Have
you ever imagined that one day we could ride on a bike that made out of cardboard!
If anyone ever told me about this I would probably thought they were crazy.
However, an
Israeli inventor, Izhar Gafni, a bike enthusiast, has been working on a
cardboard prototype bike for several years and in this month, he finally
announced that his bike is ready for mass production.
The bike
is called Alfa. Weighted only 20lbs, yet supports riders up to 24 times its
weight. It’s mostly cardboard and 100% recycled materials. The bike uses a
belt-driven pedal system and tires made from old reconstituted tire that never get
a puncture or deflate and can last up to 10 years. These practically make it maintenance
free.
What
makes the bike so revolutionary is its cost-efficiency to be mass production. With all parts included, the bike can be mass
produced for $9 to $12. This
could be a cost-effective transportation alternative for those poor folks in
the developing and under-developing countries.
At
the moment, Gafni is working with a company to raise fund to finalize the manufacturing
processes for the bikes. Hopefully soon that we could be buying one of this
environmentally friendly and cost-effective bike from the local bike stores.
I would love to have a bike like that... made out of cardboard... the inventor really simply amazing
ReplyDelete