A Bicycle Made Almost Entirely of Cardboard
Photo from articles.chicagotribune.com
“A bicycle made almost entirely of cardboard has the potential to change transportation habits from the world’s most congested cities to the poorest reaches of Africa, its Israeli inventor says.” Izhar Gafni, 50, is the man behind the cardboard bicycle and an expert in designing automated mass-production lines.
“I had to find the right way to fold the cardboard in several different directions. It took a year and a half, with lots of testing and failure until I got it right,” he said.
Once ready for production, the bicycle will include no metal parts, even the brake mechanism and the wheel and pedal bearings will be made of recycled substances. The cardboard is treated with a substance that gives it its fireproof and waterproof properties (although we’re not sure what that substance is). The tires are made of reconstituted rubber from old car tires. Gafni says this bike should cost no more than $20 to buy.
“This is a real game-changer. It changes … the way products are manufactured and shipped, it causes factories to be built everywhere instead of moving production to cheaper labor markets, everything that we have known in the production world can change,” he said.
The bike is said to hold up to a 485 pound person (photo from green.autoblog.com)
If this bike really does function like a normal bike, it would be ideal for those in third world countries where a bicycle is a luxury. Gafni hopes to have it on the market in the next three months. You can read more about the bike in the Chicago Tribune here.
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