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ISRAEL — An Israeli man has created a waterproof cardboard bicycle that he is hoping will revolutionize transportation in developing countries and prove a boon to congestion-plagued cities.
Mass production of the bike is expected to begin in a few months, according to its creator, Izhar Gafni. The 50-year-old amateur cycling enthusiast told Reuters he has toyed for years with the idea of making a bicycle out of cardboard.
"I was always fascinated by applying unconventional technologies to materials and I did this on several occasions," he said. "But this was the culmination of a few things that came together."
Gafni said he worked for four years to solve the problem of corrugated cardboard's weak structural points. It took a year and a half to figure out how to fold the cardboard in several different directions.
The finished product includes no metal: The tires are made of reconstituted rubber, and the "chain" is actually a car timing belt. It is waterproof and fireproof, Engadget reports.
"I'm repeatedly surprised at just how strong this material is, it is amazing. Once we are ready to go to production, the bike will have no metal parts at all," Gafni said.
The bike does not need maintenance or adjustment, and Gafni said it costs so little that damaging it would not be a concern — someone could use the bike for a year and recycle it, if need be.
The bike costs $9 to manufacture, and Gafni expects it to retail for $20. He told Reuters the green offsets should cancel out production costs and allow for the bicycles to be given away for free in poor countries. Advertisements on the bikes would help producers turn a profit.
Gafni sees a distant future in which cardboard is used in cars or aircraft.
"We are just at the beginning and from here my vision is to see cardboard replacing metals ... and countries that right now don't have the money, will be able to benefit from so many uses for this material," he said.
