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Original Plastic Bicycle

Old 10-19-22, 04:55 PM
  #1  
grant40
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Original Plastic Bicycle

I was just told about this bike up by someone at the local bike shop who said that he remembers when they came out, but he only saw the advertisements and none of them in real life.




These things must be crazy rare and I wonder if anyone here has a picture that is not the advertisement pictures shown above.
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Old 10-19-22, 05:04 PM
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I also found this picture. Looks like it would not last long at all.
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Old 10-19-22, 05:05 PM
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MOMBAT: The Original Plastic Bike History
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Old 10-19-22, 05:47 PM
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Originally Posted by grant40
I also found this picture. Looks like it would not last long at all.
-----

this was me first thought also upon seeing the first two images

bikes shown appear to be incomplete mockups

both are fitted with two plateau chainsets but neither is fitted with a front mech

at least the red machine received shift levers; the yellow doesn't even have that

wheels shown were likely borrowed from somewhere

note how both "bicycles" are photographed from the non-drive side
whoever mocked them up for the pictures was not even familiar with the convention to photograph cycles from the drive side

makes one wonder if the product(s) were just vapourware...


-----

Last edited by juvela; 10-19-22 at 08:25 PM. Reason: addition
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Old 10-19-22, 05:48 PM
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The brake cables aren't even hooked up to those centerpulls.

Has all the hallmarks of an investment scam.

-Kurt
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Old 10-19-22, 05:53 PM
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From here: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...materials.html

Originally Posted by Russ Roth
Only a couple prototypes were made. When I was in college in Albany I used to ride my bike to a coin shop on Central Ave and they'd let me bring it in to keep it safe. The guy who ran it had created the plastic bicycle and had made a few but something fell through on it and they never materialized. He had advertising materials and everything. Was being done through RPI if I remember correctly.
Catalog images: https://www.proteanpaper.com/scart_r...00000000000332
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Old 10-19-22, 06:06 PM
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You could 3D print one now.
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Old 10-19-22, 06:23 PM
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Odd that the red one is X cabled with both levers going to the front center pull actually works pretty good, have actually seen this on funny tall bikes hand made helped make couple and yet there is rear brake caliber attached to nothing. Also for record the first plastic bike this is not there were actually a few plastic bikes made in the 1930,s when some of first high grade plastics came out.

Last edited by zukahn1; 10-19-22 at 06:32 PM.
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Old 10-20-22, 10:45 AM
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Originally Posted by grant40
p by someone at the local bike shop who said that he remembers when they came out, but he only saw the advertisements and none of them in real life.
+1, I recall brochures at the LBS but never a bike.
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Old 10-20-22, 11:05 AM
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Originally Posted by juvela
note how both "bicycles" are photographed from the non-drive side
whoever mocked them up for the pictures was not even familiar with the convention to photograph cycles from the drive side
Many of the historical images of bikes I have are taken from the non-drive side, the thought being the viewer knew what a chainwheel and chain looked like and wanted to see the bike.
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Old 10-20-22, 11:13 AM
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The plastic bike that made it to production: the Itera



And for those of you who don't know what a chainwheel and derailleur look like , here's one from the drive side

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Old 10-20-22, 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by tcs
The plastic bike that made it to production: the Itera



And for those of you who don't know what a chainwheel and derailleur look like , here's one from the drive side

Is probably the ugliest bank ever made.
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Old 10-20-22, 03:50 PM
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Originally Posted by tcs
The plastic bike that made it to production: the Itera

And for those of you who don't know what a chainwheel and derailleur look like , here's one from the drive side
Without commenting on the bikes look or (lack of?) success themselves the comparison shows what a startup with allegedly the god of plastic structural frames is capable of when they work hard for "All-in" versus a well established automotive company's "fiddling" with ideas...
Also kind of not understandable how Volvo managed to screw this up big time with really lame errors
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Old 10-22-22, 01:18 PM
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Sadly, I remember that particular Bicycling! article
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Old 10-22-22, 01:38 PM
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Mr Thompson was experimenting with more 'stuff' than just plastic bicycles, methinks. Those bars look a little too happy to me.
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Old 10-22-22, 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by non-fixie
Mr Thompson was experimenting with more 'stuff' than just plastic bicycles, methinks. Those bars look a little too happy to me.
I do believe you're right. 😉

I can't help but wonder what happened, when that "model" tried pedaling, with those bell-bottoms on. 🤔😉
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Old 10-23-22, 06:03 AM
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Seems apropos here.


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Old 10-23-22, 06:13 AM
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Given what we know today about health-threatening, ecosystem-threatening microplastic pollution and about UV degradation of plastic, I am thankful these were an evolutionary dead end. I'll stay with aluminum and steel, thank you.
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Old 10-23-22, 07:06 AM
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Originally Posted by John E
Given what we know today about health-threatening, ecosystem-threatening microplastic pollution and about UV degradation of plastic, I am thankful these were an evolutionary dead end. I'll stay with aluminum and steel, thank you.
That's also a way to look at it, an you are right, but among similar lines I was thinking after my "how did Volvo managed to screwed this up big time" I started to think about "if they were experimenting with full plastic bikes in the 70's, I'm happy that they didn't succeed, since the whole bike trend could have taken a turn and I would miss the 80's-90's steels... maybe some alus as well." and I started to think about my fave bikes...
The whole thing feel like a cold war situation "phew.... it was really close to the atomic war, thanks God it didn't happen..." just "phew.... it was really close to the rise of the plastic bike, thanks God it didn't happen..." which ultimately happened to some - but not full - extend with carbon... but at least no PP and nylon.
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Old 10-24-22, 06:11 AM
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Originally Posted by John E
Given what we know today about health-threatening, ecosystem-threatening microplastic pollution and about UV degradation of plastic, I am thankful these were an evolutionary dead end. I'll stay with aluminum and steel, thank you.
It wasn't a dead end. Plenty of fiber reinforced plastic bikes these days.
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Old 10-24-22, 06:45 AM
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Bowen Spacelander fiberglass bicycle, 1960

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