Izhar Gafni is a bike loving inventor with creations capable of peeling pomegranates and sewing shoes. He attended the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands where he was to develop something as a final project for graduation. His idea? a genius low-cost, environmentally friendly bicycle. Details after the jump…
Gafni came up with the idea when studying traditional japanese paper folding principles. These origami-like techniques help strengthen the cardboard. This is also very helpful when looking to get a particular shape out of the cardboard. The bike costs Gafni $9 to make, but $50 for the supplies to construct. His hopes are to get big businesses to use bikes as a low-cost advertisement method. The bigger vision, he says, is to make wheel chairs and other types of children’s bicycles for those in need or with a condition.
The Alfa [pictured above with owner, Izhar Gafni] weighs 20lbs, yet supports riders up to 24 times its weight. It’s mostly cardboard and 100% recycled materials, yet uses a belt-driven pedal system that makes it maintenance free. And, maybe best of all, it’s project designed to be manufactured at about $9 to $12 per unit (and just $5 for a kids version), making it not only one of the most sustainable bikes you could imagine, but amongst the cheapest, depending on the markup.
