Press Release

Bjorn Bikes Releases Recycled Grips 1

Bjorn Bikes has figured out a way to make new grips with leftovers from the regular grip manufacturing process.

Squamish, British Columbia (May 20, 2020) - In partnership with ODI Grips - the world leader in grip technology, Bjorn Bikes is excited to announce a new item in their line of sustainably produced cycling products; recycled grips. The grips will be produced by recycling leftover thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) - the flexible, rubber-like materials used to make bicycle grips - from the injected moulding process, as well as other grips that didn’t pass QC testing. 

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The challenge in producing recycle grips was finding a factory that would be willing to recycle discarded TPEs in-house. “You can’t just walk into any manufacturer and ask them to change their production process,” explains Dennis Beare, Bjorn Bikes Founder. 

Finally, the team approached ODI Grips - the world leader in grip technology - and they immediately came on-board with the idea. “They suggested that we could use their post-industrial TPE material from all their other grips to make our grips at their headquarters in the USA,” says Dennis. This means that any leftover bits created during the process of making ODI’s performance grips will be melted back down and used to make 100% recycled ones.

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“We are excited about the opportunity to assist Bjorn in their mission to make bicycle products more sustainable,” says ODI Grips Brand Manager, Colby Young. “The state of our environment and the long term viability of our industry are inextricably entwined and as such we see the need to take an active role in finding pathways to reducing waste at all levels. ODI has been actively looking for ways to expand our existing programs in this area so when we were approached by Bjorn and found out about their sustainability efforts and how they were targeting the bicycling industry in particular, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with them on this mission.” 

These grips are designed specifically to work with the unique properties of the recycled material. 

The recycled TPE is less malleable than its original form and therefore these grips are designed specifically to work with the recycled material properties. An important part of the production process is sorting the available grades of material to ensure that the recycled grips feel consistent and comparable to non-recycled grips. 

These durable and versatile grips will feature offset centers to add extra comfort on contact points, sectional texture on the top and bottom for excellent traction and thumb chamfers for increased ergonomics. "We wanted to produce a great all-round grip that will suit anyone that wants the option to run a sustainable product.” These 130mm long and 31mm thick grips are offered in single lock-on options for easy installation and are included in the company’s carbon offset program. 

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These grips are just the next in the long line of recycled and sustainable products that Bjorn Bikes plans to produce. “The inspiration has always been to produce cycling components in the most ethical way possible. And give cyclists the option to purchase sustainable cycling products,” says Dennis. 

“When we were approached by Bjorn we were impressed with the bold scope of how they intended to use as much recycled materials as possible in their manufacturing processes,” says Colby. “We were also very intrigued with their creative use of scrap materials from the bicycling industry in particular.  Based on these two factors we felt that their objectives lined up perfectly with our internal efforts and are eager to get this new line of products to the marketplace. It is our hope that this project will prove the viability of sustainably sourced materials and push more companies to make this a part of their ongoing operations.”

Bjorn Bikes is currently working on a recycling program for their grips. They hope to offer this feature in the near future.

Website: bjornbikes.com

Instagram: @bjornbikes

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