Advanced E-Bike: Electric bike made of plastic granules

An e-bike made of plastic granules – sounds exciting? And it is. The Advanced e-bike is just such a sustainable electric bike. The Advanced RECO One bike with the plastic frame is only the beginning for the company. This has a lot planned for the future. What exactly this is and how good an advanced e-bike really is, you can find out in this article.

Who is Advanced?

Founded in 2011 in Frankfurt am Main, the company changed its company name in 2021. Originally, Advanced was called "E-Bike – the Original". Now the name Advanced is intended to emphasize the manufacturer's progressive orientation. Advanced is underlining its ambitious plans for the future with an investment of 13 million euros. These are in the new plant in Rieste. In the future, 100 thousand Advanced E-Bikes are to roll off the production line here every year.

Advanced is one of the few companies in the bicycle industry that focuses exclusively on the production of e-bikes. The manufacturer sees its responsibility primarily in the area of sustainability. At least that's how Leo Schlüter, Head of Communications and Customer Service, describes it. According to him, sustainability is "the core DNA of the company". A statement that was clearly expressed at the Advanced E-Bike booth at Eurobike in 2023. The latest innovations and trends in the bicycle industry were presented at the fair.

At Eurobike 2023, the focus was primarily on advanced technologies and forward-looking concepts. Basically, that's exactly what an Advanced eBike stands for. Innovations combined with sustainable ideas, as the new Advanced eBike RECO demonstrates. These attracted countless bicycle enthusiasts and e-bike fans to the Advanced booth at the popular bicycle fair.

In the course of the Eurobike, for example, Advanced presented its new generation of gravel bikes. E-bikes that are supposed to push the boundaries of off-road riding even further. This is ensured, among other things, by wider tires, more robust frames and the revolutionary Bosch SX motor.

The company and its eBikes could also be admired at CYCLINGWORLD EUROPE 2023 in Düsseldorf. A special highlight for Advanced is the award for the Advanced RECO e-bike with the CYCLINGWORLD Award in the category "Best E-Bike".

The frame of the RECO electric bike is 100 percent recyclable. For the production of the stylish city and trekking bikes, a carbon-fiber-reinforced composite material in the form of granules is used.

In this process, the granules are turned into an advanced e-bike frame within90 seconds using a special injection molding process. The company gives you a 30-year warranty for the frame of the Advanced RECO e-bike. Incidentally, this also applies to all other Advanced e-bike frames from the 2015 model year onwards.  

Plastic e-bike not new

Plastic e-bike frames are not necessarily the big novelty in 2024. The company already presented the Advanced RECO One at Eurobike in 2022. But that was only the first step. The production of plastic frames has been optimized. As a result, it saves 68 percent of harmful emissions compared to an e-bike frame made of aluminum. If the Advanced frame actually reaches the end of its service life after 30 years, it can be 100 percent recycled. By turning it back into granules, it can be turned into an e-bike or other plastic component.

Advanced continues to work intensively on producing other e-bike components from recyclable plastic in addition to the e-bike frame. This project is to be implemented together with igus – a Cologne-based manufacturer of high-performance polymers. At Eurobike 2023, igus presented a handlebar made of recyclable plastic, which is now being used by Advanced.

With the new Advanced RECO e-bike, not only the frame is made of plastic, but also the handlebars. According to Igus, the handlebar has just as much stability as its aluminium counterpart. It is produced locally in Cologne, which ensures a good eco-balance. And the manufacturer requires significantly less energy for its production than for conventional e-bike handlebars.

For whom are advanced e-bikes the right choice? Patrizia Tilly – stock.adobe.com

When is an e-bike climate-neutral?

When asked about the eco-balance of e-bikes, one thing is often ignored: the fact that the footprint of an e-bike is only really clean after a few thousand kilometers. The production of an e-bike is by no means sustainable, because the production of frames, components and batteries causes a lot of harmful emissions. On top of that, important resources are consumed.

Even today, 90 percent of bicycle frames are made of aluminum and carbon. Most of them come from energy-intensive production processes in Asia. They travel long distances to Germany. This also does not speak for climate protection. Once they have had their day, they travel just as long distances until they end up in the garbage again in Asia.

Advanced has set itself the goal of working in a more climate-friendly and resource-efficient way by making changes to its own production lines. In particular, the company wants to do without the aluminum alloy, which is responsible for about 50 percent of climate emissions in the manufacturing process. 

As an alternative to the aluminum frame, Advanced e-bikes will use a mixture of 60 percent polyamide and 40 percent carbon recycled material in the future. This comes partly from the blends of production in the automotive industry. The frame is cast by a manufacturer from Thuringia: ISOCO Plastics Technology GmbH.

Equipped with the 100 percent recyclable frame, the sophisticated low-step-through models from Advanced were first introduced. This is now available as a RECO version in the trekking and urban e-bike category in the manufacturer's online shop.

Where are Advanced e-bikes made?

In spring 2023, Advanced started production with a new plant in Niedersachsenpark between Rieste and Neuenkirchen-Vörden. The production facility is designed for the production of up to 100,000 "real" Made in Germany e-bikes per year. Advanced not only keeps an eye on the energy balance of the e-bikes. The energy concept of the production is also designed for sustainability.

In conjunction with a hydrogen storage system, the manufacturer wants to cover the company's energy requirements with electricity from its own production (solar and wind energy) by 2025. The company's declared goal is to be the first climate-neutral e-bike brand by 2025.

For whom is the Advanced Plastic E-Bike the right choice?

The advanced plastic e-bike is ideal for eco-conscious e-bike enthusiasts who are interested in modern technologies and sustainable mobility. With its innovative design and advanced features, it appeals in particular to cyclists with high demands on quality and performance.

