Injection moulding First-ever recyclable composite frame for advanced bikes

Related Vendors

igus GmbH

HASCO Hasenclever GmbH + Co KG

Ramada Acos

First, Igus launched the RCYL Bike, a bicycle made from recycled fishing nets. Now the company is setting the next milestone for sustainable mobility: a company first, it has developed an injection moulded bicycle frame made of recyclable composite material for the e-bike manufacturer Advanced Bikes.

It is predicted that in 2024, e-bikes will be the most popular type of bicycle purchased in the UK. This trend is partly driven by environmental concerns, as 90 percent of today’s bicycle frames are made of aluminium or carbon, produced in energy-intensive processes and end up in huge bicycle landfills at the end of their life.

To help drive the transformation to a circular economy, e-bike manufacturer Advanced Bikes is relying on Igus for their future frame production. The companies have worked together to develop a sustainable, composite material bicycle frame for use in the new Reco Urban trekking e-bike. “Advanced’s aim was to produce a frame from a composite material with 100 percent recyclable plastic using injection moulding,” says Matthew Aldridge, managing director at Igus UK. “Since we have been developing components such as plain bearings, rod ends, and gears for the bicycle industry for over 30 years, we immediately took on the challenge of supporting Advanced in the bicycle frame design and taking over development, tooling and injection moulding.”