Plastic RCYL bike rides the road to sustainability

Back in 2022, the strange-looking prototype igus:bike rolled into the spotlight boasting an angular frame, funky wheels and even bearings made using recycled plastic. Now the newly-named RCYL bike is riding into production.

The idea for the chunky plastic two-wheeler came to the CEO of German motion plastics specialist igus, Frank Blase, during a 2009 holiday in Florida, where he noticed that rental bikes had a very limited shelf life due to constant exposure to sand, wind and salt water.

An opportune investment in Dutch startup MTRL led to a partnership to develop the concept, and prototypes began to appear in 2022. Though the frame, wheels, cranks and bearings were all plastic, at that time some components were still made of metal and the team has since been looking at ways to get more plastic cooked in.

igus

All of the plastic components are produced via rotational and injection molding, including new additions like a plastic seatpost and brake levers. The newly renamed RCYL bike is now made up of 92% plastic, with half of that coming from recycled plastic waste – including discarded fishing nets.

"We are now continuing to invest in research and development to increase the recycling rate to 75% as quickly as possible, and even to 100% in the long term," said Sven Ternhardt, head of sales and marketing at igus:bike. "We are accelerating the circular economy for plastics with this high proportion of recycling. Plastic in the world’s rubbish dumps is therefore becoming an increasingly valuable resource."

Engineers have also increased the steering angle for improved cornering, added freewheel to the drivetrain, included more durable lubrication-free plastic ball bearings, and mounted a dual-leg kickstand for easier parking. There's no suspension here though, so only the Continental city tires will soak up uneven terrain. Non-plastic parts include the disc brakes, tires, belt drive, lighting, bolts and so on.

igus

A few months ago, the green light for the first production run was given and the first 100 units are currently being manufactured by MTRL ahead of ramping up to meet the pre-order demands of some 1,500 bikes. "To shorten the waiting time for the remaining orders, we are building our own production line for the bicycle at our company site in Cologne," added Ternhardt. "We intend to produce 10,000 bikes with the expanded capacities."

The initial production model weighs in at 17 kg (37.5 lb) and is priced at €1,200 (about US$1,280). It won't include a motor/battery – though igus:bike is looking into making an ebike option further down the line.

Product page: RCYL bike