Cardboard Bicycle
Just barely cartoonish in appearance, this bike is made from cardboard. It is not, however, a gimmick, but a well-designed, engineered, and crafted bike that is both durable and cheap, the total production receipt hovering between $9 – 12. The final product shown in this great short video is still a prototype, but the potential for such a machine to enter into larger production seems to be there.
The creator, Izhar Gafni, is part dreamer, part engineer who decided to build this in his spare time and came to a working conclusion that could have amazing potential in both developing and developed countries alike. I certainly don’t think more “refined cyclists” would toss their urban rides out the window, but I don’t see why the casual urban cyclist wouldn’t take to such a cheap alternative to bikes sold in traditional shops. The value to developing countries is inherently astounding. I’m on-board. What do you think?
xjJuly 31, 2012 at 8:58 am
interesting – but far too expensive. There are lots of choices in sub 100 aluminum frames…
From a consumer standpoint the fear of water damage would be hard to overcome – how many cheap bikes do you see stored on apartment balconies or on campus bike racks?
loganAugust 1, 2012 at 10:44 am
In theory he could build a frame out of cardboard for $12, but he will never build a drive system, tires, brakes, bearings or bearing surfaces that way. The bike in the video has well over $200 in parts visible on it.