Remember your childhood bicycle? Made from metal, rubber, and other modern materials, that bike likely took you to friends’ homes, the local playground, maybe the grocery store.
Now, picture for a moment living in ancient times when the materials used for your bicycle didn’t exist. What would you do? What would you use to create your simple mode of transportation? Can you picture that bike made from wood?
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It’s not just an idea, it’s a reality, as an aborigine tribe in the Philippines does just that, carving what Pixelated Planet calls “huge, ornate bicycles.”
The wooden bicycles are far from a mere oddity to be admired, as the Igolot-Garonne tribe put their wooden bikes to work, commonly using them for downhill races.
There’s no safety gear for the tribal riders as their bikes, designed with an animal theme, reach speeds up to 25 mph; instead, they are seen wearing a bahag, a traditional highlander g-string, and a robe dyed red.
The bicycles, which slow and stop thorough the use of a wooden pedal, are an example that even in these modern times, methods of the past still have lessons to teach.
Photos of Wooden Bikes
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