Meet the Cardboard Bicycle
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 06.27.08
Cardboard Bicycle Brings Costs WAY Down
We already know how wonderful, efficient, fun, safe and green cycling is. The only problem, however, is that for people interested in getting into cycling--but who aren't sure if they'll like it or stick with it--it's hard to justify making an investment in a bicycle, even if it is of the cheap (some might say schlock) Wal-Mart variety. Well, Phil Bridge, a 21 year old design student at Sheffield Hallam University, has come up with a solution (maybe): build the bicycle out of cardboard! Why? Because it makes it extremely inexpensive. In fact, Mr. Bridge claims he can sell the complete bike for around $30 USD. At that price the up-front cost of the bicycle becomes a non-issue.
What will be an issue, however, is the possibility that the cardboard frame will collapse or break, especially in the rain. Nevertheless, Mr. Bridge claims that "the prototype does work but it is still quite limited and there are a few problems." Learn more about the bike after the fold.
Cardboard Frames--the Next Great Thing?
The frame itself is made out "the cardboard. . .used in industrial packaging. It's very strong and it has a honeycomb core. It's mainly used in partition walling and packaging." The idea is that people could buy the cardboard bike and try cycling to see if they like it; if they decide to do, they can then upgrade to a "normal" bike (perhaps made out of bamboo or wood?). Okay, so the cardboard bike probably won't be the next great innovation in bicycle design (we'll leave the to carbon fibre and bamboo). But whether or not the cardboard bike proves feasible or durable, it's certainly an interesting idea. After all, what could be greener than a bicycle made from recycled cardboard?
Via: ::Telegraph
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Don't leave it out in the rain!
Oh, cripes...I thought I was about as green as they came, but I'm also a cyclist, and this just makes me a little ill. If you're that unwilling to invest, buy a Huffy at Target. FINE! Just....good heavens, how can you try out a technology if you buy the worst possible example of it. It's like giving someone today a non-Internet capable 386 and acting surprised when they don't hurry to adopt computers.
You know, my company is talking about starting a bike fleet so folks can ride the 1 mile to the shopping center with the lunch spots/grocery store/post office. I think this would be the perfect kind of bike for that. Plus, you could print it with ads all over it it a promotional item.
If people would ride a bike if it was cheaper why not look into lifting the import tax on bikes from China? You can buy a bike, albeit a crappy one, for $30 USD over here.
What could be greener than a bicycle made from recycled cardboard? How about one made from a steel or aluminum alloy that'll last thirty or forty years, making its way through a dozen owners who try out and either do or don't stick with cycling along the way, and then either easily recycled or even kept as an antique when its riding life is up? There aren't a ton of bikes on Craigslist here for under $50 but there are several, at least.
Besides, the expensive parts of a bicycle aren't usually the frame -- they're the wheels (I see an easy $100 of front wheel there if it's new; you can't buy a hub for #15 let alone a complete wheel, so I have no idea what the article is on about when it talks about a #15 wheel) and the drivetrain, which isn't included in the #30.
The bicycle's an amazing thing -- one of the most efficient machines in the world, in a design basically the same as it was a century ago. The cardboard bike is a neat materials project, but nothing more.
(And wait until its creator finds out the initial investment in a car, which seems to have no problem with popularity!)
The money argument against bicycling only holds for people who are going to be riding for a very short time, even part time-commuting makes bicycling cheaper than any other kind of transit except walking. And for urban dwellers, a bicycle is usually the faster means of getting from point A to point B.
One thing his cardboard Bike idea might be good for is trying out new and innovative frame designs.
For example, the recumbent bike form is often tried and has a great riding position but fails to be mass produced.
Demonstrating that a recumbent can be both strong and functional with a cardboard unit that takes its strength from the shape, is a way to promote a metal production unit.
Recumbent trike would be possible too, but with about 80% of people all for the department store 2 wheelers, and 19% fanatics about road cruiser 2 wheelers; a cardboard recumbent trike is just a fleeting wish - let alone a recumbent trike or a year 'round enclosed velomobile. I have both of these human-powered vehicles; and both vibrate to the point cardboard would discinigrate!
I'd like to get a look at the rear wheel- THAT looks promising as an emergency or spare wheel.
Reduce
Reuse *****
Recycle
It would be better to buy an old bike (or get one free) from craiglist.com then to buy a new cardboard bike (and it would last longer too) even if the cardboard was recycled.
I got a 1978 trek road bike on craiglist last summer for $80 put another $70 into buying new tubes, treads, wires and a pump.
That $150 has got me biking 8-16 miles about everyday. Its been a year and i still don't feel the need to upgrade, they don't make bikes like they used to.
This bike has great potential to be used in many developing nations that can't afford to ship real bikes (new or used) over. In fact, it could even be manufactured in poorer nations since it only uses cardboard, and facilitate transport for many poor farmers and villagers who live away from towns and city centres. It can help these people get to medical help sooner, help them transport produce that they sell in markets in the cities, and help more children to get to schools that may be previously inaccessible. C'mon people, stop thinking just within your 5 mile radius and how it could benefit you. This bike would probably cost hardly anything to produce and bring about a life change for many people in developing nations.
Neat bike, but what about the chains and the wheels? You could use a belt or a rope of some sort for a chain.
Note that my 386 is "Internet cabable" via lynx (I haven't tried Arachne on it yet), as it runs a Linux distro! :-P