Cargo e-bike ensures a unique riding experience

Profile

What was needed: Plain bearings for the tilting technology that do not require additional lubricants.
Requirements: Wear resistance, low coefficient of friction, freedom from lubrication and maintenance, insensitive to rain, dirt and salt
Application area: Bicycle industry

GLEAM, an Austrian start-up, is revolutionising mobility with its multi-use bikes. The cargo e-bike's dynamic tilting technology keeps the load balanced even when the bike is negotiating traffic obstacles. Various superstructures can be placed on the bike's cargo area. This enables a craftsman to transport his tools and materials during the day and take his children for a ride after work.

GLEAM's "Escape" cargo e-bike with transport box on the cargo area (Source: GLEAM)

Problem

98% of all GLEAM customers are B2B customers. They include craftsmen and delivery services, who depend on a functioning means of transport. Therefore, it was particularly important for GLEAM to offer a robust, reliable vehicle. The bikes are in use eight to twelve hours a day and travel up to 40,000 kilometres a year. That's why the bike had to be designed to be relatively low-maintenance, like a car.

Solution

iglidur plain bearings are ideally suited for this area of application. Their special composition makes them extremely wear-resistant, resilient and self-lubricating. Their service life can also be precisely determined. The free online tool iglidur expert system 3.0 is used for this purpose, and anyone can determine the service life for their application with it. The plain bearings contain, among other things, solid lubricants that are released in tiny amounts and thus reduce friction. This is enough to lubricate the bearing point and eliminate the need for its maintenance."

"The fact that iglidur plain bearings require neither lubrication nor maintenance makes them ideal for our cargo e-bikes. They work reliably even in rain, dirt and salt without having to be lubricated," says

Mario Eibl, Founder of GLEAM

Patrick Kepler of igus Austria Technical Sales, Alexander Welcker, igus Bicycle Industry Manager, and GLEAM founder Mario Eibl with the GLEAM cargo e-bike

Demonstration of the Unique Dynamic Tilting Technology (DTT), which ensures an extraordinary riding experience and keeps the cargo area balanced (Source: GLEAM)

Patented tilting technology for a comfortable ride

The special GLEAM cargo e-bike riding experience comes from the patented tilting technology and suspension. Seven years went into developing the core cargo e-bike technology: the Unique Dynamic Tilting Technology (DTT), as it is called, ensures a riding experience comparable to that of a normal bicycle. As with a normal bike, the rider can lean into the curve, and the DTT returns him to an upright position. DTT makes obstacles on the street easy to overcome. When you park the bike, the tilting technology can be disabled with a lock, and the bike rests upright. The cargo e-bike's full suspension makes sure the load in the cargo area stays horizontal and protected, even on cobblestones or when one of the two rear wheels goes up over the kerb. The DTT easily compensates for such bumps. "We use iglidur plain bearings in the DTT, the locking mechanism and the suspension. The plain bearings are durable and dampen vibrations. This is ideal for our cargo bikes," says Eibl.

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