Izhar Gafni has created a bicycle out of $9 worth of cardboard that feels sturdy, rides well, and looks pretty nifty. A lot of people have wanted to know when they can get one of their own.
A new Indiegogo campaign aims to launch the unusual bike to the world.
The bike may be made of cardboard, but it can hold up to 400 pounds and is both fire and water resistant. It uses recycled cardboard, plastic, and rubber.
The original prototype was made for very little money, but funding a production line to mass manufacture the bikes isn't cheap. The project aims for a $2 million goal, though the flexible funding campaign means it doesn't necessarily have to reach those lofty heights to get rolling.
The original hope was to create cardboard bikes that would sell for very low prices to people in under-developed countries, and that's still a goal of the Israeli inventor. Owning one of the first to come off the production line, however, does come at a bit of a premium. The early production units cost a $290 pledge and aren't expected to be delivered until 2015.
The production bikes will keep with the green theme. The solid rubber tires come from recycled car tires. A car timing belt replaces the usual chain. The whole thing weighs just 20 pounds.
Cardboard Technologies, the company behind the bike, is already imagining what a successful cardboard bike production line means for other products.
Down the line, the development could be applied to all sort of items, from wheelchairs to baby carriages. Who knows...maybe someday we'll be talking about a low-cost cardboard car. In the meantime, you can get on board with two wheels and be one of the first to ride what could become a cardboard revolution.
