I need to trim the seat tube to length, just haven't decided how long I'll let it be.
The seat tube is large enough in diameter that I can just slide a short section of steel tube down it. I'll epoxy it in place and have it sit just proud and mount the seat clamp to it.

http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk/cycl...g/woodrims.htm
^^^
Neat little piece on making wooden rims.





I sourced my wood from Bamboo Hardwoods out of Washington state.

The hemp fiber I'll use comes from Aurora Silk.

Dropouts, headtubes and such, came from either Nova or Henry James.

Epoxies other supplies I went to Aircraft Spruce.


--Allen

While looking for bamboo bikes I found tonight a few small pictures of some Chinese bamboo bikes.
The trike with the passenger chair is great.

http://awcg.com/Allen/RandomImages/b116000663_56122.jpg
http://awcg.com/Allen/RandomImages/b116000663_56123.jpg

Wow, please post larger pics or the url, those look REALLY cool!!

I found them buried in a web site of Chinese manufactures.
They are made by Hangzhou Xinnan Rattan & Bamboo Works.
I can't find a Hangzhou Xinnan web site.

Update:
Tacked
http://awcg.com/Allen/Bicycle/X1/Tacked.jpg

A sneak peek, I dry fit my wheels and racks to get a idea of what it is going to look like.
http://awcg.com/Allen/Bicycle/X1/SneakPeek.jpg
Not going to be using the chaincase (it won't fit), just using it as a prop.

Chapaneco and Allen,

These bikes are looking great! Where are you getting the material/process information for these builds. Is there a site or publication or are you working it out as you go along?

I'm mostly curious how you are choosing your bamboo (species, diameter, etc) and epoxy.

Huerro,

I picked black bamboo because it has been used successfully by others, tonkin is another verity that is commonly used.
I ordered more wood than I needed at various sizes and just picked what I felt would work out of my selection. My main tubes are about 1 3/4 inches across.
For basic building techniques I read through a friend's copy of the Paterek Manual.
I gleaned a lot of information off of Frame Forum (search the archives for bamboo) and Bamboo Crafts.
Brano Meres shows how he made a few of his bikes (the new ones are astounding).
Bamboo Bike Project was insightful, as was an episode of "Invention Nation", broadcast by Discovery Networks, when they did an interview with Craig Calfee.
For epoxy I'm using 3M Scotch Weld. Amazing stuff.
I sourced my wood from Bamboo Hardwoods.

hmm, well. i used some phylostachys aurea, which is very similar to the phylostachys nigra that allenG is using. I also got some dendrocalmus strictus from yucatan, this is known as iron bamboo, it really is very hard and stiff. i used this for the chainstays and top tube, hoping to add some stiffness to the bike. and it is pretty stiff withouth loosing the road vibration dampening.
as for the process, i got all the info i could online and looked at calfee´s and daedalus's bikes for hours, went on bambooforurs, etc. and then just winged it.
i used the only polyurethane resin available in my area, used here for doing body work on cars and making the animals for children's carrousels. it gets very hard.

Chapaneco,

How was the hemp fiber to work with?
And I haven't said it yet, you built a damn good looking bike.
Since I dry fit my tires I found I'm going to have to use 2 inch tires, the 2.3 inch that are on those rims are giving me less than a millimeter of clearance between the chain stays.

Cheers,

--Allen

i used henequen fiber, also known as sisal. ir comes from a large agave plant and is very strong. it comes only in short strands of about 35cm, so i tied alot of knots. this was the hardest part, since the fiber was soaked in toxic resin, and this is why my joints ate kinda lumpy. i thought about sanding them down smooth, but thought this would maybe take from their structural integrity, so i decided to test the bike without sanding them much. they could be made to look alot nicer. i was more concerned with seeing how well the bike performed than with looks on this first try. i am now making the second...
everyone here want to buy it!

Since I dry fit my tires I found I'm going to have to use 2 inch tires, the 2.3 inch that are on those rims are giving me less than a millimeter of clearance between the chain stays.

i had designed my frame for 25mm tyres, as it is a track bike, but ended up having to use 23mm ones. they work fine, but yes, the seatstay bamboo diameter is something to consider. i think i can make them thinner using the iron bamboo, as it is really stiff.

a tip: sand the hell out of the bb sleeve, maybe even make 2-3mm grooves all along the outside. the epoxy does not bond well to smooth metal, neither does the polyU

Allen how much epoxy are you thinkng you are going to end up using?

sorry for the misspelled name the first time, I caught it and then forgot to change it.

