From Marginal Gains to a Circular Revolution: A practical guide to creating a circular cycling economy

by Erik Bronsvoort, Matthijs Gerrits

Imagine a bike that has been made from plant-based materials or reused and recy cled parts. Imagine that the material wearing from your tyres or brake pads is biodegradable. That the lubricant washing down from your chain no longer pollutes the forest you are riding through, but provides valuable nutrients for the plants in it.

You no longer discard your old bike as if it were a piece of rubbish, but return it to the manufacturer so that parts and materials can be reused to make new bikes. Or, alternatively, you could plant your old bike in your garden for it to become part of the circle of life again.

You would be living in a world with a circular economy. A world where you ride your bike in an environment without pollution. Through forests larger than today, inhabited by ever more varied species of plants and birds. A world where CO2 emissions no longer contribute to climate change and we no longer dig up finite resources from the Earth, but use our ‘waste’ or renewable natural sources to make new products.

To make the transition from our current linear take-make-waste economy to that circular economy, marginal gains are not sufficient. To get there, we need a revolution.

This book is a practical guide to help the world of cycling make that transition.

Erik Bronsvoort is a bike nerd, engineer, entrepreneur and trailblazer. Founded Circular Cycling with Matthijs to test circular business models in the cycling industry.

Matthijs Gerrits is a bike nerd, historian and IT expert. Founded Circular Cycling with Erik to make sustainability an issue in the cycling industry.

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2020

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a pamphlet or thought-provoker than a full size book, and given it on my specialist subject one, I was interested to read it. I think five star for the premise – they really come up with some interesting ideas about making the cycling industry more circular from an economic point of view, but two stars for practicality. I just couldn’t really work out how they propose to turn their concepts into reality, at least without the support of either big cycling as it is today or becoming a disruptor in the market. O know they’d say the point of the book wasn’t to prove the model but I feel I’m left with a lot of theory and don’t know what to do with it. It did inspire me to sort out my cycling shed. So a sort of strange rating but for anyone interested in the economics of cycling I think it is a worthwhile read.

[Axel Koper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written! An overview of the possibility for a new way of working in the cycling industry. The book covers all bases by considering all stakeholders within the cycling ecosystem.
Only possible criticism: If you are already involved in circularity for some time, the explanations of basic concepts might be too lengthy for you.

[Jerry Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone in the bicycle industry or interested in the Circular Economy or Bicycles.

[applekern · Rating 4 out of 5]

The one or the other interesting piece of information :)