The Original Plastic Bike INC prototype circa 1972
A quantum leap in the evolution of bicycles.
Perhaps anyone who has ever seen the landmark film "The Graduate" in the mid sixties will
remember the scene at the party where an excited older gentelman sidles up to Dustin Hoffman
and blurts out the word
PLASTICS !. At the time regular gas at the pump was selling for
around .17 cents a gallon and oil was in limitless supply. Plastics had began to advance in the
1930's and with the research and development of resins during WW2, the Korean Conflict, and
the Vietnam War, plastics were beginning to be called "Space Age" materials. The heat shields
of the Mercury Astronauts space capsuls were even made of plastics. ESR's or Engineered
Structural Resins were coming into their stride offering features ferous metals and metal alloys
could never attain in strength and other qualities the public could hardly believe.
The idea for the Plastic Bike came from three sources. First bicycle enthusiasts Joseph Dorrity.
Charles Cadorette. Second, marketing specialist & CEO Dr. John P. Marzullo (a business lawyer),
VP Roger Stark a seasoned corporate executive. And third, the director and vice president of research and development who actually made this "happen" William Thompson. Thompson was an engineer who was noted as one of the worlds foremost authorities on ESR's and tool and die
design for utilizing them.
Yet, at this time the cost of oil was beginning to raise with gas at the pumps reaching .40
cent a gallon and the cost of plastic resins soaring over 200% where most other industrial
oils lagged at 150% or less. It spelled the doom for many a "plastic dream" product and the industries that would produce them. Ben Bowden, the desinger of the "Spacelander" bicycle had
also designed the one piece plastic shower/bathtub enclosure that would see more production
than bicycles.
In addition to filling the void in the consumer bicycle market, Original Plastic Bike Inc. will
become the first and only manufacturer of complete bicycle parts in the United States.
The Original Plastic Bike is the world's first plastic bicycle. Today they are more common as
frames have been in production for several decades.
Its frame, fork and handlebar, front & rear hubs, freewheels, chain wheels, derailleur system,
caliper handbrakes and chain are completely produced from this patented engineered structural
resin.
Because of its unique unibody construction and strength of this revolutionary plastic, it is
structurally stronger than steel. The frame alone will support a fully equipped automobile.
Because of the self-lubricating qualities of this patented plastic, maintenance and breakdown are virtually eliminated. It requires no grease or oil.
The OPB was also equipped with newly designed reflectorized tires, giving it a safety feature no other bike can offer.
The OPB weighs less than 17 lb., making it ideal for the racing enthusiasts. This bike is not just a toy.
It was to come in 6 colors and 3, 5 or 10 speeds. The color on the OPB is not on the bike's
surface. It's in it just like the vinyl siding on houses. The color is actually embedded
in the plastic at the time of molding. It will never chip, discolor or rust. The colors that were to
be offered were green, blue, red, yellow, white and black.
You would also have a choice of speeds: 3, 5 or 10. (In sizes 26 and 27 in.) The freewheels,
chain wheels and derailleur system allows you to maximize gear ratio with optimum transmission.
The OPB bike could withstand temperatures of 30 below 0 to 500 F. It would not be harmed
by salt water making it an ideal beach cruiser. Various hazards such as solvents or acids which may get spilled on it when stored in the garage would not have any effect on it. The plastic
parts were designed to be produced in the USA and would be lighter in weight and price
as well as being in a dependable supply source.
The ESR and superior engineering given to every part made will be far superior to all
conventional metal parts. They will have smoother action, require no lubrication, and have less
components overall with the results being sharply reduced maintenance and cost.
The plastic caliper handbrake is a lightweight center pull type. And it has a feature that most
other bikes won't have. The brakes are self aligning. This prevents uneven wear of the brake
shoes and makes the braking system operate more efficiently. Because of the
self alignment feature and the fact that it has less components, it is by far the most effect
braking system offered. Any other braking system like it would be quite expensive but OPB
actually reduced the price with production and engineering advances.
The front & rear plastic hubs are 36 hole, wide flange. They are completely interchangeable with standard 3, 5, and 10 speed bicycles and work on a derailleur principle. The hubs were
tested for 3,000 continuous miles at an average speed of 25 m.p.h., showing no need of
lubrication. The hubs are absolutely immune to corrosion and virtually eliminate maximum
friction and wear. Dirt, grit and oil build-up are also eliminated due to the self lubrication
qualities on this engineered plastic hub.
The material in our freewheels and chain wheels have been ballistically tested for maximum
impact strength. They are noncorrosive and very light in weight further reducing the overall
weight of the bike. The double chain ring offers a 47 & 52 teeth combination. The single chain
wheel used in the 3 & 5 speed bikes comes in a 47 teeth. The chain is all plastic as well.
The freewheel teeth will come in 14, 17, 21, 26, & 31 to be used in combination with chain
wheels to make use of maximum gear ration efficiently. This allows optimum transmission for the
rider.
See the photo of parts below.
And these are within the last 20 to 40 years.
