Bamboo

[Si]

Lets give the steel vs alu vs ti vs carbon thing a rest and talk bamboo as a frame material.

Ive experienced two...one shop bought was light and comfortable, the owner saying that he'd never had any trouble with it in around four years. The other home made and home designed....it felt like riding a FSer - you could see it flex under you, snd the owner carried a roll of bailling twine for en route repairs.

Those that like bamboo say its lighter than most steel and has a comfie ride like ti.
Tubes can crack but so what? Just put some cord round them and let the resin set.
Easy to get a custom frame.
Reasonably cheap
The fulfilment of building your own frame.

The main arguements ive seen against it is that unlike other materials where the tubes are very uniform, you cant guarantee that any two tubes will be of the same strength, thinkness, or character.
Because many are home made, the joints can be dodgy.
Brazeons may be a lot weaker than other materials as the are not welded on (assuming they arent on the metal dropouts).

So what's the panel's views?

[Bmblbzzz]

....it felt like riding a FSer -

What is an FSer?

[mjr]

....it felt like riding a FSer -

What is an FSer?

Full Squisher - suspension front and back.

[Mick F]

Lets give the steel vs alu vs ti vs carbon thing a rest and talk bamboo as a frame material.

What about the front end?
I can see the Bamboo Idea for the main triangle, and even the rear triangle .............. but the steerer and forks?

Don't you have to talk about steel/alu/Ti/carbon?

[Si]

One of the bamboo bikes I rode had either bamboo or wooden forks (and a handle bar made from a worryingly spindly tree branch!). the builder started with a steel frame, pinned it to an old door, put in his jig points, removed the steel frame then built the bamboo bike into it. Even had a part bamboo saddle, which, again, was surprisingly comfortable.


Most of the commercial bamboo bikes seem to still use conventional material for forks, dropouts, BB shells, etc.

[Bmblbzzz]

....it felt like riding a FSer -

What is an FSer?

Full Squisher - suspension front and back.

Of course! Should've known that one.

[Bmblbzzz]

Well I'm afraid I've never ridden a bamboo bike but the idea of "grow your own bike" has a certain appeal.

[rjb]

heres an add from the 1939 copy of cycling magazine


Not sure i'd be keen on putting them in my tandem.

They would need a very big tree to make a rim for a high ordinary.

[al_yrpal]

Near Utah beach in Normandy theres a museum that is dedicated to the WWII German occupation. On show are bicycle wheels made from bamboo by the locals. There was no steel or aluminium available.

Saw an american ad for bamboo cutlery for camper vans the other day. Apparently it doesnt rattle

Al

[Bmblbzzz]

heres an add from the 1939 copy of cycling magazine


Not sure i'd be keen on putting them in my tandem.

They would need a very big tree to make a rim for a high ordinary.

When the alternative was chromed steel, I expect wood was the better material. However, bamboo is not wood, it's a type of grass. Hollow stems, like a tube.

[Ugly]

Constrictor rims as illustrated were made from laminated maple not bamboo. Intended for racing they were as strong or stronger than the alloy rims of the day. The disadvantage of them was a tendency to warp in the damp days of winter, so riders slackened off the spokes at the end of the racing season and re-trued them in the spring. They also needed to be varnished each year. The is a company in Italy still making laminated wood rims.

[Bmblbzzz]

It seems they do bamboo rims as well!
https://www.cerchioghisallo.com/shop/ri ... -rims.html

[Wanlock Dod]

My cousin and partner both made tourers and rode them most of the way around the world, probably wouldn't ride much else these days. They said it was so much more comfortable than anything else to ride. I'm seriously tempted to have a go myself, although I don't really need any more bikes.

I suspect that it is pretty easy to make to first one rather heavier than it might be, simply by adding more material than is required, it could also turn out pretty ugly too. However, I'm also pretty confident that by the time you have got to the Mk VI stage you could probably be turning out some nice bikes. Whilst some of the usual attachment points might be problematic, you could have some interesting integrated racks and things.

[Norman H]

http://bamboobicycleclub.org/

[Bmblbzzz]

http://bamboobicycleclub.org/

And I was thinking...
http://www.manchesterbeat.com/venues/ha ... bamboo.php