The starting signal has been given, the igus:bike® is on a world tour. To celebrate igus’s 60th birthday, the innovative, bright orange bicycle made from recycled plastic will be travelling the world for a whole year. The aim: to familiarise industry partners, media representatives and consumers with a new form of urban mobility that combines a fun ride with sustainability. The urban bike represents many of the advantages of igus products, the “motion plastics”: it does not rust, requires no oil and is virtually maintenance-free. The ball bearings, drive and freewheel also do not need lubricating 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 of plastics can succeed.
The igus factory premises in Cologne Porz-Lind, Tuesday morning, 11a.m. The igus:bike starts its birthday tour right before igus employees and representatives of the press. For one year, the plastic bicycle will be on display on the streets of 16 countries across the globe, including Germany, Italy, the US and China. The mission: to show industrial customers, recycling partners, media representatives and consumers that plastics don’t have to end up in incineration or landfill, but can be used as a raw material to shape the mobility of tomorrow. The igus:bike visits various customer applications and partners in stages. With this worldwide tour, the motion plastics specialist is once again demonstrating its pioneering spirit, bringing igus and customer stories to life at every stage.
Turning fishing nets into bicycles
“As a company that has been manufacturing industrial components for movement from plastic for 60 years, we are committed to driving forward the transformation to a sustainable circular economy for plastic. The igus:bike is a milestone on this journey,” says igus CEO Frank Blase. “On this trip, we hope to inspire many companies and end consumers to also commit to sustainable solutions when using plastics.”
Plastic waste from landfill sites around the world could become a raw material for the igus:bike in future. igus manufactures the individual components using rotational and injection moulding – from the frame to the bearing to the drive. The material researchers have succeeded in gradually increasing the proportion of recycled plastic since the start of development to 50% – and the trend is rising. This makes it possible to process used fishing nets, shampoo bottles and other plastic waste into regranulate for the rotational-moulding machines and turn it into a valuable resource.
A fun ride combined with easy maintenance
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 particularly easy to maintain at the same time. As the bike is made almost exclusively of plastic, it is weather-resistant and corrosion-free. For example, you can hose down your bike to clean it 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 allow for low-friction dry operation without additional lubricants, which often become dirt magnets on conventional bicycles. This also eliminates the need for time-consuming relubrication and cleaning. Riding comfort is guaranteed as well as the material provides cushioning due to its damping specifications. The bicycle thus symbolises the many advantages of igus motion plastics, which everyone can experience during the world tour.