Cardboard bicycle can change the world, says Israeli inventor

[TheHeebrewHammer]

Has anyone on the forum ever thought of building a functional paper bicycle you can ride? Here's a guy who invented one!

Cardboard bicycle can change the world, says Israeli inventor - Yahoo! News
Cardboard bicycle can change the world, says Israeli inventor

By Ori Lewis and Lianne Gross
Reuters – Mon, Oct 15, 2012

(excerpt)
MOSHAV AHITUV, Israel (Reuters) - 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 an expert in designing automated mass-production lines. He is an amateur cycling enthusiast who for years toyed with an idea of making a bicycle from cardboard.

He told Reuters during a recent demonstration that after much trial and error, his latest prototype has now proven itself and mass production will begin in a few months.

"I was always fascinated by applying unconventional technologies to materials and I did this on several occasions. But this was the culmination of a few things that came together. I worked for four years to cancel out the corrugated cardboard's weak structural points," Gafni said.

"Making a cardboard box is easy and it can be very strong and durable, but to make a bicycle was extremely difficult and 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.

Cardboard, made of wood pulp, was invented in the 19th century as sturdy packaging for carrying other more valuable objects, it has rarely been considered as raw material for things usually made of much stronger materials, such as metal.

Once the shape has been formed and cut, the cardboard is treated with a secret concoction made of organic materials to give it its waterproof and fireproof qualities. In the final stage, it is coated with lacquer paint for appearance.

In testing the durability of the treated cardboard, Gafni said he immersed a cross-section in a water tank for several months and it retained all its hardened characteristics.

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, although Gafni said he could not yet reveal those details due to pending patent issues.

[sporticus]

So it's carbiard impregnated with stuff...so it's pretty much just like MDF or chipboard....so the guy has invented a wooden bicycle made from processed wood.......hmmmmm...unles it costs £5 I don't see the point. It has only one gear and no suspension, so is worth little.

Unless it can be produced for pence in 'poor' countries I don;t think it will catch on.

[KCStephens]

Interesting idea. It's always good to think outside the box and experiment with new materials and processes. Even if this bicycle idea doesn’t take off, the technology behind it could be used for other ideas.

[Gil]

This follows in the same vein as Molt Taylor's innovative Mini-IMP, a home built design using resin impregnated cardboard overlaid fiberglass with polyester resin. It is cheap, strong and available.

There's more about it here.

+Gil

P.S. Paper modelers use a secret ingredient to waterproof and strengthen paper - CA...,

[Art Deco]

Originally Posted by sporticus

hmmmmm...unles it costs £5 I don't see the point. It has only one gear and no suspension, so is worth little.

Unless it can be produced for pence in 'poor' countries I don;t think it will catch on.

Gafni thinks it could be as cheap as ... free.

There is a lot more to this interesting article, including this:

Elmish said the business model they had created meant that rebates for using "green" materials would entirely cancel out production costs and this could allow for bicycles to be given away for free in poor countries.

Producers would reap financial rewards from advertisements such as from multinational companies who would pay for their logo to be part of the frame, he explained.

"Because you get a lot of government grants, it brings down the production costs to zero, so the bicycles can be given away for free. We are copying a business model from the high-tech world where software is distributed free because it includes embedded advertising," Elmish explained.

"It could be sold for around $20, because (retailers) have to make a profit ... and we think they should not cost any more than that. We will make our money from advertising," he added.

Elmish said initial production was set to begin in Israel in months on three bicycle models and a wheelchair and they will be available to purchase within a year.

"In six months we will have completed planning the first production lines for an urban bike which will be assisted by an electric motor, a youth bike which will be a 2/3 size model for children in Africa, a balance bike for youngsters learning to ride, and a wheelchair that a non-profit organization wants to build with our technology for Africa," he said.

CHEAP AND LIGHT

The bicycles are not only very cheap to make, they are very light and do not need to be adjusted or repaired, the solid tires that are made of reconstituted rubber from old car tires will never get a puncture, Elmish said.

"These bikes need no maintenance and no adjustment, a car timing belt is used instead of a chain, and the tires do not need inflating and can last for 10 years," he said.

A full-size cardboard bicycle will weigh around 9 kg (about 20 lbs) compared to an average metal bicycle, which weight around 14 kg.

The urban bicycle, similar to London's "Boris bikes" and others worldwide, will have a mounting for a personal electric motor. Commuters would buy one and use it for their journey and then take it home or to work where it could be recharged.

He said that as bicycles would be so cheap, it hardly mattered how long they lasted.

"So you buy one, use it for a year and then you can buy another one, and if it breaks, you can take it back to the factory and recycle it," he said.

[IndiQa]

hmm will need to get several bottles of Aleen's

[JackHydrazine]

Looks like they are going to start manufacturing the cardboard bicycle!

Cardboard Technologies Announces Plans to Produce $10 Cardboard Bicycle | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

Cardboard Technologies Announces Plans to Produce $10 Cardboard Bicycle

(excerpt)

Remember that amazing $10 bike that's made from recycled cardboard? It could soon be coming to a bike shop near you. Cardboard Technologies, the company behind the clever invention, just launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in an effort to raise money to begin mass production of the recycled cardboard bikes. The company is aiming high, with a goal of raising $2 million in the next 45 days.

(video at link)

[JohnM]

What next I wonder ... cardboard car bodies?

Oh yeah, they did that long ago in West Germany. It was called a Trabant.

Johnny.

[Bengt Fredén]

Yes - I saw this a while back.

And it really works! Fascinating initiative!

/ Bengt

[herky]

we can beat that.after christchurch cathedral was severly damaged in earthquake they are building a temporary<To last 6 years> one from cardboard tubing at a cost of millions of dollars.