IET Lecture on bamboo bikes at Oxford Brooks University

[Yellow Fang]

To anyone who's interested. You don't have to be a member of the IET to attend.

link.

 

[Shaun]

Three things spring to mind - would it be strong enough to take on the road? would it flex too much to be a comfortable ride? would it crack under the constant battering it would get (especially on some of the roads around Hull )?

Presumably they don't just use bare bamboo?

 

[MacB]

There's a build your own under supervision workshop you can do in London and it all seems pretty good. For me the biggest offputting aspect was that you have to treat the frame regularly, I think it was yearly. Apparently they can't put a coat on bamboo that will stay.

 

[subaqua]

To anyone who's interested. You don't have to be a member of the IET to attend.

link.

I can highly recommend IET lectures. as a member I use them for my CPD and have been to some stunning ones in the last year.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I can highly recommend IET lectures. as a member I use them for my CPD and have been to some stunning ones in the last year.

I recommend them too. I am actually a member of the BCS (British Computer Society), but the Institute of Engineering and Technology is much better.

 

[ASC1951]

Three things spring to mind - would it be strong enough to take on the road? would it flex too much to be a comfortable ride? would it crack under the constant battering it would get (especially on some of the roads around Hull )?

Yes; yes; no.

Presumably they don't just use bare bamboo?

They have been around for while, but are not 'made of bamboo' as most of us would understand the phrase. The only bamboo bits are the mid sections of the frame tubes and sometimes the seat stays.

 

[ColinJ]

Three things spring to mind - would it be strong enough to take on the road? would it flex too much to be a comfortable ride? would it crack under the constant battering it would get (especially on some of the roads around Hull )?

It's strong enough to use as scaffolding in Hong Kong!

 

[subaqua]

It's strong enough to use as scaffolding in Hong Kong!

and strangely enough when traditional steel scaffold was used instead there were more injuries to scaffolders. will have to have a dig thro some of the stuff on the work PC for the article

 

[G3CWI]

Check out Durianracer's videos on YouTube. He has one of his bamboo bike. He is a real motormouth too.

 

[Theseus]

Three things spring to mind - would it be strong enough to take on the road? would it flex too much to be a comfortable ride? would it crack under the constant battering it would get (especially on some of the roads around Hull )?

Presumably they don't just use bare bamboo?

Calfee have been making them for years and are near the top of my pron list

Bamboo Features:

• Smoked and heat treated bamboo tubing
• Hemp fiber lugs with plant based high performance eco resin
• Frame weighs 4 to 6 pounds
• Titanium dropouts
• Optional carbon PressFit 30, eccentric bottom bracket shell and horizontal dropouts
• Optional head tube and seat tube extensions
• Optional rear axle spacing, tire clearance, brake type, cable routing, and accessory integration
• Optional custom frame geometry
• 10 year warranty

Bamboo Benefits:

• Our most crash tolerant frame
• Amazing vibration dampening
• Stiffer than many carbon frames
• Low carbon footprint
• Functional work of art
• Uniqueness; very few on the road

 

[Shaun]

TBH I'd love to try one - just to see what they feel like to ride.

I like the environmental aspect too - anything that offers a lower carbon footprint for no obvious compromise on strength/weight/quality/product longevity has got to be worth a look.

I'm not sure everyone would easily accept the visual distortion of the bumpy-nuggets at set points along the tubes though, although personally I'd class that as part of the uniqueness of bamboo...

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[MacB]

Do it right and it could look like you're riding a bike made from giant Twiglets

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I don't like the idea of coating a bike once a year - I have enough trouble cleaning it once a year.

 

[ianrauk]

There have been a couple of Bamboo bikes on the FNRttC's.

 

[MacB]

There have been a couple of Bamboo bikes on the FNRttC's.

and no Pandas, is that a coincidence? I think not