igus presents recycled plastic e-bike

According to the environmental organization WWF, around a third of the world's plastic waste in the oceans consists of fishing gear such as nets and ropes. To reduce this, igus is working with a Belgian partner on the production of the igus:bike. They collect discarded nets from fishing boats near the coast, clean them and process them into a plastic powder. "Our materials scientists have managed to ensure that 50 percent of the plastic for bicycle frames can be made of this recycled material," says Spence. For production, igus uses a special process to produce seamless and tough hollow components, refining it to such an extent that a higher stiffness of the frame is now possible. “This allowed us to reduce the wall thicknesses and make the frame design much slimmer."

Components such as the chain, seat post, spokes and welds on a traditional frame would rust, resulting in cyclists having to clean and maintain them regularly or even replace them completely. With high-quality bicycles or e-bikes, this can soon become too costly. "The igus:bike, on the other hand, is almost maintenance-free," emphasises Spence. This tried and tested model can withstand rain without corroding and does not require any maintenance at the bearing points thanks to igus lubrication-free plain bearings.