Originally Posted by
AllenG
It's not the thickness of the bamboo that you need to be concerned with, it's the diameter of the tubes.
You want 2 inch tubes at least.
I've built several bamboo diamond frames and small diameter tubes = a swing set bike.
Google Brano Meres, he has a good how to on the building of his bamboo diamond frame.
3M Scotch weld is a good glue to use
West Systems is an easy to use epoxy system.
Go into the framebuilding section of BF and search for Bamboo.
There are many threads in there started by bamboo builders.
Oh, and buy your bamboo for your first bike from a supplier like Bamboo Hardwoods or Frank's Bamboo.
Their bamboo is from China (so it's aged already and less likely to split).
Fresh bamboo needs a year or so to dry.
Thanks for this info and thanks to sunny for making this thread and posting that video.
I think I'm gonna make a dual 700c stick bike out of bamboo because it seems well suited for this style and I'm not entirely pleased with the commercial frame options (though I have a commercial frame almost dialed in to use as a sizing reference).
I like the idea of making it with my bare hands from materials that could potentially be grown in my yard. Matches well with my cycling ethos. Maybe I'll even try making a hard shell seat out of steamed balsa.