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Inventor Creates $20 Bicycle From Cardboard

Updated: Thursday, October 18 2012, 05:42 PM CDT

An Israeli man has invented a $20 bicycle made almost entirely out of recyclable cardboard. According to a recent documentary featuring the inventor, 50-year-old Izhar Gafni saw a cardboard canoe once and thought: "Why not make bicycles out of cardboard as well?" The amateur cycling enthusiast got to work and after a year and a half of trial and error, Gafni now has a prototype that will soon be mass produced and when it is-- the bicycle will include no metal parts, even the brake mechanism and the wheel and pedal bearings will be made of recycled substances."It's strong, it's durable, it's cheap. What I like about it the most is it's made out of cardboard," said Gafni in the film created and produced by Giora Kariv, which has since been posted on Vimeo. During an interview with Reuters, Gafni says he believes it will "change the world" by replacing cars in traffic-congested cities and by affordably helping people living in remote areas get around.

Video: http://vimeo.com/37584656  Story : http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/15/us-israel-cardboardbike-idUSBRE89E0DF20121015

By Mileka Lincoln