in 2012, izhar gafni, an israeli mechanical engineer and cycling enthusiast, unveiled a prototype bicycle made almost entirely out of cardboard in his workshop in moshav ahituv. the components, including bike’s frame, wheels, handlebars and saddle, consist of sheets of cardboard folded and glued together. the complete bike weighs , and is treated to be fireproof and waterproof. gafni reports that it can support riders up to . it has solid rubber tires made from recycled car tires. power is transferred from the pedals to the rear wheel with a belt, also made from recycled rubber. gafni and a business partner plan to mass-produce a bike based on the prototype and retail it for 20 usd, with a unit cost of 9 to 12 usd. the target market is low-income countries. the prototype was featured at the november 2012 microsoft thinknext event in tel aviv.