Nelson “Kio” Mukiika has a machine shop of sorts in the Kasese district of western Uganda. I say “of sorts” because he does not have access to basic measuring tools. Nevertheless, Mukiika is able to disassemble old bikes and re-weld them together into creations of his own design: Three-wheeled hand-powered bicycles. …
Mukiika can produce the trikes for about $170, well out of reach for the average Ugandan. (More than a third of the population live on a little over $1 a day.) The funding is provided by CanUgan. You can volunteer your time, form a support group, or make a donation to the organization here.
(via CanUgan x Mukiika: Turning Old Bicycles into Hand-Powered Trikes for the Disabled - Core77)
![Speaking of bike hacks: How about a mowercycle?
Get exercise while mowing the lawn — without using gasoline!
An Unconsumption reader sent this photo to us some time ago. (The source has since made the photo private on Flickr.)
We always love getting tips and suggestions. Is there something Unconsumption-y you think we should be aware of? Let us know via our Facebook page, Twitter (@Unconsumption us), Instagram (tag photos #unconsumption), Pinterest, or e-mail (unconsumption [at] gmail).
See also: A group of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison designed a somewhat different mowercycle. Our friends at Do The Green Thing highlighted the student project here.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcz3ha9gIG1qzv12bo1_400.jpg)
Speaking of bike hacks: How about a mowercycle?
Get exercise while mowing the lawn — without using gasoline!
An Unconsumption reader sent this photo to us some time ago. (The source has since made the photo private on Flickr.)
We always love getting tips and suggestions. Is there something Unconsumption-y you think we should be aware of? Let us know via our Facebook page, Twitter (@Unconsumption us), Instagram (tag photos #unconsumption), Pinterest, or e-mail (unconsumption [at] gmail).
See also: A group of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison designed a somewhat different mowercycle. Our friends at Do The Green Thing highlighted the student project here.
To follow an earlier item about mobile gardens:
Produce carts are common enough that they no longer garner much attention, especially around farmers markets.
So one design firm redesigned the ubiquitous cart, adding pedals and a folding system of trays that can haul up to 150 pounds of fruit and vegetables. The result was the Mattapan Mobile Farmstand, from Boston-based nonprofit design collaborative Building Research + Architecture + Community Exchange. BR+A+CE (pronounced “brace”) designed and built the human-powered mobile farm stand as the first project in support of its mission to create new community spaces that engage social, economic, and cultural issues.
…
Pedal-powered, cargo-carrying tricycles are increasingly popular in hip neighborhoods in European and North American cities, and have been widely used in Asia for decades. BR+A+CE designed their own version on a large-framed tricycle with a unique cargo box that contains four bays on two levels, each of which holds two produce bins for a total of eight.
More: Pedaling Produce: Boston Gets a Bike-Powered Farm Cart | Wired Design | Wired.com
Maya Pedal’s remarkable upcycling project is a veritable post-industrial revolution for rural Guatemalans… and potentially for underdeveloped communities the world over. The San Andrés Itzapa-based NGO accepts donated bicycles from the US and Canada, which are either refurbished and sold or, more interestingly, converted into “Bicimaquinas” (pedal-powered machines).
“Pedal power can be harnessed for countless applications which would otherwise require electricity (which may not be available) or hand power (which is far more effort). Bicimaquinas are easy and enjoyable to use. They can be built using locally available materials and can be easily adapted to suit the needs of local people. They free the user from rising energy costs, can be used anywhere, are easy to maintain, produce no pollution and provide healthy exercise.”
In short, Maya Pedal turns scrap bicycle parts into all variety of human-powered municipal machinery: “water pumps, grinders, threshers, tile makers, nut shellers, blenders (for making soaps and shampoos as well as food products), trikes, trailers and more.”
