The recycling bike from igus goes on a world tour
Hendrik Winter | 12. October 2024
To mark the company’s 60th anniversary, the lubrication-free and low-maintenance igus:bike will be travelling through 16 countries for 12 months, raising awareness of the topic of the ‘circular economy of plastics’. The aim: to familiarise industry partners, media representatives and customers with a new form of urban mobility that combines riding fun and sustainability. The urban bike represents many of the advantages of igus products, the ‘motion plastics’: it does not rust, does not need lubrication and is almost maintenance-free. The ball bearings, drive and freewheel also require no lubrication as they are made from high-performance plastics. At the same time, the igus:bike is an example of how the transformation to a sustainable circular economy for plastics can succeed.
For one year, the plastic bicycle will be on display on the streets of 16 countries around the world – including Germany, Italy, the USA and China. The mission: to show that plastics do not have to end up in incineration or landfill, but can help shape the mobility of tomorrow as a recycled raw material. The igus:bike will visit various customer applications and partners in stages. With this worldwide tour, the motion plastics specialist is once again demonstrating its pioneering spirit and bringing igus and customer stories to life at each stage.
Fishing nets become bicycles
‘As a company that has been manufacturing industrial components for motion made of plastic for 60 years now, we are committed to driving forward the transformation to a sustainable circular economy for plastics. The igus:bike is a milestone on this journey,’ says igus Managing Director Frank Blase. ‘We hope to inspire many companies and end consumers on this journey to also commit to sustainable solutions for handling plastics.’
Plastic waste from landfills around the world could become the raw material for the igus:bike in the future. igus manufactures the individual components using rotational moulding and injection moulding – from the frame to the bearings to the drive. The material researchers have succeeded in gradually increasing the proportion of recycled plastic added since the start of development to 50 per cent – and the trend is rising. This makes it possible to process used fishing nets, shampoo bottles and other plastic waste into recycled pellets for the rotational moulding machines and turn them into a valuable resource.
Driving fun and easy maintenance combined
On the world tour of the igus:bike, interested parties can see for themselves that a bicycle made of plastic is fun to ride and at the same time particularly easy to maintain. As the bike is made almost exclusively of plastic, it is weather-resistant and corrosion-free. For example, it is no problem to hose down the bike with a garden hose or leave it outside overnight – not only on your own doorstep, but also at campsites, harbours, festivals and company premises. In addition, the high-performance plastics enable low-friction dry running without additional lubricants, which often become dirt magnets on classic bikes. This also eliminates the need for time-consuming relubrication and cleaning. Riding comfort is also guaranteed. With its damping properties, the material also provides suspension. The bicycle thus epitomises the many advantages of igus motion plastics, which can be experienced by everyone during the world tour.
The igus:bike has already gone into series production under the name RCYL. The plastic bicycle can be ordered for around 1,243 euros on the website www.igus.bike.