The German production and the use of recyclable plastic make the Advanced e-bike stand out from many conventional e-bike models. With its urban frame and advanced e-bike technologies, it offers a unique combination of style and functionality.

Advanced e-bikes are suitable for both daily use and longer tours. The Advance RECO e-bike is equipped with powerful motors and reliable batteries. This ensures impressive ranges and a comfortable ride.

With the Advanced E-Bike RECO, the Advanced Technologies GmbH brand has created a convincing e-bike model. The company's 30 years of experience in the field of electric bicycles is evident in every detail of the Advanced e-bike. With a variety of models and equipment options, the Advanced Plastic E-Bike is a versatile electric bike that absolutely caters to the needs of various e-bike fans.

Are you looking for an e-bike that is not only environmentally friendly, but also technologically advanced? Then the Advanced E-Bike is the perfect companion for your sustainable mobility.

These are the innovative features of the Advanced E-Bikes. Luciano – stock.adobe.com

The innovative features of the Advanced RECO e-bikes

The Advanced RECO e-bikes impress with a variety of innovative features. 

• Take, for example, the lightweight Bosch motors and the associated high-performance batteries. With this equipment, an advanced e-bike offers excellent performance and an impressive range.
• The frame of the Advanced e-bike is not only stable and robust, but also fully recyclable, making the company a pioneer in sustainability.
• In addition to the innovative injection-molded frame, the Advance e-bikes made of plastic score with comfortable tires and ergonomic handlebars. This promises a comfortable riding position and a safe riding experience on all surfaces.
• The selection of different accessories allows customers to individually adapt and optimize their e-bike. In addition, there are job bike and fleet solutions in the manufacturer's online shop.

With its strong focus on design and sustainability, Advanced is setting new standards in the e-bike industry.

E-Bike Advanced 

The company produces e-bikes with and without RECO frames. All Advanced bikes are equipped with high-quality components. These include the light and powerful Bosch motors from the Performance Line as well as the gears from Enviolo and Shimano.

We would like to introduce you to a small selection of the Advance e-bikes. You can currently find the RECO E Bike Advanced in the manufacturer's shop in the Urban and Trekking categories.

Urban RECO 

The Advanced Urban RECO is designed for the city. In addition to the recyclable frame, the Urban RECO impresses with its stylish appearance. You can equip it with either an integrated 250 or 500 watt hour (Wh) battery and the Bosch Performance SX motor. The Urban RECO with its unisex frame will take you safely from A to B.

The Bosch Purion 200 display connects you to your smartphone via app and always keeps an eye on important riding data. The Enviolo gearshift in combination with a belt drive enables buttery smooth shifting. All in all, the Urban RECO is a perfect city bike concept with low maintenance requirements including freewheel or coaster.

Trekking RECO Wave 

The Advanced Trekking RECO Wave is a new generation trekking bike. This is not only due to the 100 percent sustainable framework. The integration of innovative components and optimal motor support also ensure the modernity of this electric bike.

If you want to buy the Trekking RECO Wave from Advanced, you can choose between different components and frame sizes:

• S - XL Frame
• Belt drive or chain
• Shimano Nexus 5 or Shimano Deore 10 LG drivetrain
• Color: Deep Sea or Cloud
• 625 Wh or 750 Wh battery

The technical equipment is completed by the Bosch Kiox 300 display. Powered by the powerful Bosch Performance CX motor with 85 Newton meters (Nm), the Trekking RECO Wave has a range of up to 140 km.

In addition to the RECO Advanced e-bikes with the plastic frame, there are also respectable models from the manufacturer in the Comfort, Tour and Offroad categories. They all impress with a strong design and innovative features. In our opinion, it's definitely worth taking a look at the shop, as the Tour-Pro e-bike proves.

Advanced Tour Pro

Even though the Advanced Tour Pro doesn't have the RECO frame, this is a modern touring bike with excellent features.  

The Enviolo TR Automatic alone with its smooth and almost silent shifting makes bikers' hearts beat faster. In addition, there are beautiful colors such as Blushed Pink, Fresh Blue or Chrushed Berry, which you can choose when buying. The following components are also available for configuration:

• Chain or belt drive
• 500, 625 or 750 Wh battery from Bosch 
• Shimano Deore 10 LG, Enviolo TR Auto Gates or Enviolo TR
• Freewheel, resignation
• Frame size S to XL

With a successful mix of aesthetics and technology, the smart e-bike accompanies you on your tours through city and country. On the Kiox 300 you have everything at a glance and can track riding and fitness data via app.

The powerful Bosch Performance motor with a maximum torque of 75 Nm ensures appropriate agility. A battery integratedas part of the system provides ranges of over 100 kilometres. So nothing stands in the way of your extensive e-bike tours.

Advanced wants to continue to develop values in the future

For 2024, the company has set itself the goal of going full throttle and continuing to drive the mobility turnaround. The series production of the Urban RECO is only part of the way. Like RECO, whose name is made up of "Re" for recycling and "Co" for composite, the company wants to become the most sustainable manufacturer in the bicycle industry. A strong goal.

Advanced E-Bike wants to make a difference and obviously thinks a lot about sustainability. In addition to the innovative recyclable RECO frame, the company relies on Made in Germany as well as sustainabledelivery and production processes.  

The company believes that real progress must focus on the needs of people and the planet. Innovation must not be at the expense of the environment. To ensure this, Advanced meticulously pursues the idea of the circular economy.

Are you curious and would like to test the RECO? At Advanced in the online shop, you can configure and order the bike with a plastic frame. This will be delivered within a few days according to your desired configuration via the specialist retailer.