Bamboo bike
 

Who here has ridden one of these? I don't think I'd ever get one of these, but what kind of ride quality would come from this? Bamboo is real.
http://www.organicbikes.com/images/p...n-frame-08.jpg

This frame has been discussed on this forum many times before, and the concensus seems to be that it's a pretty dumb idea, given that much of the frame isn't even bamboo.

I know it's been on before, but what about the ride? There's certainly enough bamboo to make a different riding bike than all aluminum.

That might be true. But you have to be 300$ worth of dumb to find out.

That one looks pretty cheaply made.

I'm a much bigger fan of The One from Panda Bikes.

http://www.pandabicycles.com/wp-cont...One_s_600t.png

It actually looks like it's made of bamboo instead of just having little bamboo inserts, and it looks great in person.

It's also $2100 complete.

Over in the framebuilders' forum there's a thread about bamboo frames - from a more or less DIY viewpoint. I found it pretty interestaining. Might be a fun winter project...

The first thought that comes to mind ? They took an old 10 speed frame and recycled it ? Cutting the joints and reusing something that might've been bent after an accident beyond the welded joint areas. I wouldn't mind trying one out, but not for what they're selling one for. I'd want a lifetime warranty on the frame too. Bike theft would be infinitely easier, a saw cuts thru that easier than steel.

The next thought, a Gilligan's Island bike.

http://www.lrudel.com/images/gilligan.jpg
http://www.instructables.com/id/Bamboo-Bike-Frame/

It looks like someone cut up a Scrambler and jammed table legs into the tubes.

Hey there, I've made some bamboo frames. Compared to steel, the ride is smoother. I've never ridden a full carbon frame so I can't compare it to that. I don't know about the Dylan frames, but have some questions about it. The bamboo seems to overlap a lot with the lugs, so it might be heavy. Are the seat stays bamboo? It's hard to tell in the picture. How is that thing being held together? Is it just epoxy? I don't know how much I would trust those joints if that is the case... If you do buy one, let me know. I would be interested in hearing about it.


You can build one for around the same price, and it would probably be just as good or better. Here is a picture of my bike setup as a fixed gear. I intend to make a geared bike, and this was just to test the frame, so you will notice a few things wrong with the bike (I fixed the chain tension right after this picture)...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-bwKM_iTlr...0/IMG_0342.JPG

I'm not sure this would be an issue, for two reasons. First, the main thing of value on a bamboo bike is the frame. Second, people would definitely noticed if they saw you using a hacksaw or something else to cut through a frame. Additionally, with a good hacksaw it is extremely easy to cut through a normal frame. When I cut apart my donor frame, it took me about 10 - 15 seconds to cut through the downtube with a new hacksaw blade.


Did you get to ride one? The tubing looks pretty thin for bamboo. It's hard to tell from that picture, but it looks similar to the diameter I used on my second frame, which flexed a lot while riding in higher gears.


If you plan on building one, definitely read up on it as much as possible. My first two frames were not usable for various reasons. My third frame is looking good though. :]

Unfortunately I did not. It was a display model they had up on a table at a local cycling party event thingy.

The guy said he used it as his daily ride, though, and they seemed like they were staying pretty busy selling the frames.