Itera-1980

Copyrighted reproduction

ITERA - 1980 (Suède)

ITERA

ITERA Swedish bike made by Volvo whose frame is made of composite material and the injected fiberglass stick rims all tinted in the mass. Equipped with a 3-speed Sturmey-Archer derailleur in the hub, including the dynamo, an anti-theft key and an XM9 Iscaselle saddle, the bike was delivered unmounted in a cardboard box. The production lasted 3 years and was a commercial failure. Bike fairly rare.

Manufacture by VOLVO of a completely plastic bike Itera, a Swedish attempt of the 1980s to modernize the bicycle by replacing plastic injection molded plastic with composite materials.

In 1978 funding was provided for this composite plastic bicycle project by a Swedish organization, the Swedish National Board for Technical Development. In 1980 a functional prototype was manufactured, and in 1981 the first models were presented to the press and to the dealers.

In 1982, the Itera bicycle models manufactured in a factory in Wilhelmina (Sweden) appeared on the market. But from the beginning the bicycle Itera had to suffer as one would say of our bad buzz. Indeed the Itera was sold in a box, to mount itself. However, many customers had to miss missing parts, or missing assembly tools. Breakage of parts was also to be deplored, as well as a certain brittleness of the bicycle according to the climate, notably the heat, not counting the mistrust of the traders of cycles before this novelty, the faults of deliveries to certain resellers. The unsold ones quickly accumulated, and despite signs that the Itera bicycle could have met with some success (1000 sold in one day for a promotion in a career race), it was too late. The Itera bicycle existed in various versions: city, touring, race ... It was available in single speed, with 3-speed Sturmey-Archer derailleur and 6-speed Sach-Huret derailleur on the latest models. Most of the clients were Swedes, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and some English. Production ceased in 1985. About 30,000 copies were produced.