https://www.re-cycle-on.fr
Tires are today problematic "waste" that are often, in the best case, incinerated after being taken to the recycling center...

There are in France some solutions for the recycling and recovery of motor vehicle tires, but bicycle tires are unfortunately overlooked: no structure offers a second life or recycling for this increasingly common waste.

That’s why I created in 2015 https://www.re-cycle-on.fr, a sole proprietorship through which I manufacture and sell various items made from "waste" from the cycling world:
• https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/ceintures/, https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/porte-bouteilles/, https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/poignees-de-transport/, https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/bracelets-en-pneu/, https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/porte-cles-de-ceinture-en-pneus-de-velo/, https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/colliers-pour-chiens-en-pneu/, https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/sangle-en-pneu-sur-mesure/ and https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/organiseur-de-cables-en-pneu-de-velo/ made from bike tires,
• https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/porte-cles-galets-de-derailleurs/ and https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/porte-cles-en-chapes-de-derailleurs/,
• https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/boucles-doreilles-chaine-velo/, https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/decorations-de-noel/ and https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/porte-cles-chaine-velo/ made from bike chains,
• https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/porte-cles-valve-presta-adaptateur-schrader/ from inner tubes,
• https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/elastiques-en-chambre-a-air/,
• https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/produit/mousqueton-en-rayon-de-velo/ from wheels
• ...

I sell via https://www.re-cycle-on.fr, https://www.etsy.com/fr/shop/ReCycleOn (which allows me to reach many customers abroad as well) and at numerous fairs/exhibitions/creator markets.

I work as an employee at a small bicycle shop in Strasbourg (sales and repair of bikes) three-quarter time to ensure a minimum income necessary for my survival (and because I love this job and feel useful in it) and I devote the rest of my free time to my business.
I chose to work part-time to have time to work at home, in my workshop, combining my passion with the ecological urgency that has moved me since childhood.
I have always liked tinkering, making and working with my hands, and I wanted to combine this with something meaningful that could help the world a little.
It was when I started repairing bikes seven years ago and discovered the amount of waste generated by this practice—which until then had seemed quite green to me—that I began to think about what to do with the many tires thrown away every day.
That’s how my first bicycle-tire belt was born (not very glorious: it was assembled with bolts, an old wooden curtain ring and a piece of wire served as the buckle ^^")!
Since then I have of course improved my belt-making technique to achieve the most aesthetic, strong and durable result possible, imagined other uses than belts to transform old tires, and realized some of the many ideas I had by making more and more different objects from old bike parts.

Although today I have extended my waste recovery activity to almost all parts of a bicycle, the first material I began working with is the tire, and it is still the one I prefer to transform thanks to upcycling (or "surcyclage" in French: the action of transforming a "waste" into a new object with a different function than that of the original item).

I am on my 763rd belt and have cut and transformed over 1,000 tires into a new object — unique, useful, robust and original =D
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/ceintures/
The tire is a very strong, flexible, aesthetic and above all unique material, since each tire—beyond the different models with different treads/colors—wears differently and therefore has a different history.

But it is also a material that is difficult to work with!
Making a tire belt from A to Z takes me about 4 hours:
• collection and sorting of used tires,
• cutting out the metal beads (the only part not used and therefore discarded),
• hand washing (with a brush and white soap),
• machine washing,
• cutting/separating the tread and the sidewalls,
• re-cutting the sidewalls to obtain straight, clean strips (which I will use to make belt loops and bracelets),
• re-cutting the tread to obtain a straight, clean strip,
• bevel-cutting the edges of this strip for a pleasant touch,
• fitting the buckle,
• making and fitting the belt loop,
• measuring, marking and punching the holes,
• installing the eyelets.

(you will find more photos of the manufacturing steps at https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/fabrication/)

Over time I have equipped myself with various tools, mainly tools used by leather craftsmen: an arbor press with its many punches for making holes and setting rivets and eyelets, professional scissors and cutters…
But cutting tires with scissors is no easy task: tires are curved and much stiffer than leather, which already complicates handling and cutting; moreover a tire consists of a woven carcass (one or more very tightly woven layers), rubber of varying thickness and hardness, and often kevlar or other puncture-resistant reinforcement. All this, besides prematurely wearing out my scissors (which I have sharpened once a month), unfortunately also wears out my hands...

I am now 31 and have been cutting tires for almost 7 years, and recurring paralysis and pain in my hands led me to consult doctors and physiotherapists who told me that the constrained and repetitive motion of cutting tires with scissors has triggered early osteoarthritis in both my hands (the left hand is also heavily used to keep the tire flat while my right hand cuts).
I have always tried to limit this tire-cutting activity—which is clearly the most physically demanding among my manufacturing processes—to 6 to 8 tires per day (my hands refusing to do more anyway...), but today I can hardly cut 3 tires without pain.

As you can guess, my job is my passion, and I have no desire to stop doing it! So, somewhat anxiously, I have been looking for another cutting solution for several months.
And with joy I finally discovered the band-cutting machines used by some cobblers which allow cutting strips of different widths with little effort using a simple hand crank.

These machines are primarily made for leather; not all are compatible with cutting bicycle tires, and after long research I found the rare pearl: a strip-cutting machine that can also cut tires.

The company selling them gave me a quote: 3 109 € TTC.

Honestly, this is an amount I do not have (and to be completely frank, it is almost my annual turnover...).

So it is with a mix of embarrassment and hope that I turn to you today to ask for help through this fundraiser.

The goal is to raise as much as possible through your donations to buy this cutting machine and thus continue to give a second life to these bike tires saved from incineration (and, if possible, increase the rate and upcycle even more tires).

The target of 3000 € is only indicative, and if it is not fully reached, the money raised will of course finance part of the machine and I will save until I manage to obtain the remaining sum needed.

It is a lot of money (for me at least), but it is a lifelong investment.
The machine has replaceable blades and is completely manual, which makes it easily repairable if needed.

Help me continue to spend my life upcycling as many bike tires as possible by transforming them into various objects:
• Carrying handles to easily carry your bike:
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/poignees-de-transport/

• Wall-mounted bottle holders to combine pleasure and utility:
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/porte-bouteilles/

• Keyrings so you never lose your keys again:
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/porte-cles/

• Bracelets for a unique and original style:
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/bracelets-en-pneu/

• Eyeglass cases to protect your precious glasses:


• Coin purses and card holders to protect your money from punctures:


• Watch straps to always be on time (or almost!):
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/bracelets-de-montre/
• Cable organizers to avoid tangles:
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/rangements-cables-ecouteurs/
• Dog collars to share your bike passion with your four-legged companions:
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/pour-les-chiens/
• Toe-strap belts to never slip off your pedals:
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/courroies-de-cale-pieds/
• And of course belts, so you don't accidentally expose your underwear!
https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/ceintures/

https://www.re-cycle-on.fr/categorie-produit/ceintures/