Cardboard bicycle
{{Short description|Bicycles created from cardboard}}
A cardboard bicycle is a bicycle composed mostly of cardboard. Only prototypes have been made {{as of|2012|lc=y}}.{{cite news
| url = https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-oct-16-la-fi-tn-cardboard-bike-20121016-story.html
| title = Ride on! $20 cardboard bike may go into production soon
| date = October 16, 2012
| author = Deborah Netburn
| quote = And because it is made of cardboard, it will also be cheap
| newspaper = The LA Times
| access-date = 2013-01-26
| url-status = live
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227215857/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/16/business/la-fi-tn-cardboard-bike-20121016
| archive-date=2012-12-27
| url = http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/2012/1207/Izhar-Gafni-invents-a-cardboard-bicycle-that-may-revolutionize-transportation
| title = Izhar Gafni invents a cardboard bicycle that may revolutionize transportation His two-wheeled creation, a $20 bike made out of cardboard, could revolutionize bicycling, especially in the developing world.
| author = Ruth Eglash
| date = December 7, 2012
| newspaper = The Christian Science Monitor
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}}{{cite news
| url = https://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/11/cardboard-bicycles
| title = Re-cycling
| quote = First, he folds the cardboard—commercial-grade material, made from recycled paper
| date = December 1, 2012
| newspaper = The Economist
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}} Reported benefits include low cost, and construction from recyclable and renewable materials.{{cite web
| url = http://www.livestrong.com/article/196071-renewable-nonrenewable-materials/
| title = Renewable & Nonrenewable Materials
| date = November 21, 2011
| author = Karen S. Garvin
| publisher = Livestrong Foundation
| quote = Renewable materials are sustainable materials, which means, according to the Rutgers University Center for Sustainable Materials, these materials do not use up non-renewable resources. These raw materials are abundant and biodegradable, and are used to make diverse products such as adhesives and cardboard.
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}} The low cost is also expected to act as a theft deterrent.{{cite web
| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2008/06/13/160608_cardboard_bike_feature.shtml
| title = Cardboard bicycle
| date = 2008-06-16
| publisher = BBC
| quote = If you make a bicycle from cardboard, no-one will want to steal it!
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}}{{cite web
| url = http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2012/07/14/This-Man-Made-the-Coolest-Cardboard-Bicycle-Ever.aspx#page1
| title = This Man Made the Coolest Cardboard Bicycle Ever
| author = Erik Sherman
| date = July 14, 2012
| quote = If someone stole the bike (and it's hard to believe that something so cheap would have appeal to thieves), the replacement cost would be negligible.
| publisher = The Fiscal Times
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}}
Phil Bridge's prototype
In 2008, Phil Bridge created a cardboard bicycle as part of a three-year degree course in Product Design at Sheffield Hallam University.{{cite web
| url = https://gizmodo.com/5020499/cardboard-bicycle-costs-just-30-dont-leave-it-out-in-the-rain
| title = Cardboard Bicycle Costs Just $30, Don't Leave It Out in the Rain
| author = Addy Dugdale
| website = Gizmodo
| quote = 'The prototype does work but it is still quite limited and there are a few problems,' he says. Rain, however, is not one of them, he claims.
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}}{{cite web
| url = http://www.shu.ac.uk/mediacentre/cardboard-bike-aims-put-brakes-thieves
| title = Cardboard bike aims to put the brakes on thieves
| date = 12 June 2008
| publisher = Sheffield Hallam University
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}}{{cite news
| url = http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/06/17/cardboard.bike/
| title = The ultimate in recycling
| author = Hilary Whiteman
| date = June 18, 2008
| publisher = CNN
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}} It was intended to discourage theft, supports a rider up to {{convert|169|lbs|kg}}, and is constructed from a structural cardboard called Hexacomb. It is waterproof, but is only expected to survive six months of constant use. The drivetrain and brakes are metal, as on a conventional bike, and it rolls on standard pneumatic tires.
Izhar Gafni's prototype
File:Cardboard Technologies cardboard bicycle.jpg
In 2012, Izhar Gafni, an Israeli mechanical engineer and cycling enthusiast,{{cite web
| url = http://www.gizmag.com/cardboard-bike/24573/
| title = Israeli man creates bike from recycled cardboard
| author = Adam Williams
| date = October 16, 2012
| publisher = GizMag
| quote = supporting a rider who weighs up to 220 kg (485 lbs)
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}} unveiled a prototype bicycle made almost entirely out of cardboard in his workshop in Moshav Ahituv. The components, including bike’s frame, wheels, handlebars and saddle, consist of sheets of cardboard folded and glued together. The complete bike weighs {{convert|20|lbs|kg}}, and is treated to be fireproof and waterproof. Gafni reports that it can support riders up to {{convert|220|kg|lbs}}. It has solid rubber tires made from recycled car tires. Power is transferred from the pedals to the rear wheel with a belt, also made from recycled rubber. Gafni and a business partner planned to mass-produce a bike based on the prototype and retail it for 20 USD, with a unit cost of 9 to 12 USD. The target market is low-income countries. The prototype was featured at the November 2012 Microsoft ThinkNext event in Tel Aviv.{{cite news
| url = http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-invented-cardboard-bike-gets-world-debut/
| title = Beyond the bike
| author = David Shamah
| date = November 8, 2012
| newspaper = The Times of Israel
| accessdate = 2013-01-26}}
Gafni has been trying to raise $2 million on Indiegogo to fund the project.
{{cite web
|url=https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-cardboard-bike
|title=The Cardboard Bike
|publisher=Indiegogo
|date=2013-06-24
|accessdate=2014-04-15}}
As of 25 June 2013, he had raised $10 thousand.
{{cite web
|last=Memmott
|first=Mark
|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/25/195551426/cardboard-bikes-fundraiser-is-rolling
|title=Cardboard Bike's Fundraiser Is Rolling : The Two-Way
|publisher=NPR
|date=2012-10-15
|accessdate=2013-06-25}}
See also
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
- Bamboo bicycle
- Bikes Not Bombs
- Chukudu wooden freight bicycle
- Outline of cycling
- Wooden bicycle
- World Bicycle Relief
{{div col end}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Cardboard bicycle}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121204210418/http://www.cardboardtech.com/ CardboardTechnologies]
{{Human-powered vehicles}}