In cycling country the Netherlands, we scrap one million bicycles every year. Not so at Amsterdam-based Roetz. The brand reuses bicycle frames by manually building new design bikes from them. The retro look is immediately explained. Roetz makes three types of vintage design bikes: e-bikes whose battery cannot be seen, city bikes and so-called 'vigours': agile and fast bikes for those in a hurry. The Roetz Life deserves special attention. This is an e-bike, also available on business lease, with a modular and adaptable design. Replacing, adding a component, having it repaired or upgraded is quickly done. So you enjoy your circular bike for life.

'From an old bicycle frame you can easily make a new one': with that idea, Tiemen ter Hoeven started Roetz in 2011. He believes that no product has only one life cycle. A bicycle is not a linear but a circular product, according to Roetz. Although a 100% circular bicycle is the ultimate goal, today a Roetz bicycle already consists of up to 40% circular parts. Roetz collects old bicycles, cleans the parts and looks at what is still usable for a second life. All this in its own social factory in Amsterdam: most of the employees have a distance to the labour market.

The Roetz Life is a very special e-bike. The Roetz designers took three years to create it. This is because the Roetz Life is completely modular. That means you can take the parts apart like jigsaw pieces. So you can easily replace or upgrade a worn-out part. The Roetz Life should last much longer than a bike that is not modular. Another advantage: you can also easily have the Roetz Life converted into a cargo bike or a speed pedelec, for example. The Roetz Life was named 'bicycle innovation of the year' in 2023 on the basis of its circularity, but also for its connectivity. A smart monitoring system tells exactly when the Roetz Life needs repair.