Eurobike – the leading trade show for everything to do with bicycles. Originally based at Lake Constance, it took place at the exhibition centre in Frankfurt am Main for the third time. More than 1,800 exhibitors from over 60 countries filled eight halls with bicycles, components, clothing and all kinds of useful things for cycling or bicycle construction.
The five days of Eurobike were as always split into two parts: the first three days were reserved for professional visitors, with 35,080 people attending the trade show. The weekend was open to all bike fans, with 33,090 visitors marvelling at the trade show’s innovations.
And RCYL was in the thick of it! Five days packed with interesting discussions about our products and lots of test rides. For the first time, we were present with two stands, one in Hall 8 and the other on the 150,000m² outdoor area.
The RCYL stand at the Eurobike
Cranks, pedals, plain bearings, wheel bearings, freewheels ...
As last year, our indoor stand was divided into two sections. On the one side, we showed people everything there is to know about the RCYL bike, and on the other new products from igus (the company behind RCYL).
Visitors could admire our plastic bicycles in various colours on the RCYL side – all with a 50% recycled content, of course. Those who wanted to dive deeper into the matter were able to look at parts of the frame that had been cut open, and see the inner structure and wall thickness. Internal and external components could also be scrutinised. The freewheel, wheel bearings, plain bearings in the pedals, pulleys etc. were on display.
Our Eurobike stand
As in previous years, various plain bearings, rod ends, gears and guide rails were on display on the igus side, which can be used on derailleurs of road bikes and gravel bikes, on dropper posts, brake levers, suspension forks or rear shock eyelets of MTBs and on handlebars, flaps and control bearings of cargo bikes. Fun fact: igus has been manufacturing these products for component and bicycle fabricators for over 30 years – did you know that?
After igus had already presented handlebar prototypes made of plastic last year, further developments were shown this year in addition to cranks, wheels and frame prototypes. Brand new: the first injection-moulded plastic frame from igus to be produced in series! This is used in the Advanced Reco Urban e-bike, which immediately won the Eurobike Award in the “Best e-bike” category!
The first series-produced injection-moulded bicycle frame from igus
VR for the win!
Our team on the test track
But back to RCYL. Apart from the igus prototypes on show, there was also a test station where the RCYL frame was loaded and unloaded. And, of course, the VR station had to be there, too! Let’s move on to the stand in the outdoor area. This was reserved for our plastic urban bike. Here, all visitors had the chance to experience our bike in action during a test ride. They gladly took advantage of this opportunity and talked shop with our colleagues at the stand before and afterwards.
A bike with a plastic content of over 92% offers a smoother ride than one with an aluminium or carbon frame. This has the benefit that bumps in the road are better absorbed and a suspension fork is not absolutely necessary. After the test rides, potential customers were allowed to fill in a survey in which they could give feedback on various aspects of the RCYL bike, which was very well-received.
Eurobike was a real success for us – you only get this amount of feedback and direct contact with interested people at a trade show. We returned to Cologne with plenty of inspiration and lots of new ideas. And with a lot of joyful anticipation for Eurobike 2025! See you again in Frankfurt! At this point, a big thank you to the entire team who put their heart and soul into preparing the trade show, setting up the stands and looking after them ❤
It was a blast - see you at Eurobike 2025!