wraggster
October 17th, 2012, 01:32
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/10/israel-cardboard-bike.jpg (http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/16/cardboard-bicycle/)Cardboard never ceases to amaze. Having been deployed in gramophones (http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/24/kid-koala-bundles-working-cardboard-gramophone-with-new-album/), stereos (http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/11/insert-coin-berlin-boombox/) and even digital cameras (http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/27/ikea-cardboard-digital-camera-when-instagram-isnt-authentic-en/), one inventor now believes it can be used to make the ideal bicycle. Izhar Gafni, from Israel, spent 18 months just folding the material every-which-way in order to discover a strong enough design, and now he claims his technique is almost ready for mass production. His maintenance-free bike uses a "secret" mix of organic materials to make it waterproof and fireproof, and is then lacquered to give it a friendlier appearance. It's expected to cost a mere $20 and weigh about 20 lbs (9 kg) -- that's 65 percent lighter than an average metal ride. In fact, this bicycle doesn't use any metal parts at all -- the solid tires are made of reconstituted rubber and a car timing belt is used instead of a chain. It lacks the swank of aFaraday Porteur (http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/28/faraday-porteur-e-bike-test-ride/), perhaps, but then you could buy 175 of these for the same money. Want proof that it actually works? The bike's not-so-featherweight inventor takes it for a spin after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/16/cardboard-bicycle/
http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/16/cardboard-bicycle/