Bamboo Bikes
01-31-22, 10:27 AM
#1
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Bamboo Bikes
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexicoli...es-shark-tank/
The builder was inspired by a still-in-use bamboo bike from 1890. I think this is the "border-jumper" model(?)
“Metal has the characteristic that if you bend it, it starts to take on that form; it has a certain flexibility if you apply force to it,” he said. “It’s resistant, but the truth is you can bend a piece of metal and it stays bent. Bamboo receives force and sends it back to you. It doesn’t have that flexibility, the plasticity. Bamboo will do nothing until you hit it hard enough to break. In terms of compression, it’s the same; it’s much stronger.” he says.
The builder was inspired by a still-in-use bamboo bike from 1890. I think this is the "border-jumper" model(?)
“Metal has the characteristic that if you bend it, it starts to take on that form; it has a certain flexibility if you apply force to it,” he said. “It’s resistant, but the truth is you can bend a piece of metal and it stays bent. Bamboo receives force and sends it back to you. It doesn’t have that flexibility, the plasticity. Bamboo will do nothing until you hit it hard enough to break. In terms of compression, it’s the same; it’s much stronger.” he says.
01-31-22, 12:55 PM
#2
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“Metal has the characteristic that if you bend it, it starts to take on that form; it has a certain flexibility if you apply force to it,” he said. “It’s resistant, but the truth is you can bend a piece of metal and it stays bent. Bamboo receives force and sends it back to you. It doesn’t have that flexibility, the plasticity. Bamboo will do nothing until you hit it hard enough to break. In terms of compression, it’s the same; it’s much stronger.” he says.
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01-31-22, 03:30 PM
#3
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Calfee's been making bamboo bikes for years:
https://calfeedesign.com/bamboo/
They even offer a kit (currently "sold out;" must be a supply chain thing) if you want to make your own:
https://calfeedesign.com/store/Calfe...Set-p429231405
https://calfeedesign.com/bamboo/
They even offer a kit (currently "sold out;" must be a supply chain thing) if you want to make your own:
https://calfeedesign.com/store/Calfe...Set-p429231405
01-31-22, 03:43 PM
#4
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https://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexicoli...es-shark-tank/
The builder was inspired by a still-in-use bamboo bike from 1890. I think this is the "border-jumper" model(?)
“Metal has the characteristic that if you bend it, it starts to take on that form; it has a certain flexibility if you apply force to it,” he said. “It’s resistant, but the truth is you can bend a piece of metal and it stays bent. Bamboo receives force and sends it back to you. It doesn’t have that flexibility, the plasticity. Bamboo will do nothing until you hit it hard enough to break. In terms of compression, it’s the same; it’s much stronger.” he says.
The builder was inspired by a still-in-use bamboo bike from 1890. I think this is the "border-jumper" model(?)
“Metal has the characteristic that if you bend it, it starts to take on that form; it has a certain flexibility if you apply force to it,” he said. “It’s resistant, but the truth is you can bend a piece of metal and it stays bent. Bamboo receives force and sends it back to you. It doesn’t have that flexibility, the plasticity. Bamboo will do nothing until you hit it hard enough to break. In terms of compression, it’s the same; it’s much stronger.” he says.
02-01-22, 07:22 AM
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As noted, there is nothing new about bamboo bikes. Guy I know has had one for at least a decade. Probably longer.
02-01-22, 09:28 AM
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02-01-22, 09:52 AM
#8
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As the old saying goes, very few ideas are truly new. Let's not forget that this mexican fellas' inspiration comes from a functioning bamboo bike produced in 1890. I posted the item more as a human interest story involving bikes. Good for him for making a go of it, bike-wise. Lots of people down there seem to want them.
02-01-22, 11:39 AM
#9
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I met someone on a bamboo bike on my commute home from London a few years ago. Unlike the one in the picture, this was beautifully finished with a high gloss coat. I had a chat to the owner while we were stopped at the lights; he was pretty happy with his bike.
02-01-22, 12:13 PM
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Calfee's been making bamboo bikes for years:
https://calfeedesign.com/bamboo/
They even offer a kit (currently "sold out;" must be a supply chain thing) if you want to make your own:
https://calfeedesign.com/store/Calfe...Set-p429231405
https://calfeedesign.com/bamboo/
They even offer a kit (currently "sold out;" must be a supply chain thing) if you want to make your own:
https://calfeedesign.com/store/Calfe...Set-p429231405
02-02-22, 04:00 AM
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02-02-22, 05:52 AM
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This just pops into my head every time I see one of these bamboo bikes
02-02-22, 09:32 AM
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Calfee Bamboo DIY Tool Set Jig Kit, $950!
Add $500 for the kits and you have $1500 invested and are saving $3,000 on the price of one. If I had a Marchetti frame table in my shop I might try it, don't like the look of all those jigs, looks like lots of opportunity for errors.Last edited by easyupbug; 02-02-22 at 09:39 AM.
02-02-22, 11:40 AM
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02-02-22, 01:32 PM
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They aren't necessarily that expensive. 500 USD plus shipping: https://boogaalibikes.com/
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02-02-22, 08:51 PM
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Bamboo bikes are very, very high on the cool factor.
02-02-22, 09:45 PM
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Bamboo is on my bucket list actually, I rode one once, it have a great feel to it. I like the Boogaali, and once the 12 speed Shimano becomes less painful to obain, this will probably be my next build.
j/k
02-04-22, 04:54 PM
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No knock on the OP's referenced bike, but they're nothing new or different. Like mentioned, Calfee has been doing them for several years. I saw a bunch of them - various types - in a boutiquey shop in Vietnam a couple of years ago. They all looked well made with joinery similar to the OP and the Calfee examples.
I was sorely tempted to buy a Calfee kit several years ago when he was first selling them, but I didn't think I had the time to put it together in the amount of time I could have rented the jigs from them. Still might some day.
I was sorely tempted to buy a Calfee kit several years ago when he was first selling them, but I didn't think I had the time to put it together in the amount of time I could have rented the jigs from them. Still might some day.
02-05-22, 04:09 AM
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I live in Cambodia, and they make them here in Phnom Penh and I have found that they are ugly and while they ride ok, they are not always straight and true.
They build them with lower-level parts which puts them in a lower bracket for me.
They also do not sell well and the company is either closing or already has due to Covid.
They build them with lower-level parts which puts them in a lower bracket for me.
They also do not sell well and the company is either closing or already has due to Covid.
02-05-22, 09:00 AM
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They aren't necessarily that expensive. 500 USD plus shipping: https://boogaalibikes.com/