wow this looks good! i'd wan't one! only need a solar panel on it so i can charge my macbook and iphone while riding a bike, and offcourse a dynamo for extra power for the macbook and iphone, so i can be ubercool!

poserman

yeah i'm sticking to my bianchi. mostly because i have gears.

kadaj_sama

pedalin' as it were

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

It looks a big goofy, but i wouldn't mind. I don't have enough faith in it to go out on the open street, however, as I'm over 200 pounds of bike peddlin' mofo.

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

I'll stick to my Marin. I trust Aluminum more.

SgtToastie

Can you take it off any sweet jumps... or would it crack/ weaken

Munch the BanNail

Other than that looking like it would behave as a sail, I'd most definitely buy AND ride one.

qbrad

[www.calfeedesign.com]

nickexperience

What is not recyclable about other bikes?

Mr. Moto

They should stick a pump on that frame and turn it into a giant bicycle super soaker.

Yeah, that'd be badass.

mildretard

There used to be a bike called the Re-Bike. It was a poor-man's recumbent. Retailed for around $500 (cheap for a recumbent) and weighed about 1800 lbs because it was made mostly of steel girders.

hakubak

Does it glow in the dark?! If not, dump some of that powder into the mix before you mold it and viola!

Relldavis

I think we should ride it,

all night long.

Half off all shafts!

@KAISER: You sell bikes too?

qbrad

I hate that none of these postings ever list a price!

RoamingGnome

@Mr. Moto: Exactly what I was thinking... did metal somehow turn into something you can't melt down and use again this week?

sinerasis

If it's plastic does it mean it's light weight as well?

jabber

@sinerasis: Metal is actually much easier to recycle than plastic. It requires much less processing, and hence is cheaper/more energy efficient.

This does look fairly cool though. However, I think recycled plastic should be used for products that can't easily be made out of metal, not replacing products already made from metal.

If it is lighter than a steel bike, and hence is replacing carbon fiber (which I doubt) then that is a whole different story. CF is HORRIBLE for the environment.

Adam

@RoamingGnome: Concepts don't have prices. They're just ideas. Although... intellectual property commands a price these days, eh? How much does the conceptualiser demand for this work of vaporware?

qbrad

I have two bikes. One was built in 1985 and one built in 1977. Both are still going strong. Considering the amount of energy (small) that went into these bikes and their long service life, they are very very environmentally friendly.

Also can I point out that both steel and aluminum are, in fact, completely recyclable.

What's the point of making a bike out of plastic (expensive petroleum) to replace a product that is already completely recyclable and lasts for 30 years or more of constant use? I don't get it.

DrNick

potentially that could be every bit as strong as a metal frame bike with the right type of plastic and structure (I would prefer ABS). However, this is only saving the metal of the frame, there's still metal forks, handlebars, wheels, so what's the point? Are they implying the frame is the thing that needs replacing?

toyotaboy

@Akibake-: That's the point. Your steel Panasonic frame will last 50 years or more. In fact if something does happen to it, you can always bring it to a welding shop and have them go at it. Steel bike frames are recycled as people can constantly upgrade the components. Plastic ones...well, I highly suspect that they won't be as robust for decades to come.

jibbly

It looks like it would be really light which would be great for taking it off some sweet jumps!

Question: Is smelting metal or manufacturing plastic worse in terms of waste and energy usage? Sure, my 80's Panasonic 10-speed is recyclable, but regarding bikes being made at the present, what makes the least environmental impact?

Akibake-

I would think that the point of using plastic vs metal would be cost. If you use recycled plastic you could mass produce these things and get the cost down to the $10 to $12 per bike, I'm sure.....maybe even less. Then projects like Yellow Bike could use these "throw-away" bikes: [www.austinyellowbike.org]

SQLGuru

does it have a UV protective coating or is it going to become really brittle from the hours it will invariably sit in the sun for.

I can picture the carnage that ensued from my cousin exploding a sun-stroked plastic lawn chair multiplied by 35 km/h.

tuckertuck

@qbrad: A ha a ha......stop making fun of me :(

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

Being all pro-recycling its a great concept, but as I recall recycled polypropylene (PP) doesn't have the greatest of properites. With recycled PP, you get some homo-polymer, some co-polymer PP and they could have additive packages. I would be weary of the tensile and flexural strength with all over blends and additives competing in the plastic. I would stick with some engineering resin and use 30-40% recycled/regrind material.

TrippyUML

Being pro-recycling its a great idea, but as I recall recycled PP doesn't really have the most superb properties. Your likely getting a blend of homo-polypropylene and polypropylene co-polymers with various additive packages. So I would be very weary of the tensile and flexural strength with competing additives in the plastic. With those blends/co-polymers we do lose rigidity, strength, and heat deflection temperature (hot summer day); their application specific. I would stick with engineering resins with a 30-40% recycle/regrind content.

TrippyUML

I'll stay with Trek. Carbon fiber is the way to go.

trek13945

Yeahhhh, that's my dream bike--the look and feel of a milk jug. Made, literally, of fail.

halloweenjack

It'd be fun if someone you don't care for has one of these, and you fill it with concrete one night...

AmishJohn

I read the other posts and I think the emphasis is more on the improved manufacturing process. Plastic does make sense because of the skyrocketing price of metals and carbon fiber recently.

UV shouldn't be a problem with the right plastic stabilizers and/or paint. PP is heavily used in the auto industry.