I put it on the grinder first, put a series of groves across it. I noticed on the Discovery show that Calfee is using a bottom bracket shell that has been threaded on the outside. I may do something similar with the metal parts of my next frame.

Would it be possible to use bamboo for just seat stays on a steel or aluminum bike?

To tack the frame together I went through about 1 1/2 tubes of scotch weld.
http://www.chamberlinrubber.com/blog...m-adhesive.jpg
I'm using that ^^^ size tube, I'm using the 125 type (25 min working life as apposed to 90 min of the 190 above).

For the epoxy I'm using with my hemp fiber I have a 2 quart jars of epoxy and both come with small cans of hardener. It's made by West Systems. I expect one quart is going to be well more than plenty.

{edit}
Aircraft Spruce sells the epoxy, mixing tips, and handle (like a small caulk gun) separately and they are not all on the same page. They also sell the tips in groups of 1. Make sure you get a handful of tips, best to call when you order.

I would expect. You would still need to wrap the joints with composites, but it should work.

Chapaneco,

Watching "Invention Nation", I think I caught that Calfee is using a small, pneumatic grinder to shape his lugs.

I am going to try a few test pieces first (although all I really care about is them holding up).

--A

Thanks gentlemen.

Are you using a metal seat tube ala Brano Meres? If not, how are you attaching the collar to the bamboo?

I hope you don't mind if I keep asking questions.

I am going to use a short piece of seat tube and attach the collar to that.
I do like Brano's bamboo seat post, although I'm going to use a regular one.

Don't mind the questions at all. Do keep in mind this is my first frame, and it hasn't proven it's not a wheeled punji stick yet.

dont mind the questions at all. looks like bamboo bike building is the new thing, this thread could be a good resource for many.
i used a short piece of steel tube inside the seattube too. cant really see how else you would do it, i dont think the bamboo holds up to well to internal pressures like that, it would probably crack...
my next frame is going to bee 100% iron bamboo, so i will see how it compares to the first one in terms of stiffness. the first one is actually plenty stiff, but i havent taken it to the track for all out sprinting yet...
whats a punji stick?

ouch!

thankfully, even if enough force were applied to the frame to break the bamboo, it would split and shatter, not break into sharp pointy pieces.... right?

It's my understanding that only carbon bikes actually explode. ;)

More Update:
Ready to start the lugs
http://awcg.com/Allen/Bicycle/X1/Wrapped.jpg

Lugs dry
http://awcg.com/Allen/Bicycle/X1/UnWrapped.jpg
Next I'm going to sand the lugs and smooth them with bondo.
Being that this is my first frame I take no shame in using bondo to give the lugs a final shape.

Learned a lot building this frame. The Mark II will be done differently.
For one my vacuum pump died, so I used tape. The next will be done in a vacuum bag.
Another change will be I will add filler to epoxy and will smooth the joints (such as around the seat stays and seat tube) before I wrap the lugs.
Other than the fact it's ugly nothing is wrong with this frame, it's perfectly rideable and I'll will build it up.

I'll post a pics of the bondo work as it progresses.

great! not ugly at all.
what fiber did you end up using?
i just took my boo bike on its first critical mass ride here (we call it "pedalazo"), it was an instant hit, even the traffic cops were oggling it and asking me to make them theirs!
i look forward to see pics of your finished build, is it a 29er? ss or fixed?
congrats on a great job, you are almost done!

Chapaneco,

It's a 29er. I'm not going SS or fixed, I have an internal geared hub to hang on it.
Went with hemp (sourced it from here)
^^^
Another change I'll make on the next frame is I'm going to spin the fiber into twine first.

Did you or would you consider finishing your bamboo with tung oil or clear coat?
I know I'm going to paint my lugs, but I don't know how a finish coat would adhere to the bamboo.

Oh and thanks, seeing your bike lit the fire under me to finish this one.

Not ugly at all. You'll have to give us a full update on how it rides and of course pics of the built up bike.

You have both inspired me and I will be building one of these in the fall.

Did you put on a metal brake bridge? Or does the hub have a roller or coaster brake?

I've been thinking about doing a road frame, and have been thinking about whether it would be better to bond on a metal brake bridge, drill a bamboo bridge that I could cut a good miter on or something else entirely.