BYOB: Build Your Own Bambike
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 04.30.05
Have you looked with longing eyes at the gorgeous Ross Lovegroove Bamboo bike by Biomega, but not quite felt right about the price? Are you a little of a handyman yourself, and fancied having a go at a bamboo cycle? Are you just now finishing the conversion of your diesel Golf to SVO, and looking for a new project? Then Slovakian handyman Brano Meres may have just the idea for you...
He is the proud owner of a home-built bamboo bike frame, and has chronicled his journey so that others might do the same. Brano saved himself a load of work and hassle by using pre-made joints and pedal mechanisms originally intended for use with carbon fiber construction. His frame weighs just over four pounds, and is light an responsive just like he planned. Definitely a project worthy of a treehugger. Thanks to Denise for the tip.
:: Bamboo Bike by Brano Meres [by DM]
It is certainly attractive as a statement, but for what it's worth my old aluminum Cannondale 3.0 frame weighed (not surprisingly given the name) 3.0 pounds.
Compared to 4.1 pounds for the bamboo construction.
... and my (eminently recyclable) aluminum frame is still going strong after 10-15 years.
I hate to pop up and be negative, but sometimes the conventional is actually a pretty good "treehugging" (and performance) alternative.
Well what can I say -- Yeah :) Basically, bikes are bikes; If you take care of them, and make sure that a higher embodied energy option(like aluminum) lasts a long time, then you're golden. It's hard not to be treehugging if you Bike commute. So basically, if you bike, awesome. If you wanted to make a bamboo bike for your own enjoyment, this is a great way to go.
And strong work on the long-term use. That's the best way (and apparently hardest to convince people of) to be TH :)
Get a cheap cut-off grinder saw and excise the mid-sections from and old bike with steel frame to replace with bamboo. The main challenge would be getting the bamboo segments' ED to match tube ID, plus tolerance to handle moisture driven expansion of the boo. For that you'd want a turret lathe that would let you machine or sand down the butt ends appropriately. Wonder how much weight that would shave off oldies? Enough to let them be recyled on a mass basis (sorry in advance for pun).
My bike story is that I used to ride for recreation (mostly mountain bikes) got out of it for almost 10 years, and started to get back into shape a couple years ago. A crash, broken wrist, bone graft slowed that down. Anyway as I got back into it, I'd ask myself "in the old days did I really do this hill in my middle chain-ring?"
It seemed impossible ... until yesterday, when I again did that hill in my middle chain-ring. I hadn't done it for 10 years at least, and to do it again (in my mid-40s) makes me feel pretty good.
I think using the bike for as many errands as possible has made the difference.
It's great if you can avoid the crashes, mountain lions, rattle snakes, lime-ticks, nile-mosquitoes ...
cute, but i'll keep my aluminum frame. have you ever seen bamboo that's been weathered? i'd be timid aout taking this thing off-road. worrying about the strength of my equipment makes mountain biking less exciting.
it's arguable that it's more eco than an all aluminum frame, but i like it's novelty.
The main problem I see with this is the danger of the bamboo breaking. Have you seen how sharp broken bamboo is? Wouldnt want to be impalled on a bamboo stick in a crash...