For BadJuju

[cjppjc]

http://news.yahoo.com/cardboard-bicy...090732689.html



Cardboard bicycle can change the world, says Israeli inventor

• Enlarge Gallery Israeli inventor Izhar Gafni holds his cardboard bicycle as he poses for a photo in Moshav Ahituv, central Israel September 24, 2012. The bicycle, made almost entirely of cardboard, has the potential to change …
  
  
  MOSHAV AHITUV, Israel (Reuters) - A bicycle made almost entirely of cardboard has the potential to change transportation habits from the world's most congested cities to the poorest reaches of Africa, its Israeli inventor says.
  
  Izhar Gafni, 50, is an expert in designing automated mass-production lines. He is an amateur 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.
  
  "I was always fascinated by applying unconventional technologies to materials and I did this on several occasions. But this was the culmination of a few things that came together. I worked for four years to cancel out the corrugated cardboard's weak structural points," Gafni said.
  
  "Making a cardboard box is easy and it can be very strong and durable, but to make a bicycle was extremely difficult and I had to find the right way to fold the cardboard in several different directions. It took a year and a half, with lots of testing and failure until I got it right," he said.
  

[don]

Re: For BadJuju

One question:

Rain?

[littleshark]

Re: For BadJuju

Pothole?

[DSpencer]

Re: For BadJuju

One question:

Rain?

Once the shape has been formed and cut, the cardboard is treated with a secret concoction made of organic materials to give it its waterproof and fireproof qualities. In the final stage, it is coated with lacquer paint for appearance.

In testing the durability of the treated cardboard, Gafni said he immersed a cross-section in a water tank for several months and it retained all its hardened characteristics.

For twenty dollars, I'd buy one right now just to see how well it worked.

[charliebrown]

Re: For BadJuju

Absolutely, ping me when we can buy one in the usa. This is so cool! $20 hmmm bicycle .... case of beer .... bicycle .... case of beer ...

[radon]

Re: For BadJuju

Absolutely, ping me when we can buy one in the usa. This is so cool! $20 hmmm bicycle .... case of beer .... bicycle .... case of beer ...

Cheap enough to be disposable.

[globaleconomicollaps]

Re: For BadJuju

Cheap enough to be disposable.

It has $40 worth of tires on it.

Come to think of it, it looks like 105 brakes and levers. add $50. It definitely has a steering tube and a headset. Add another $25. Does that bike have aluminum rims? depending on quality, another $50.

not disposable in my opinion.

[radon]

Re: For BadJuju

It has $40 worth of tires on it.

Come to think of it, it looks like 105 brakes and levers. add $50. It might or might not have a headset. Add another $25. Does that bike have aluminum rims? depending on quality, another $50.

not disposable in my opinion.

I'm just going by the numbers quoted in the article:

when his own creation reaches mass production, it should cost no more than about $20 to buy. The cost of materials used are estimated at $9 per unit.

He may be over optimistic.

[wayiwalk]

Re: For BadJuju

Just wait until the first lawsuit against the bike because somebody gets a papercut from it - the price will double.

Seriously, the box to ship it to stores (or via internet to homes) will cost at least $5.....

Really seriously, this is a great alternative if you are on vacation and want something to use for a week that gets you around, but you don't need to keep and you aren't too picky about performance.

I"m not concerned about the fact it is made out of cardboard, cardboard is just another form of carbon based material, there's plenty of things we trust our lives to made of wood, cellulose, carbon fiber-strengthened metails/composites...