Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

feature

Can you build a bamboo bike in an afternoon... in a shed? Part 1

Really, the 'part 1' bit of the title should tell you that the answer is no

Back in 2018, Dave decided that he was going to make a bike himself... in his shed... using sticks and glue. Ever hopeful of some quality clips for You've Been Framed, we decided to video his experience.

The process involved quite a bit of precision and a lot of measuring. There was plenty of work to be done using intricate tools that require a deft touch. These are all things that Dave is known for.

> New video series: building a bamboo bike

The bike would be built with the aim of being tested at the height of competition – the local category 2/3 circuit race in the pouring rain. Would the frame be lined up well enough? Would the bottom bracket fall off with the first turn of the pedals?

Unfortunately for the comedy value, but fortunately for Dave's health, the bike worked. And now the Bamboo Bicycle Club have come up with a slightly simpler build kit. This one includes ready-made carbon lugs to reduce your time spent with the hemp.

> Find out what Dave's first bamboo bike was like to ride

It's also a more complete frameset, with places to put a front mech, bottle cages, a rear mech and there's even internal routing to take advantage of the hollow nature of bamboo. The question is: will the new kit make the build easier for Dave?

Time to kick back and find out with the first in the series.

Add new comment

2 comments

Avatar
samg74 | 3 years ago
0 likes

Setting up a power-drill based lathe would reduce the tube sanding tasks to a couple minutes each. Sanding blocks staged down to 800 grit. Most of the time spent checking diameters with calipers.

Betcha somebody has built one of these in under an hour. Does Guinness have it as a category ?

Avatar
wycombewheeler | 3 years ago
1 like

Is it only possible to build a bamboo frame in a day by cloning oneself?

Latest Comments