Bicycles

Your old pop cans could end up in your new ReCycle

Your old pop cans could end up in your new ReCycle
The ReCycle Mudmaste
The ReCycle Mudmaste
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ReCycle bicycles are made from recycled aluminum, and have several distinctive design features
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ReCycle bicycles are made from recycled aluminum, and have several distinctive design features
The fixed-gear ReCycle Moshi Moshi
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The fixed-gear ReCycle Moshi Moshi
Two of the three ReCycle models feature a NuVinci N360 sealed hub transmission
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Two of the three ReCycle models feature a NuVinci N360 sealed hub transmission
The ReCycle mBula cruiser
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The ReCycle mBula cruiser
Two of the three ReCycle models feature a belt drive instead of a chain
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Two of the three ReCycle models feature a belt drive instead of a chain
The purely aesthetic ReCycle rear drop-out hole
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The purely aesthetic ReCycle rear drop-out hole
Each of the three ReCycle models have distinctive fork designs
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Each of the three ReCycle models have distinctive fork designs
The ReCycle Mudmaste
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The ReCycle Mudmaste
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Some readers may recall our recent article on the Rizoma bicycle. Along with its carbon fiber build and almost US$5,000 price tag, one of its more striking features is the lack of a seat tube – the part of the frame that runs from the seatpost down to the bottom bracket. Well, if you want to save quite a few bucks, you may soon be able to get that same sort of frame made from recycled aluminum, on the decidedly quirky ReCycle line of city bikes.

According to Bryce Edmonds, the Los Angeles-based ReCycle creator, the seat tube simply isn’t needed – he says that bicycles are built with them simply because it’s easier and cheaper to do so. Along with the missing seat tube, other intentional oddities on the prototype ReCycles include fork designs that are unique to each of the three models, a bottom bracket located above the point where the down tube and chainstays meet, and a big ol’ non-functional hole adjacent to each of the rear drop-outs.

On the more practical side, two of the models also feature a grease- and maintenance-free belt drive instead of a chain, and a continuously-variable NuVinci N360 sealed hub transmission.

The ReCycle mBula cruiser
The ReCycle mBula cruiser

Edmonds told us that while the frames of the current prototypes are made from about 85 percent recycled aluminum, he’s aiming at 100 percent for the commercial versions. On another eco-conscious note, the saddles and grips are also made from sustainably-grown cork.

The bikes range in weight from 17 to 25 pounds (7.7 to 11.3 kg), and should be priced between US$2,000 and $2,500. Bryce and his team are currently raising funds on Kickstarter, to finance an initial run of 150 ReCycles – 50 of each model.

“My lifestyle has been heavily geared toward sustainability for a long time, and I've probably logged more miles on my bikes in the past 20 years than on my cars,” he told us. “When this idea struck me, it immediately seemed like such a perfect marriage of responsible resource use and forward-thinking design in what is the most environmentally conscious transportation choice available – not to mention just plain fun.”

The bikes can be seen in use in his pitch video below.

Source: ReCycle

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4 comments
4 comments
Rt1583
I'm all for sustainability but how much of the price tag is due to having the "green" badge honor stuck on it?
The way I see it, recycled aluminum products should by default cost less than the same thing made of virgin aluminum but somehow that doesn't seem to be the case.
Bryce Edmonds
Rt1583, I wish it was true that recycled cost less, but it doesn't. Yet. In this case, the real cost comes from the almost entirely Made in the USA model we're going for with our line. That does cost--but the quality is arguably worth it.
Miguel Barroso
The lack of the seat-post tube, makes me wonder about the structural integrity in the long run... the stress on the head tube solderings and on the stays will be enormous...
paulm
"the seat tube simply isn’t needed – he says that bicycles are built with them simply because it’s easier and cheaper to do so"
Which school of engineering did he study at?!!!!!
No, they're not needed if a suitable monocoque frame can distribute the load elsewhere. But using metal tubes, it is by far the most efficient way. The only way to get the strength to cope is to beef up the other parts of the frame making it over-weight, costly and ugly.