It Took An Incredible Amount Of Skill To Make This $9 Cardboard Bicycle

Publish date: 2024-07-28

2012-08-11T15:30:00Z

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An Israeli inventor has created what might be the first ever commercially-sold cardboard bicycle.

The prototype is called the ERB and at just $9 to produce, it could bring simple, green transportation to the masses at a fraction of the typical cost.

"Years were devoted to learn the properties and behavior [of cardboard] from all aspects," says inventor Izhar Gafni.

In a documentary directed by Giora Kariv, Gafni shares the ups and downs of making his invention a reality.

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It Took An Incredible Amount Of Skill To Make This $9 Cardboard Bicycle

Gafni was inspired by news that a man had successfully built a cardboard canoe.

"I couldn't let it go," he says. "And suddenly it just struck my mind. Why not make a bicycle out of cardboard?"

Three separate engineer friends told him it was impossible, but his wife encouraged him to go forward anyway.

He decided to buy the thickest cardboard he could find and test its durability.

"Basically, the idea is like Japanese origami," he says. He folds and bends each piece into the shape he needs.

Folded and glued together, the finished product can hold up to 220 kilograms.

His first prototype was far short of miraculous. "It was a package on wheels," he says. "I realized it had to look like a real bicycle."

It made for a pretty wobbly ride, too.

"That's where the real challenges started," he says. Using his past work as an electro-mechanical engineer, he improved on the model.

Over the next few years, everything started to come together. "Years were devoted to learn the properties and behavior [of cardboard] from all aspects," he says.

The cardboard alone is tough but is still susceptible to the elements.

He applies a thick layer of special paint that adds strength and makes the bike appear to be made out of plastic.

It's waterproof, too.

The finished product cost $9 to make and would be sold at the consumer level for between $60 and $90.

“It's going to be a game-changer in the bike world,” Kariv told GOOD.com. “Like Henry Ford who made the car available to anybody, this bike is going to be cheap and available to any child in the world.”

That's not all cardboard can do...

See how this kid built a cardboard arcade empire >