Cardboard Bike that Holds 485-Pound Person for Just $9-12 ($5 for Kid Bike)

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The Alfa weighs just 20lbs, yet supports riders up to 24 times its weight. It’s mostly cardboard and 100% recycled materials. It uses a belt-driven pedal system that makes it maintenance free. And, maybe best of all, it’s projected 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. Here’s a pic and video of the cardboard bike:

Read more at Co.Design

Reposted from Cycle Love! with permission.

Cynthia Shahan (52 Posts)

Mother, Organic Farmer, Classical Homeopath, Art Teacher, Creative Writer, Anthropologist, Natural Medicine Activist and Journalist, and mother of four unconditionally loving spirits, teachers, and environmentally conscious beings who have lit the way for me for decades.


  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002655964154 Alejandro Alvarado

    Will it change the world? in a word: NO. It may cost $9 in materials, but add labor, shipping, etc. and it won’t be $9-12 as most headlines claim, it probably won’t be less than $50. For that you can buy a used but more reliable, comfortable, faster, multi-speed, serviceable and mass market components equipped bike. It won’t change the world much because most people don’t ride bicycles (at least not in the USA with long commutes, maybe in Amsterdam), although this could be some motivation. People in areas with hills won’t ride this single speed bicycle either. How many miles has the prototype been ridden to date to support claims? riding downhill with that brake clamping on painted cardboard, non-ergonomic hand grips (looks like the handlebar should be rotated 90 degrees for more comfort) and solid rubber tires? It may help the trasportation situation in some rural areas in Africa, and some congested cities in Asia were the commute is short. Riding off-pavement in middle east streets with solid tires and no suspension? If you have a long commute in difficult weather, forget it. I am a bicycle enthusiast and avid rider (80+ miles weekly), collector, ex -racer; heck, I’ll buy one just to have something different to ride around the block but that’s it, riding that slow on dubious mechanicals is not my cup of tea. $100 chinese Walmart bikes are already considered bottom of the barrel disposables, imagine this! won’t set the world on fire but kudos for the creative effort though…

  • http://www.facebook.com/mkullik Michael Joseph Kullik

    They want to provide cheap transportation for areas that need it.
    This is a good Idea. Any time someone can take old tires and reuse them let them. They are a hazzard when they catch on fire.

    As for the cardboard he is coating it and it stays dry. What he has come up with may just transform the way we make things in the future. This could catch on here in the USA you never know.

  • Bob_Wallace

    It’s really interesting, but we’re not going to be building bikes out of recycled cardboard on an industrial level.

    How about taking the general concept of non-metal frame and wheels and use some sort of injection molding? Use sustainable materials and you get the same environmental benefits along with very cheap rides.

    • http://www.facebook.com/rafael.alfau Rafael Alfau

      I get his message and yours. It proves without a shadow of doubt that current inexpensive materials and future exotic materials will be used to replicate common items. The idea whips the mind to consider a different mindset and approach towards solving the issue of recycling, reduced use of raw materials, environmental impact, production efficiency and cost to own.

  • malcreado

    That could really drive down the costs of setting up bike share programs.