POLYhedric Life

More and more people are becoming passionate about outdoor sports like running, hiking, canoeing, rock climbing and biking. Surprisingly many of these outdoor activities have much to do with polyurethane. We have already discovered how important polyurethane is for runners in our previous article. Check it out here if you missed it! But most incredibly polyurethane gains even more importance when we talk about bikes.

Just keep reading to find out more!

Meet Our Team

When we think about Mattia, one of the members of our Technical Office, we think also about his greatest passion: riding his mountain bike. In Ekosystem Mattia is part of our Technical Office: as such, he develops and studies the most suitable technical solutions for the specific needs of our customers. During his free time, he enjoys a good bicycle ride with his friends on his mountain bike. Polyurethane has of course much to do with his work life but also with his favourite free time activity. Keep reading to find out how this connection is possible!

Polyurethane and Outdoor Sports

We know that polyurethane is one of the most versatile materials available on the market becuase of its great mechanical properties. In the sports field, polyurethane is particularly used in many different applications, for example for the production of shoe soles, rubber wheels for roller blades, bike saddles, rugby post protectors, motorcycle helmets, mats…even climbing holds!

Polyurethane in Bikes

Even if we do not notice it, polyurethane is also a material of choice for bike manufacturers. The use of this material contributes to make cyclists’ rides more comfortable and safer. Just think about bicycle seats…long-distance road cyclists, mountain bikers, and even occasional riders know how important it is to have a comfortable seating while running the bike. A comfortable and suitable saddle is fundamental to enjoy the ride and avoid future back pain or worse damages. Polyurethane in this case plays a key role thanks to its properties. Most cycling manufacturers employ this material in the padding of their bicycle seats because it helps improve stability for the rider and contributes to the absorption of vibrations from the road. Polyurethane is also really durable, so it can resist properly to recurring motion and repetitive use.

Polyurethane is not to be found only in bike seats…actually it can also be found in other parts of the bike, even in tire inner tubes! Since polyurethane is particularly resistant to wear and abrasion, many bicycle manufacturers have started preferring polyurethane inner tubes instead of the standard rubber tubes. Both materials grant more or less the same level of performance but polyurethane is much more resistant and lighter.

In the field of bike manufacturing, technology is continuously evolving as manufacturers always look for new solutions to make bicycles more comfortable and performing, and to grant the highest level of protection and safety to the cyclists. This is for example the case of helmets, which constitute the most important accessory for any cyclist. Most helmets have a similar structure: an outer shell made of hard plastic and an inner shell made of plastic too. However, many manufacturers have started to add polyurethane inserts because it can help absorb the shock in case of fall or crash.

In conclusion, the benefits of polyurethane make it once again one of the preferred materials even for a specific application like the one discussed in the article. Resistance to abrasion, absorption of vibration and impact, resistance to wear…these are only a few of the properties of polyurethane that make it the material of choice for manufacturers in the cycling industry.

Get Started With Ekosystem Today

If you are just curious about our machinery and services, explore our website and find out more about our high pressure dosing units, low pressure dosing units, complete continuous lines or discontinuous production lines, and turnkey solutions for specific polyurethane applications.

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