Small, light, clean: iglidur plain bearings in the world's first fully balance bike

Profile

• What was needed: plain bearings for various bearing points in the suspension system and the steering
• Requirements: suitable for small installation spaces, light, free from lubrication/maintenance, insensitive to dust and dirt, good damping properties, wear-resistant
• Field of application: Bicycle industry, frame construction

RePello is a small Czech family brand, which specialises in wooden vehicles for children. IN 2013, founder Jiri Marjan came up with the idea to build a lightweight, full-suspension balance bike for his daughter that would allow easy riding and protect the musculoskeletal system from strong vibrations and shocks. Together with his friend and designer Pavol Mikulas, he developed the J™ balance bike model, the first full-suspension balance bike on the market. It only weighs 3.5kg and is adjustable, so that it can "grow" at the same rate the child does between 1.5 and 4 years.

Problem

During the design process of the fully balance bike, it was necessary to work out how best to achieve a combination of high stability and low weight. The frame is made of birch plywood and painted in two layers with high-quality non-toxic paint or transparent varnish. The core element of the bike is the LVS (low-vibration system) suspension system (patent pending). For the bearing points in the individual joints of the LVS and in the steering, the developers were looking for bearings that were as light as possible, fit into the small mounting surfaces, had a long service life and worked without lubricants.

Solution

They found what they were looking for at igus. Together with shafts made of a high-strength aluminium alloy, iglidur bearings made of the material G are the perfect bearing combination for the bike. "For the joints of the front and rear wheel suspension system, we use iglidur GFM flanged bearings, and for the steering a combination of iglidur GFM and the clearance-free pre-loaded bearings JVFM, which perfectly fulfil our requirements for the minimum clearance in this joint", explains Jiri Marjan. "The great advantage of iglidur plain bearings is their resistance to wear and dust. They also have very good damping properties and are maintenance-free."