Utility Cycling - Bamboo bicycle trailer

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA

View Full Version : Bamboo bicycle trailer

vulpes
05-23-07, 01:03 PM
I want to build this baby: http://www.carryfreedom.com/bamboo.html#2 :D. An acquaintance gave me a new (less than 500 miles on them) set of aluminum wheels for my commuter, so I can use the old steel ones for the trailer. All I need now is a local source of straight, strong bamboo poles. Do any of y'all have any ideas where I might look for good bamboo in Colorado? I've seen some at a nearby garden shop but it was not very good quality; more for decoration than construction. :)

kjohnnytarr
05-23-07, 01:48 PM
You don't have to use bamboo. I'd go with PVC
Eco-warrior
05-23-07, 02:33 PM
PVC? That takes away 9/10th of its coolness, not to mention the concept of sustainable natural construction....sans the wheels. Make some bamboo wheels and you'll be set.

vulpes
05-23-07, 02:40 PM
You don't have to use bamboo. I'd go with PVC
No. I want bamboo. It's stronger, lighter, and comes from mother nature rather than a rather environmentally unfriendly manufacturing process. "Vinyl is all around us, but no other plastic poses such direct environmental and human health risks." according to http://www.pvcinformation.org/. Bamboo is a very under-rated and under-used (in this part of the world) renewable and sustainable building material. I made my pannier racks out of bamboo and they work great. :)

Check this out. http://www.americanbamboo.org/GeneralInfoPages/BambooBicycle.html
Tom Stormcrowe
05-23-07, 04:04 PM
I want to build this baby: http://www.carryfreedom.com/bamboo.html#2 :D. An acquaintance gave me a new (less than 500 miles on them) set of aluminum wheels for my commuter, so I can use the old steel ones for the trailer. All I need now is a local source of straight, strong bamboo poles. Do any of y'all have any ideas where I might look for good bamboo in Colorado? I've seen some at a nearby garden shop but it was not very good quality; more for decoration than construction. :)
You have anyone that carries those big long Bamboo fishing poles?;)
lyeinyoureye
05-23-07, 04:48 PM
Hmmm... What wood is strong enough and relatively easily machined for joints? I could see bamboo in that context... Other wise it'd be a PITA imo.
cerewa
05-23-07, 04:58 PM
If you lived here, where bamboo is considered an invasive species, you could just cut some down on the side of the road.

If you live in Colorado, it might be better to use electrical conduit (like I did) or PVC.

I didn't use bamboo for my frame because I wondered whether I would be able to attach the trailer tongue securely to the trailer frame so that it wouldn't break off. With conduit and a conduit bender, the trailer tongue is the same piece of metal as a large portion of the frame.