Bike Forums - Vintage Bamboo Bikes

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Vintage Bamboo Bikes

The subject of Bamboo for bike tubing recently came up on the Framebuilders Forum.
It is currently being used in underdeveloped countries to build cargo bikes using local renewable materials.

Naturally Ol' Bob had to toss in his weird trivia regarding the long history of bamboo bike construction. :rolleyes:

Here is my original post:

Remember, the concept has been around for a long time.
Here is a bamboo bike from The Bamboo Cycle Co. (1894-1899)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2175/...d36946.jpg?v=0

Larger Image Here

Only days later, I came across more information regarding that same company:

Here is a current ebay auction for... you guessed it -
an 1897 Bamboo Cycle Co. Catalogue!

http://i22.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/d2/c9/6aba_1.JPG

Now, if only I could find one of the actual bikes... :D

So Bob, are you going for the catalogue? The bike's beautiful!

You need one of those bikes.

East Hill

I love those rims. Do you know what the bike weighed?

Quote:

Originally Posted by East Hill (Post 6051984)

So Bob, are you going for the catalogue? The bike's beautiful!
You need one of those bikes.
East Hill

:p I'm not even going to bid. In fact, I just noticed that Craig Calfee is bidding on it. Craig is one of the early pioneers of Carbon Fiber bike building (20 years ago?) who has recently become involved with World Bike programs and had even personally spent time in Ghana teaching villagers how to build inexpensive cargo bikes with locally grown bamboo and using local processed natural fibers which can be coated with various resins to form extremely strong lugs (somewhat similar to CF onstruction). If anyone deserves the catalog (and even a Nobel Prize!) he would be the man. :)

I agree, that certainly is a cool looking bike. The bike is from the collection of Pryor Dodge, and the photo is from his own lovely book "The Bicycle".

Bamboo is one of the most rapid growing and thus efficiently renewable materials on earth and is extremely strong even in it's dried natural stalk form, and it is also already being processed for use as an alternative to high quality hardwood flooring and even cutting boards and table tops. It may be the last tree-like plant left after we destroy all the rain forests (...any day now:().

Quote:

Originally Posted by stronglight (Post 6052722)

Yes, I too had noticed that calfeedesigns was bidding--which is why I asked. I didn't think you would want to rob Craig of that bit of history!

Don't forget, not only does bamboo have all those uses you listed--but it's edible, too! And, fast growing since it's nothing more than a big grass.

East Hill

Quote:

Originally Posted by East Hill (Post 6053818)

Pandas love the stuff! and if it's good enough for Pandas it's good enough for me! ;) but I don't want to hear any saying that carbon is edible! That's where I draw the line! ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by East Hill (Post 6053818)

Yes, I too had noticed that calfeedesigns was bidding--which is why I asked. I didn't think you would want to rob Craig of that bit of history!

Don't forget, not only does bamboo have all those uses you listed--but it's edible, too! And, fast growing since it's nothing more than a big grass.

East Hill

Also used for making cloth for clothing and household goods. It is really an amazing plant and regenerates quite rapidly. I would be interested in seeing how they actually build the bikes...we have some stands of bamboo down by the river about 20 miles from my house.:D

Aaron:)

Did "ol Bob" tell ya The Bamboo was introduced at the Stanley Cycle show,Agricultural Hall,November 1893.
And that the Editor of Bicycling News,G.Lacy Hillier,gave the owners this advise to improver their product:"go away,gentlemen,and put thin gage steel tubing inside each bamboo constituent of your frame;then take away the bamboo!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilikebikes (Post 6053899)

Pandas love the stuff! and if it's good enough for Pandas it's good enough for me! ;) but I don't want to hear any saying that carbon is edible! That's where I draw the line! ;)

And this from a carbon based lifeform?:rolleyes: