Bjorn Bikes announced a stainless steel frame made of 60% recycled stainless steel, along with a fork made of 70% recycled 7005 alloy. Meant for gravel, all-road, or commuting, the new frame has 45mm tire clearance, flat mount brakes, and a 68mm threaded bottom bracket shell. As an added bonus, they released 100% recycled rubber grips made by ODI.
Bjorn Bikes Recycled Stainless Steel Gravel Frame & Rubber Grips
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of bikes using recycled materials, and we hope the trend continues. Bjorn Bikes is in on the game with a very nice-looking stainless steel gravel frame, paired with an aluminum fork – both using 60% or more recycled materials. They also partnered with ODI to produce 100% recycled rubber grips.
The frameset retails for $1,699, with price TBD for the grips. Check out the detailed press release and story below, straight from Bjorn.
Press Release
Sept 20, 2019 – Bjorn Bikes is launching its first two products; a recycled stainless steel bike frame and recycled rubber grips. Also, on the horizon are a myriad of other products produced with an emphasis on creating the most sustainable bikes and parts possible. “Our journey has been several years in the making,” says Dennis Beare, company Founder, “and Bjorn Bikes welcomes you to join us in dreaming, creating, failing, testing, re-inventing, and producing our way towards a better future.”
WE CAN DO BETTER
One more bike, one less car. “I remember seeing this message emblazoned on a huge booth at the end of a trade show,” says Dennis Beare, Bjorn Bikes Founder. “And as I was reading it, a Bobcat came along and pushed the whole booth into a dumpster.” It was this contradiction that sparked the idea for Bjorn Bikes – “Although bikes are good for the environment, we must be able to do better overall.
“While touring many bicycle factories, brand offices, and retail stores, in my work in the bicycle industry, the amount of waste produced has always struck me,” says Bjorn Bikes Co-Founder, Rob Beck. “As I asked more questions about it and inquired about alternative methods of production and packaging I was surprised to be met with resistance or indifference. So, when Dennis showed me an engineering drawing of this bike and shared the concept of building bikes in the most sustainable way possible, not only did I want one of these bikes, but I also wanted to be part of making this idea into a great brand and a viable company.”
With the total combined years of experience the team at Bjorn Bikes has in the bike industry, they were able to put their knowledge to work in creating a frame and components that prioritize our future with a smaller overall environmental footprint. From design to shipping, they have taken into account each step of the production process and held strong to their mission statement to create the most sustainable cycling products possible.
Although the lack of a blueprint in this area has led the team to many closed doors, dubious and confused looks, and strange conversations over beers – they finally convinced the necessary people that bikes can and should be made in a more sustainable way, leading to the first production of Bjorn Bike products available for purchase.
RECYCLED STEEL FRAMES
“After researching multiple materials, stainless steel was the best fit for our goals,” explains Dennis. “It doesn’t need to be painted, lasts forever and has a great strength to weight ratio. It doesn’t lose its value or grade when it’s recycled, unlike carbon which can’t even be recycled.”
After many prototypes and hundreds of hours of testing to find the right grade of stainless steel and the best design, the final product is a frame that contains up to 60% recycled material. “We built the fork from up to 70% recycled aluminum and used hydroformed shapes to get the ride quality, aesthetics, and weight, as well as, used eco-friendly painting process to meet the requirements of our motto: Sustainability Driven Performance Focused.”
The frame geometry design uses a shorter stem combined with a longer top tube and high volume 700c tires. This result has the same reach as a conventional frame but with more stability from the slacker headtube angle. This bike can be built up as a fast commuter, a fun Sunday city ripper, a gravel machine, or an ultra-reliable adventure bike. It is designed to handle harsh road conditions such as gravel, potholes, and uneven pavement, and the result is a bike that can take on just about anything.
Each frame is just a starting place where riders can then build up the right style to fit their needs and personalities. It allows you to link your backyard community trails with pavement in comfort for your commute, training ride, or booze cruise.
LESS PACKAGING, SMALLER FOOTPRINT
The amount of plastic and polystyrene waste from just one bike can be shocking, with 19.8 million bikes sold each year in North America alone, the amount becomes staggering. This made the choice for Bjorn Bikes to package their frames using only recycled cardboard an easy one.
Additionally, Bjorn Bikes is committed to being carbon neutral. Another practice the company has implemented is the purchase of carbon offsets to cover their manufacturing and shipping emissions. The funds contribute to CO2 recapture and landfill methane capture projects. “It’s a small number for now,” says Rob, “but we hope to set an example for others to follow. It’s a really easy thing to do and it funds projects that are having a positive impact.”
RECYCLED RUBBER GRIPS
“When we decided we wanted to make a recycled rubber grip ODI was the obvious choice,” says Rob. “They have a history of environmental responsibility, they make the best grips on the market and they are produced in the USA. Having the expertise and enthusiasm of ODI and to partner with them on this project is an honour. They have been a key partner in ensuring we produce the highest quality, long-lasting comfortable product that also meets our sustainability requirements.”
The Bjorn Bikes designed grips made by ODI will be made with recycled rubber and feature offset centers to add extra comfort on contact points, sectional texture on the top and bottom to add grip, and will be 140mm long and 31mm thick.
JUST THE BEGINNING
Currently in the works is a passion project – recycled rubber tires. “We have also been developing and testing a range of recycled rubber tires with promising results,” says Dennis. “This hasn’t been an easy project and we discovered that there is much more to developing a recycled eco-friendly tire than we had first thought – even getting factories to agree to pursue this concept was challenging. But the recycled tire project is getting closer and from the development and testing we’ve done, we’ve proven this concept is possible. We can’t wait to share more about it.”
