Bjorn Bikes – Making A Difference with Recycled Materials

Another day, another press release for an all-road bike. Today, it was from Bjorn Bikes, but they also have a message and methodology which is different, and in my opinion, important.

Cycling isn’t always as green as it promises to be. Tires and tubes with plenty of life in them get thrown in the trash. New tech and N+1 leaves perfectly good bikes sitting around collecting dust. And wasteful packaging and   boxing creates loads of garbage.

Bjorn Bikes was started because its founder, Dennis Beare, saw a lot of the same:

One more bike, one less car.

I remember seeing this message emblazoned on a huge booth at the end of a trade show.

And as I was reading it, a Bobcat came along and pushed the whole booth into a dumpster.

Although bikes are good for the environment, we must be able to do better overall.

Bjorn Bikes co-founder, Rob Beck, has worked in the cycling industry and as such is well accustomed to the waste and inefficiencies in manufacturing. When he suggested ways to do things better, he was met with push-back and indifference.

How is Bjorn Bikes Doing Things Different?

Word are one thing. Actions are something else entirely. Unfortunately, when it comes to environmentalism from corporations, we are mostly given a few paragraphs of green washing and self congratulation and that’s that.

From the start, Bjorn sought out materials for their environmental impact, or lack thereof. Carbon fiber was sidelined early on. The material is not recyclable, and useful lifetime is more limited. Steel, however, is recyclable and timeless, plus it doesn’t require paint or powder coating.

So, Bjorn went all in on a stainless steel all-road frame created from 60% recycled stainless steel. The fork is made of 70% recycled aluminum. Then they throw everything into a package made of 100% recycled cardboard only.

BJORN BIKES FRAME FEATURES

As for that frame and fork, there is clearance for up to a 700c X 45mm tire, plus dropper post routing, fitment for two water bottles, fender mounts, and of course, through axles front and rear.

BJORN BIKE GEOMETRY

More to Come

Bjorn Bikes has a few other projects, like their new recycled rubber grips and a future tire line produced from recycled bicycle tires as well. For more information on Bjorn Bikes see their website: bjornbikes.com