Check out this Canyon 3D-printed Bike Prototype

Photos courtesy of BIKE Magazin

Kicking off its “Ride Green” campaign earlier this year, Germany’s BIKE Magazin asked bicycle manufacturers, “Can we build a sustainable bike?” Canyon and several component manufacturers answered the call with the goal of creating a cradle-to-cradle mountain bike. Cradle-to-cradle means that the bike and all its components must be fully recyclable and all materials must be reusable for the same purpose without compromising quality. This was a big ask, but the result looks quite promising.

Canyon engineer Johannes Thumm went to work designing the frame, which had the most potential for a high carbon footprint of any of the components. Canyon decided to use 3D printing, which would enable regional production if and when the bike goes to market, eliminating overseas shipping. It would also shorten lead times and allow a high level of customization at a relatively low price.

The frame was 3D printed by Materialize in Bremen, Germany, using a selective laser melting method. The process uses a laser that welds aluminum powder into hard metal with pinpoint accuracy. The end result is a two-kilogram frame with tubing wall thicknesses of just 0.6 millimeters in some places.

According to Canyon and BIKE, “The traditional bicycle design was a completely rethought and optimized for the most efficient use of materials. since the frame consists of a skeleton (load-bearing structure) and a shell (protection and surface property), only the shell can be renewed in a two-stage recycling process if the inner structure is intact.”

Find more about the Canyon 3D-printed bike over at Bike-Magazin.de.

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