From the Netherlands, wooden flatpack bike can be assembled by anyone

Sandwichbikes have eco-friendly wooden frames that can be assembled just like flatpack furniture.

Regular readers of Springwise may remember Israeli entrepreneur Izhar Gafni’s USD 15 cardboard bicycle, a more eco-friendly version of the two wheel vehicle. Now the adopted home of the bicycle – the Netherlands – has produced Sandwichbikes, whose wooden frame can be assembled just like flatpack furniture. Conceived by Amsterdam-based industrial design studio Bleijh, the bicycle is sent to customers in a compact box containing all of the parts and tools they need to build it – less than 50 parts in total. Rather than conceal the DIY nature of the bike, the frame is built primarily from two sides of layered plywood that give the vehicle its name. Since it is made mostly of wood, the bike is more eco-friendly and recyclable once it’s run its course, although it has been designed as a sturdy alternative to traditional models. Finally, owners can feel proud that the device they use to get around each day was built by their own hands. The video below shows how the bike is built: The Sandwichbike is a rethinking of the typical two-wheeler that creates a greater connection between the consumer and the product, with design that emphasizes – rather than hides – its hand-built nature. The bike is available to pre-order now at a cost of EUR 799, with deliveries to begin in October. What other typically complex products could be redesigned using the flatpack approach? Spotted by: Tracy Chong