, lubrication-free
and maintenance-free wheel that can be completely recycled. igus describes the
project as a “live test laboratory for the bicycle industry”.

The first
bikes are scheduled to be launched in Cologne at the beginning of September
2023. “Everything we learn and successfully implement for the igus:bike,
we make available to bike OEMs as catalog products or custom-made
products,” says Aldridge. Part of this project is the igus:bike platform, an
online forum that encourages further partnerships, ideas and knowledge
exchange. The aim of igus’s platform is to promote know-how about plastics in
the bicycle industry and to further develop the concept together with many
other manufacturers in order to promote the circular economy for plastics – in
bikes and other products – worldwide.