Allen

Had some free time and a friend to give me a second set of hands this weekend to get some work done on my bamboo project.

Selecting what pieces of wood I would use and getting a general idea of its shape (will be using a non suspension fork).


Mitered, but not yet tacked and the head tube needs trimming.

stronglight

Looks like your Bamboo bike is coming along nicely. I suppose the seatpost would be held from slipping down or splitting the top of the bamboo seat tube by using a simple bolt-on clamp ... just as is already the norm on modern CF, Aluminum, TI and even lugless steel framesets.

I was recently discussing with a friend just how far one might go with a completely home built bike... say in a post-apocalyptic world scenario - where fancy industrial milling machines were long silenced, and thin walled steel tubing would be no longer available to simply order over an Internet which would no longer exist.

An image from last year's Copake Bicycle Auctions which I recently came across got me thinking about just what could be done with bicycle wheels, as well. The wooden spokes and rims if this early Safety bike are surely quite strong, and likely rather light weight too. And, I suspect the spokes could be further thinned if additional spokes on each wheel were used. Such a wheel might be fairly easy to construct. No more difficult then setting the rails of the backrest on an 18th century Windsor chair or perhaps a bentwood rocking chair would a better example of the ability of simple forms to hold together well even when under the stresses of movement. I love Amish and Shaker furniture already... I'm probably about ready to take another step backward toward earlier 19th century forms of bike technology too.

ChiapasFixed

well, heres my first 'boo bike competed. have put just under 100k on it, and it is like riding a cloud. only problem is, the sealed BB keeps coming loose! i might just have to gorrilla glue the thread, though maybe ill try teflon tape first.

CouchingTiger

OK, quick question. Where did you get the raw bamboo from? I'm located in the US NorthEast and am not sure where one would locate the stuff.

Thanks,

-Couch

ChiapasFixed

i live in southern mexico. the bamboo for my bike was sourced in yucatan and veracruz.
here's a link to bamboo distributors in the us:
https://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/

Allen

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.

https://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

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.

ChiapasFixed

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

Allen

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.

Allen

Update:
Tacked

Allen

A sneak peek, I dry fit my wheels and racks to get a idea of what it is going to look like.

Not going to be using the chaincase (it won't fit), just using it as a prop.

huerro

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.

Allen

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.

ChiapasFixed

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.

Allen

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

ChiapasFixed

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!

ChiapasFixed

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.

ChiapasFixed

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

yellowjeep

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.

Allen

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.

Youngin

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

Allen

To tack the frame together I went through about 1 1/2 tubes of scotch weld.

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.

Allen

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

Allen

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

huerro

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.