Cardboard bike by Izhar Gafni

Youtube ^ | 7-31-12 | TechnologicVehicles

[bigbob]

This is a 6 minute video that highlights Izhar Gafni, 50, an expert in designing automated mass-production lines, and a cycling enthusiast who for years toyed with an idea of making a bicycle from cardboard.

He told Reuters during a recent demonstration that after much trial and error, his latest prototype has now proven itself and mass production will begin in a few months. The projected price is $20 and no metal parts will be used.

More info: http://www.technologicvehicles.com/en/actualite-mobilite-verte/1948/video-un-...

[bigbob]

Take the six minutes to watch the video, then comment. Here's a guy working with simple tools in a ramshackle garden shed, not some high-tech R&D lab. He's an Israeli, but this video captures what we call "American Exceptionalism" perfectly. This is how innovation happens, not because of government stimulus or incentives. It happens because people dare to dream, and sometimes, with the right combination of hard work, luck, and perseverance - those dreams can lead to something really cool, like a $20 bicycle.

A recent news story explains some of the background: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/15/us-israel-cardboardbike-idUSBRE89E0DF20121015

But the video is the real story.

[lonevoice]

That’s amazing! I don’t even ride a bicycle, but I’d buy this one for $20 without thinking twice and give it a whirl. The inventor is incredible; a determined, imaginative, simple guy in his garden shed. Thanks for sharing this.

[montag813]

Israelis are amazing inventors. Google it to see what you use every day that they created or innovated. You will be astounded this tiny nation did all that. But Obama thinks they are no better than neighbors who export only dates, oranges and terrorism.

[Uncle Chip]

I like it. I’ll take one. At that price I’ll take ten.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Nice video, what a great idea and a gem of a designer. But he didn’t build that. I saw a band saw, a computer with a CAD program, some paint, glue, and of course, the original cardboard. No, this guy was only able to do this because of what others had done. ;-)

[Sherman Logan]

Fascinating. I’m skeptical but quite willing to be convinced.

I find it difficult to see how the axles could be made of something other than metal, not to mention the numerous bearings in a bicycle.

I also don’t see how you could possibly get the price as low as claimed. Even with almost-free materials, the bike will have a lot of labor to build and assemble it.

[MarkL]

No, this guy was only able to do this because of what others had done. ;-)

And I wonder if that 5 string bass guitar he was working on was being built out of cardboard too, or if it was wood. And the bass "noodling" during the fabrication phase of the video... I wonder if that was him on that bass, or if it was someone else. Whoever it was seems to be something of a fan of Les Claypool.

Mark