A used bike just got a new meaning because it’s really a new bike that’s made almost
entirely from recycled plastic waste like fishing nets, shampoo bottles, and water bottles.
Igus [8.0 /K22] is showing its evolving Igus:bike to showcase its platform for plastic bicycle parts that’s
intended as a tool for OEM partners. The bike is result of a partnership between Igus and
recycled bike manufacturer mtrl (formerly Dutchfiets).
Igus, which has been around since 1964 as a supplier of technical polymer components, joined
the bike sector 30 years ago after speaking with bike retailers in Jacksonville, Florida. Due to
the humidity in Florida, metal parts rusted quickly. The company made a name for itself in
motion plastics, like high flex cables and ball bearings, which made it a natural – if not obvious –
fit for bike parts. Developers at Igus engineered rust-proof plastic bushings and parts to solve
the problem of rusted bike parts.
Building upon its success with plastic parts, Igus launched a platform to offer OEM
manufacturers the opportunity to develop and manufacture wear-resistant bicycle components
made of high-performance plastics in collaboration with Igus. The platform is intended to
become a contact point for bicycle manufacturers around the world, where the status and
progress of all components is continuously shown. The vision behind the platform is to provide a
point of contact that effectively helps manufacturers design parts for their own models. In fact,
Advanced [12.0 / A06] has partnered with Igus to produce handlebars for some of its models.
Components range from frames, wheels, handlebars, cranks, and even wheel bearings and
pulleys.
In addition to its platform, Igus is highlighting the current status of its urban bike: the igus:bike.
Igus has partnered with mtrl to help the Dutch company reduce the number of unsustainable
metal parts that are used on its bikes. The other benefit is a reduced development time for a mtrl
bike. Whereas in the past it took 13 months from order to ownership of a mtrl bicycle, due to
supply chain lags, Igus has determined to bring that development time down by manufacturing
parts locally.
“We can be an OEM supplier for any bike or parts and reduce the development by a factor of 10
to 20,” said Frank Blase, owner and CEO of Igus, “because we can do everything, from design,
engineering, testing, and manufacturing, in-house.”
So far Igus, along with partners like mtrl and Advanced, has explored and demonstrated the
infinite possibilities of plastics in the bicycle industry and to realize new visions. The Igus bike is
made from up to 90 percent recycled plastic waste and claims to be completely lubrication and
maintenance-free. The bike will be an urban bike intended to offer an alternative to urban
mobility, it is in no way meant to replace mountain bikes or road bikes. Although it is not an
ebike, Igus is working on an electrified version. However, it’s still uncertain when this will come
to the market. Igus expects the finished bike to weigh 17 kilograms and cost 1200€.