Bamboo Fork
 

Anyone have any experience assembling one? I've seen only one (?) online despite plenty of bamboo frames.

One design/fabricating challenge with a fork is that it's the only structural member (of a frame) that is connected to another member at only one end. All other members (tubes) are joined at both ends. This might seem trivial but to attain the strength and stiffness needed the dimensions and joining methods of wood are critical. Fork failure is not a nice thing to experience (seen too many results involving serious body damage...)

A metal steerer and crown unit will likely be employed as headsets only come in so many sizes. The crown will need to space the wood blades the right distance apart and allow for enough overlap for a good joint. So too with the drop outs need to overlap in the blades a lot. In the end there will likely only be a few inches of only wood between all that metal. Not sure beyond the ability to say one did make a wood fork what would be gained, and there's a lot to loose. Andy

Bamboo bikes are not a good idea, as bamboo deteriorates much faster than steel, aluminum or carbon fiber. It is a novelty, not a good idea for a bike you want to last for many years.

If you decide to make a bamboo fork, I suggest using at least 70 mm bamboo from near the base of the bamboo. Near the base, bamboo has a thick wall, and a small hollow center. Higher up, it has a thin wall, and a large hollow center. Similarly if you made one out of pine, you would want at least 2 by 3 inches. Anything thinner would not be strong enough.

If you want the bamboo look, drill out the middle of bamboo, and slide it over steel or aluminum forks.

Then what color scheme goes good with a bamboo frame?

You would desecrate the sacred bamboo with... with... with poison??? If natural skin isn't good enough... Andy (trying to channel humor)

How else do you get a safe fork on a bamboo bike?

Just to make sure I am not misunderstood. I have little issue with people making wood based frames. This has been done for many decades. The bamboo craze is only the more recent version. But for the first time in this thread (I think) the safety issue is raised. One of the aspects of the bamboo craze that I wonder about is the bonding life and the evolving nature of a tree product. But given the nature of young and seeking it's likely that any ridable frame will be replaced with the next one soon enough. I have more confidence in the material understanding in the "furniture" style of wood frames then I have in basement bonded bamboo ones.

But my opinion isn't the issue. Safety is. Andy

Yes agree with Andy. A bamboo fork is just too sketchy for all the reasons he gave. A fork only has to fail in one place and you faceplant. Highest risk of failure plus highest consequences. There's no shame in just buying a fork. Paint it black. Black goes with everything.

Most bamboo bikes have black joints, so match that.

You probably shouldn't have posted. Most if not all of this is speculation.

If you really want to complement the bamboo aesthetic you could put panda stickers on the fork

The truth is, you making a judgement like this is speculation.

I feel like you are the one that is speculating here. I haven't seen anything that would lead me to believe that bamboo bikes have a particularly short lifetime. I'm sure there are examples of bamboo frames that didn't last too long, but that's true for any material.

Incorrect.

I am in a place where I see bamboo growing in the wild almost every day. I have had many discussions with people about using it for construction of houses and other things. If I tried to explain all aspects, it would be a very long post, and people would get bored reading it. But the bottom line is, it is not very durable. Many houses use hardwood in their construction, but not bamboo. Hardwood is much more durable than bamboo. There are a small number of places built to attract tourists, which are built with bamboo, or that have a bamboo facade.

If you expect to be taken seriously, give an intelligent reason for what you are saying.

Just as one example, there is bamboo flooring. I know it's heavily processed, but it's stout stuff. There are considerable variations in bamboo. I don't think your experience in seeing it by the side of the road qualifies you in any way to be an expert in its mechanical properties. I don't think the OP or anyone else is going to be using your local bamboo. And people have been using it successfully for bike frames for quite a while. I'm not a proponent of using it, but it does work. Your posts in this thread are fairly disruptive and off topic.

Properly treated bamboo lasts for as long as a person is likely to ride the bike. Much like the other materials used. They all have their weak points that need addressed. You don't use it like a tomato stake or a bamboo hut where it is just left raw and exposed to the elements.

The main issue with a bamboo fork is attaching it to a crown and steerer. Most do not have the capacity to make that part.

If I was going to attempt a bamboo fork, I'd do a double fork crown, somewhat like some MTBs use.

Although it has to be designed so that the steer tube can be put inside of the headtube, as well as be removed (meaning either the topplate, bottomplate, or steertube must be removable).

https://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j...nch-Travel.jpg