Israeli man builds cardboard bike for $9

In the age of the automobile, bicycles are being touted as a healthy, green alternative.

But Giora Kariv has gone bicycles one better. Despite being told he couldn’t by three engineers, he made a bicycle out of cardboard.

Yes, it’s full-size. It supports a person up to 300 pounds.

Yes, it works — even withstanding water and humidity.

Mr. Kariv, an Israeli, was inspired by a man who made a canoe out of cardboard, and by his own passion for biking and recycling. What else could he do?

He folded the cardboard like origami, but instead of a delicate stork, he fashioned a sturdy bicycle — handlebars, tires, pedals and all. The finished product looks like a bicycle; you’d have to examine it closely to know that it is made from recycled cardboard.

And while people who ride his bike are doing a little something green to save the planet, they are saving something else, too: money.

The production cost for Mr. Kariv’s creation? Nine dollars. He expects stores could sell them for around $60.

He hopes people around the world without a lot of cash will benefit from his design — particularly people who have a place to take the bike inside when it rains. Why push a good thing?