Sure, bicycles get made from all sorts of unlikely-sounding materials these days — bamboo bikes are a lot more common than you’d imagine. But making a working bike from recycled carpet definitely sounds like it’s taking things too far.
The bike, which is a real, actual thing you can buy for $US229, is targeted at children. As such, it can start life as a tricycle, but then some intelligent geometry adjusts the heigh and length of the ride, meaning it can grow with your kids. When they’re ready, you can also ditch the third wheel to make a proper bicycle.
As for the material — it’s made using recycled consumer carpets. They’re collected from homes in the US, have the backing shaved, and then are shredded and turned into resin pellets, ready for moulding into a frame shape. Clever stuff. [Wishbone via Design Milk]