Student’s plan to get you ‘on yer bike’

Phil Bridge, who is just completing a three-year product design court at Sheffield Hallam University, is hoping to tempt more people to embrace greener travel by using his cardboard bike.

The 21-year-old, who is a keen cyclist himself and a member of a bike club in his native Stockport, created the bike to support the principle of cheap and ecological transport.

The prototype is made almost entirely from recyclable and recycled materials with interchangeable mechanical parts.

Mr Bridge hopes that it will deter thieves and make cycling more attractive for travellers by providing a cheaper, more lightweight option to usual bicycles.

Research shows that a bicycle is stolen every 71 seconds in England, which Mr Bridge said made him think it is one of the main barriers to bicycle use.

“The lightweight quality of the cardboard, combined with its low cost, means it is possible to create a bargain bike that is also less susceptible to thieves,” he said.

“At the moment, low-cost bikes are usually very heavy, which can also put people off.”

He hopes his work will now be taken on by a company who can make the cardboard bike commercially available.

Kate Martin