The crazy idea of making bikes out of bamboo is actually not all that crazy.
It has excellent vibration dampening effects, noticeable on bumpy roads.
It is an earthquake resistant construction material & used to build bridges.
Very strong natural material with some properties comparable to steel.
Almost zero greenhouse gases emissions.
Fast growing and locally sourced – perfect for home industries.
The world’s first bamboo bikes were built in England in 1884.
HARVEST AND SELECT THE BAMBOO
We source all bamboo from local communities
who harvest according to diameters, lengths and wall thicknesses we have specified.
Our team selects only the bamboo tubes that meet our strict standards.
They’ve used bamboo all their lives, were taught bamboo clump management techniques by our team and only select bamboo of the correct age and quality.
BUILDING THE FRAME
The aluminium tube set and dropouts are secured in the jig, set to the precise geometry, bamboo tubes cut to length, their ends mitred and tacked to the components.
After removal, the frame is then wrapped tightly with plastic to protect the bamboo and the joints painstakingly bound with hemp and epoxy resin.
After hardening, they are trimmed and sanded, ready for finishing.
FINISHING, POLISHING AND ASSEMBLY
The last step is to seal, varnish, sand and polish the frames, particularly around the joints.
Then, we only have to put them all together with the wheels and other bike components, test and ride them.
The entire process takes 50 hours per bike.