Lubrication-free bike made from recycled plastic has been on the road for seven months and is covering more mileage

After the start in Germany and successful stops in Asia, the igus:bike world tour is now continuing its journey in Europe. The launch in Spain marks the start of a new stage in the global mission: to raise awareness of a functioning circular economy for plastics. The aim of this world tour, which will also include the USA and Brazil after Europe, is to drive 6,000km without any lubricants, maintenance or rust.

Since the start of the tour in October 2024 on the igus factory premises in Cologne, the igus:bike has already travelled through several countries. It has mastered the skyline of Singapore, including tropical rain showers, roamed the lively streets of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, passed through Taiwan’s picturesque landscapes and experienced the impressive temples of India. In South Korea, the bike rolled through futuristic cityscapes, and in Japan it encountered the perfect symbiosis of tradition and technology. After travelling over the Great Wall of China, Europe is the next stop. After Spain, the bike will go to Portugal, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands. The igus:bike is touring the globe in several stages, visiting a wide variety of customer applications and partners – from crane systems with robust energy chains to food manufacturers that rely on lubrication-free linear technology. The numerous customer applications show how motion plastics products provide durable, maintenance-free and sustainable solutions in a wide range of industries.

A mission for the circular economy

The bike itself symbolises the many advantages of motion plastics: it is lightweight, corrosion-free, quiet and requires no lubricants. As a rolling flagship for these technologies, it brings the innovative power of igus to life at every stage. With this worldwide tour, the motion plastics specialist is emphasising its pioneering spirit and bringing inspiring igus and customer stories directly to the people. It is available as a series product under the name RCYL bike. It consists largely of recycled plastic, including old fishing nets, and shows that plastic waste does not have to end up in landfill or incineration. Instead, it can serve as a valuable raw material for long-lasting products.

Take part and follow

You can follow all stages, events and impressions of the tour on the website https://www.igus.eu/blog. Anyone interested is warmly invited to experience the igus:bike live, ride along or find out more about the technology behind it. Here is a short review of the tour through Germany and Asia: https://youtu.be/pn2CrteHSKE