(via From Cycling to Upcycling: Maya Pedal’s “Bicimaquinas” - Core77)
![Woodguards [alternative to traditional bike mudguards] are made using re-claimed European and African timber and brightly coloured formica. They look fantastic and are very practical (they are actually lighter than your average plastic mudguards).
Each pair are hand-made in Edinburgh, with a furniture-makers skill and attention to detail.
(via Woodguards)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8eikr1QGR1qzv12bo1_400.jpg)
Woodguards [alternative to traditional bike mudguards] are made using re-claimed European and African timber and brightly coloured formica. They look fantastic and are very practical (they are actually lighter than your average plastic mudguards).
Each pair are hand-made in Edinburgh, with a furniture-makers skill and attention to detail.
(via Woodguards)
Carolina Fontoura Alzaga makes painstakingly intricate chandelier sculptures and lighting fixtures from bicycle parts that she salvages from scrap metal yards and bicycle shop dumpsters all around Los Angeles. In making this profile, I was struck by how her social and political consciousness are woven into her life and work.
The Ice Cream Bike (which takes design cues from rainbow-colored ice cream) is made simply from salvaged parts and two pieces of recycled steel that were water-cut into the profile of a bike, and then bolted together at the front tube, seat tube and bottom bracket. The bike’s low-key construction requires only a screwdriver and a wrench when it come to maintenance. And because the bike can be easily broken down, it can just as easily be transported or stored.
good:
Cycle on the Recycled: A $9 Cardboard Bike Set to Enter Production in Israel
The last time your purchased something made entirely from cardboard, chances are it was a box to pack up your belongings. While the sturdy material is perfect for moving your stuff, an inventor from Israel has figured out a way to make cardboard move you.
And for an accessory: This previously mentioned cardboard cycling helmet!
This bike sculpture photo, taken in Portland, Oregon, by Tess Vigeland, intrigued me when I spotted it on Instagram last week.
Do any of you know the back story behind this assemblage of bicycles? If so, tell us. I, for one, am curious. My quick “Portland bike sculpture” Googling didn’t turn up anything that looks like it’s related to this.
Don’t some of the bike wheels look like they might be in pretty good shape?
(photo used with permission: tessvigeland • Instagram)
I totally admire the ingenuity here — I keep meaning to buy a bike light, and this person fashioned one out of a spice jar and easily obtainable parts (lots of which I probably already have, sitting around):
So many objects are made to break and be thrown away, but many are easily fixed if one takes the time to examine their faults. DIY not only functions as a way to easily fix broken products, but also as a way to build your own sturdy designs.
I have had so many bike lights break, get stolen off my bike, or just fall off while riding (or getting hit by SUVs) that I created LED bike lights made from recycled jars. I have never had one of my handmade lights stolen or fall off.
Recently, I found myself on the West Coast borrowing a bike from a friend, which had no light. The nearest bike shop was five miles away, so I came up with this design for an easy-to-build bike light, using parts from the local hardware store, an LED from an electronics chain, and a small plastic spice jar.
I want to try this. If I do, I’ll report back!
Lifecycle
by Ben Gould’s
via: blu3rsx
Industrial designer, Pratt grad, and veteran dumpster diver Ben Gould’s material of choice is the bike chain, and he’s found his supply source. As old chains are discarded through repairs and new chains are shortened to fit specific bicycle configurations, Gould found that “The average bike shop produces 25-40 pounds of wasted chain PER MONTH!”
While all of that chain doesn’t go into the garbage—it’s typically shipped, with an associated cost, to a recycling facility to be melted down—Gould would prefer they be shipped to him, at his own cost, so he can turn them into jewelry.
(Source: core77.com)
Evan Hawkins, a North Carolina-based artist, describes himself as an “upcycler upcycling.” His latest project is a great example of the upcycler upcycling cycling parts. The range of colors and shapes available in these bike fork bottle openers make each one unique.
Each Bike Fork Bottle Opener was created by repurposing an old bike fork drop-out and the handle is wrapped with high strength para-cord.
