by Lars Hundley
Canyon Bicycles has recently joined forces with IperionX Limited to develop a sustainable titanium supply. The two companies aim to produce bicycle components using IperionX’s 100 percent recycled and low-carbon titanium, prompted by Canyon’s environmental responsibility goals. Canyon is the world’s largest direct-to-customer manufacturer of road, mountain, triathlon, urban, hybrid, and electric bikes.
Canyon has previously explored cradle-to-cradle production principles and is researching the integration of similar approaches across advanced materials and future manufacturing platforms. In collaboration with IperionX, Canyon plans to use additive manufacturing methods to create bicycle components from low-carbon, recycled titanium metal powders.
The initial agreement between Canyon and IperionX last through 2025, and involves prototyping Canyon bicycle parts, including frames, using IperionX’s 100 percent recycled titanium. If the initial prototyping proves successful, both companies intend to negotiate a larger scale production agreement.
Titanium as a frame material has a premium and desirable position for cyclists since it is both strong and lightweight, at around half the weight of steel, and also extremely corrosion resistant, removing the requirement for paint as a corrosion inhibitor. Until now, its use in bike components has been limited by its high cost compared to materials such as carbon frames.
The partnership between IperionX and Canyon highlights a growing emphasis on sustainability and innovation in the bike market. If successful, Canyon’s foray into recycled titanium bicycles could result in a lower priced, high-quality, more eco-friendly titanium bike. We can’t wait to see what the first prototypes look like, and are curious to find out how much the bikes might cost.
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