“Bamboo bikes have almost a negative carbon footprint,” said Craig Calfee, President of Calfee Design, which makes bamboo and carbon fiber frames and bikes. “The living bamboo plant may have consumed more carbon dioxide than was used in manufacturing and transporting the frame.

The qualities that make titanium a great material for a bicycle frame – hardness and durability – also make it energy intensive to refine, with 70 percent wasted in the machining process. Steel is not only energy intensive to create but also directly emits CO2 as a byproduct of the production process. Aluminum production consumes five percent of the electricity produced in the US each year and accounts for almost two percent of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, though bicycle production accounts for only a small fraction of that total. Evans cites green energy guru Amory Lovins as stating that aluminum is congealed electricity

Overall, is bamboo the answer to creating the ideal low-impact bicycle? “Bamboo is the most ecological, saving even on transport because you could potentially obtain your bamboo out the back door of your factory – since it grows easily anywhere,” Calfee said.
In addition to being renewable, bamboo has a lot going for it. It’s both light and durable. “Bamboo and carbon fiber do seem to have an infinite fatigue life because they are composite materials,” said Calfee, who also makes carbon fiber bikes. He still owns his first bamboo bike, built in 1995. “I know there are some 100-yearold bamboo tea houses in Japan that have survived all kinds of calamities over the past century,” he said.

Calfee gets a bit mystical about the power of bamboo bikes to inspire joy. “I have a lot of different bikes here that I ride. When I hop on a bamboo bike, I notice that I’m in a better mood,” he said, adding that his customers have reported this as well. “I think there’s a universal human trait that we want to live in harmony with nature.”

Don't over lubricate (grease and oil) your bicycle. Any excess is was wasting resources, and some will likely drip onto the road and eventually add to the pollution of the land and water. The import location for chain lube is between the plates and pins. One drop of lubricant along each pin is sufficient. Spraying the outside of the chain gets relatively lubricant where it needs to be, wastes a huge amount lubricant and leaves a lot dripping off.
Use a biodegradable, non-petroleum degreaser and "non-butyl" or "butyl-free" cleaners.
Minimize the use of hazardous (petroleum, caustic and volatile) materials. Properly manage and properly recycle and dispose of any hazardous lubricants and solvents that you must use.