Self Build Bamboo Bike Frame Kit Build Thread

[Elysian_Roads]

Well with the weather in the mid to high twenties all week and next week seeing a return to more normal temperatures and showers, I took every opportunity I could this week to work on the bike.

As pointed out by @C R the Lacquer is a very different beast to the colour paint. I did a test spray on an old spare piece of Bamboo and could instantly see that this was very fine and it would run really easily. Keeping a good spraying distance and making sure that you kept moving were crucial to avoid runs. I took to keeping a ruler with me as I sprayed to check that I was keeping at least 20cm away.

I sprayed one coat on the lugs before removing the protective paper and masking tape for the last time. There was one or two small places where the paint had crept under the tape, but that was easily taken care of with a gentle scrape of a Stanley blade.

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With the tape removed, over the next days I sprayed the entire frame with 2 more coats of Lacquer. Aside from a couple of small imperfections in a couple of spots, the lugs have come up really well. So just for @buzzy-beans here's a couple of gratuitous lug shots!

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So here we are today, 6 months, fourteen pages and countless hours of work later, I'm finally at the point where most build threads start. We have a complete and finished frame ready to build into a completed bike. I'm feeling pretty pleased with how it's turned out.

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So fear not folks, the thread is far from over. I'm going to leave it be for a few days whilst it fully cures and then start to build it up. I'll keep updating as I go.

That is such a great result, @chriswoody. Not sure if you have thought about it but the build deserves its own badge on that head tube.

 

[buzzy-beans]

Chris, I am absolutely truly and completely gobsmacked by the superb finish you have created. If it wasn't for my arthritic knees and back I would now be down on bended knee, bowing to your amazing creative expertise and capabilities............................. fingers crossed that it rides half as well as it looks.

 

[C R]

I bet you feel even better than the frame looks.

 

[Illaveago]

Are you using the spray.bike lacquer? Get some practice in before you go onto the real thing, it is a lot harder than the paint to get uniform coverage.

That is good advice ,as it is transparent it is not as easy to see where you are spraying as opposed to darker colours, white is another difficult colour .

 

[Pale Rider]

Top job @chriswoody.

Wise move to let everything cure for a few days, there has been a lot of chemical processes going on one way or another.

I suppose we should ask you to weigh the finished frame.

Wouldn't mean a lot to me, but plenty of builders on here would be interested.

Speaking of build, what type of bike is this going to be?

 

[Easytigers]

As the others have already said, it looks amazing! Can't wait to see her fully built!

 

[Houthakker]

Thats looking superb, well done.
What sort of forks have you got lined up for it?

 

[chriswoody]

Thanks everyone for the comments, as you say I'm certainly feeling pleased with the way it turned out and I like the way the green compliments the Bamboo. I'm hoping with the black wheels and groups set that everything will sit together nicely.

That is such a great result, @chriswoody. Not sure if you have thought about it but the build deserves its own badge on that head tube.

A head badge is certainly something that I've been toying with. The trouble is I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to do it. I really don't want to let the rest of the bike down with a shoddy head badge. The design that most appeals to me is quite complicated and creating a mask and spraying through it would be really tricky. Printing a sticker would be the best bet, but I'm unsure about how to go about it. I've not dropped the idea entirely though and will continue to look into it.

Top job @chriswoody.

I suppose we should ask you to weigh the finished frame.

Wouldn't mean a lot to me, but plenty of builders on here would be interested.

Speaking of build, what type of bike is this going to be?

Well before I covered it in car filler and paint it weighed 2.4 kilo's. I'll bring home a spring scale tomorrow from work and weigh it again, I'm intrigued as well to see how light it is.

I live in an area flatter than Holland, so I'm building up a single speed bike and will use drops. The rear is spaced at 120mm to take a dedicated single speed wheel.

What sort of forks have you got lined up for it?

I've got a brand new set of Surly Pacer Cromoly forks for it, not as light as Carbon, but a lot cheaper and I've got a thing for steel. Generally they are a good set of forks, however I hadn't realised when I first purchased them that I'd need medium drop calliper brakes on them which is a pain given I'd got a perfectly good set of short reach brakes in the spares box.

 

[roadrash]

absolutely fantastic, ive really enjoyed following this thread

 

[adamhearn]

How about finding someone to do an enamel painted badge?

No personal experience but something like https://www.badgesplus.co.uk/enamel-badges

 

[chriswoody]

An enamel head badge, now there's an idea. That would really suit this bike and it doesn't look too pricey. I've also found some sticker printing firms online, so i've got a few options to look into.

I've almost collected the last of my components together as well, just a front brake and some shorter chainring bolts to go. Managed to fit my headset cups to the frame tonight, but the crown race on the forks managed to defeat me. Oh well always tomorrow.

I've also weighed the frame and was surprised, all that filler and paint has really added up. It weighs 3.9 kilos without forks. Mmm a lesson for folk who are weight conscious, don't go down my route of filler and paint if your after a light weight racer.

I'll do a proper update with photos in a few days when I've more to report.

 

[Smokin Joe]

An enamel head badge, now there's an idea. That would really suit this bike and it doesn't look too pricey. I've also found some sticker printing firms online, so i've got a few options to look into.

I've almost collected the last of my components together as well, just a front brake and some shorter chainring bolts to go. Managed to fit my headset cups to the frame tonight, but the crown race on the forks managed to defeat me. Oh well always tomorrow.

I've also weighed the frame and was surprised, all that filler and paint has really added up. It weighs 3.9 kilos without forks. Mmm a lesson for folk who are weight conscious, don't go down my route of filler and paint if your after a light weight racer.

I'll do a proper update with photos in a few days when I've more to report.

Chris, if you are using cartridge bearings (As in A-Head type sets) cut a slot in the crown race and it will push on easily. The bearings run inside the cartridge and the crown race is really only a locating ring.

 

[chriswoody]

Maybe not a bad idea?

In all seriousness though, I'm really not to sure at the moment.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Maybe not a bad idea?

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In all seriousness though, I'm really not to sure at the moment.

Looks great!

 

[chriswoody]

So bit of a mixed bag. I've spent the week slowly pottering towards the finish line on this one. I'm still waiting on an internet order for the front brake and some more headset spacers though. The spacers are an annoyance, I'd underestimated how many I'd need so I've been unable to tighten up the front end.

Tonight I've been grappling with the back brake and threading the cable through. I was busy adjusting the shoes and the reach on the arms, when something suddenly felt odd. Looking around I discovered that the front cable stop had ripped apart into several pieces. In my quest to make it look good, I'd severely weakened it, so it was back to the Bamboo to carve a new one. Not the end of the world, but annoying.

Hopefully tomorrow, my front brake and the last of the headset spacers will turn up. In the mean time, here's some photos of how it looks tonight: