17 February 2009

Bike Belt

Queensland designer gives a second life to discarded bicycle inner-tubes.

Carrying a spare tire around your waist isn’t usually a good thing, but for Queensland designer Surya Graf and his Snack On design company, it is a stroke of sustainable genius.

Made from recycled bicycle inner-tubes, the ‘Spare Tire’ belt is made using simple, yet sustainable materials. Graf collects the old inner-tubes from local bicycle shops, who would otherwise chuck the tubes out.

“Through sourcing the tubes in this way each one has its own individual story,” Graf says. “As each tube is often produced by different manufacturers they all have unique printing and markings which becomes a fantastic detail.”

Since being officially launched at Brisbane PARKing Day last year, the ‘Spare Tire’ belt has been selling strongly and gaining a lot of attention.

“[The] response has been fantastic. It has been covered in numerous online design, fashion, cycling and environmental sites with great reviews,” Graf says.

As a keen cyclist himself, Graf saw a need to give a second life to these common items. “I have been cycling for many years and I have always been amazed at how most people don’t bother to repair their punctured inner tubes and simply opt to get a new one,” he says

The handmade ‘Spare Tire’ belts ($55.00) are suitable for waist sizes between 28in and 38in and are available through the Snack On design website. The limited edition ‘Cankle’ for bike-riders with pants is also available ($35.00).

snackondesign.com