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On the go - £15 cardboard bike
Kirsty Elleray and Deborah Haile
26/ 6/2008

HOW do you make bikes greener and stop them being stolen at the same time?

You make them out of cardboard for £15.

And that's exactly what student Phil Bridge is doing.

Phil, from Heaton Moor, has already made a working prototype of the recyclable cardboard bike, as part of his product design degree at Sheffield Hallam University . He hopes that with further work it could revolutionise the way we use bikes.

Unlike traditional metal framed bikes, that cost hundreds, Phil estimates that the cardboard cycle could be produced for just £15.

And using industrial-strength cardboard, Phil promises the bikes are more than strong enough to support a rider and won't go soft in the rain.

He says with such a low value, they could be a more attractive proposition for occasional cyclists - as well as making the bikes less of a target for thieves.

"I started by looking at the reasons why people don't use bikes as a mode of transport around the city and one of the primary reasons I came up with was the initial investments for a bike," said Phil, aged 21, who is a former Priestnall School pupil.

"A typical round town bike can cost several hundred pounds. And that's a large investment for people who aren't sure whether they will use it. When you are investing that amount of money people are worried they may get stolen or damaged if they leave it in the street.

"The idea of cardboard is to completely devalue the bike."

Phil admits he didn't start out with the notion of developing a cardboard bike, but after his initial research became attracted by the idea because it was so unusual.

Prototype

He started the development process by making a basic prototype, using special hexacomb cardboard. And the initial prototype was, says Phil, 'tested to destruction'.

Following initial tests, a second prototype was developed that included pedals, brakes and handlebars. And now Phil is looking to develop that even further.

"Hexacomb is an industrial engineering cardboard," said Phil. "It's used in industrial packaging. It's very strong and it has a honeycomb core. It's mainly used in partition walling and packaging. The prototype does work, but it is still quite limited and there are a few problems.

"What made it an interesting project was that is was a bit bonkers and because it was so unusual people have got excited about it."

The bike is made almost entirely from recyclable and recycled materials, using interchangeable mechanical parts. And that means that when the cardboard frame ultimately wears out the other parts can be recycled into another frame.

Phil, who is a member of Stockport bike club Will's Wheels, is about to graduate from university.

A spokesperson for Sheffield Hallam University said: "Phil's work has really captured the imagination of the public. His idea demonstrates the creativity and quality of the work being produced at Sheffield Hallam.

"The cardboard bike is an innovative concept, but also considers the environment and the people and communities which would use the product.

"Many graduates of Sheffield Hallam have already gone on to become internationally renowned in their chosen creative industries, and we wish Phil all the best following his graduation this summer."

As part of his concept, Phil suggests that the cardboard bicycle could be a 'bicycle for life' - with cyclists returning to stores to have the pedals, handlebars, brakes and other parts refitted onto a new cardboard frame, each time the old one becomes worn out.

After completing his BA (Hons), Phil is now hoping to secure a job as a product designer. And hopes he will have the opportunity to develop the 'cardboard bicycle' further.

And that means that when the cardboard frame ultimately wears out the other parts can be recycled into another frame.