A few Friday links

Okay, it is time for another Friday catch-up post to quickly share a few links that I recently bookmarked, but haven’t had the chance to mention yet.

Chris Luomanen’s Barbasket is an interesting concept. It is a handlebar with a soft basket that attaches to the integrated frames. The project is on Kickstarter now, so check there to learn more about it.

Gizmag posted about a unique “BMX bike based” tandem not long ago. The short wheelbase means that the adult rider in the rear would have to pedal with knees out, but it does look like a fun little bike to try.

I mentioned the bike parking design competition in Puerto Rico in a recent post, and Paul Dunlop wrote to tell me of a similar competition in Christchurch, New Zealand. Treehugger recently pointed out another interesting bike rack design competition, this one sponsored by a private club in London. Keeping will the public art/bike parking theme, I can’t go without mentioning the giant comb rack that Knowhow Shop LA recently built for the city of Roanoke, Virginia.

Izhar Gafni ‘s handbuilt cardboard bicycle, which cost about $10 to make, has been getting a lot of attention on the web lately. Gafni told Grist that the “idea is like Japanese origami,” and claims that the folded cardboard bike can “easily support up to 300 pounds of adult human.” Be sure to watch the video of his process…it is definitely interesting.

Posted

August 3, 2012

Concept

James

Tags:

bike rack, kickstarter, links, parking

Comments

3 responses to “A few Friday links”

Andy

August 3, 2012

The poor man’s porteur is interesting. Something tells me that after a year or so when the fabric has ripped, finding a replacement may not be easy for a niche product though.

Reply
Andy

August 3, 2012

You can buy a “bike” from Walmart for cheap. It has wheels, pedals, handlebars, etc. but don’t expect it to be durable, roll smoothly, have replaceable parts, or take it on a ride farther than down the street. This bike looks even less capable than a Walmart bike. I can’t picture someone using it to commute, and certainly a single brake on a cardboard rim means that this is not intended for more than a walking pace if you want to stop safely. It also looks like it doesn’t use bearings, which means that it isn’t likely to have a lifespan of more than a few miles without changing out the wheels’ hubs.

Maybe he made it with $10 cash, but even cardboard has a price, especially the quadrupel thickness kind of stuff he’s using. The brake alone is likely $10 on its own. It clearly took a lot of time to make, so don’t expect a selling price of $10 on something like this either.

Again, neat project, looks like fun, but it’s hardly a bike, and isn’t $10.

Reply
Mick

August 4, 2012

I do like the bike/project, and in no way knock it…I wish I had the time to do stuff like that!…but…I suspect Izhar Gafni’s carboard bike project is presented with some key build factors omitted out. Certainly it cost significantly more than $10 (only factoring in the frameset cost)…I even would debate the carboard alone cost more than that (?). It strikes me that he is using an expoxy coating over the carboard, possibly even epoxy infusion for additional robustness, and weatherproofing. @Andy…I suspect he uses press in bearings on the hubs (and BB).
Long story short add up glue/epoxy, carboard, paint, fittings, etc (plus components) and you get a significantly higher dollar value…factor in build/design hours…suddenly a Colnago C59 looks relatively inexpensive ;-)…

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