A panda ate my bicycle. Its made of bamboo..

[durianrider]

High end Bamboo racing bike review.

Heaviest bike in the bunch. Good thing Im strong.

Just built it up. Here is the photos/review.
http://durianrider.org/2011/05/28/bamboo-road-bike-review/

Here is a video review.
http://youtu.be/hkLCsRgzTw8

 

[sashimono]

Now you have to beat these guys...

http://www.splinterbike.co.uk/

 

[durianrider]

A 100% wooden bike! I like the creativity of these crew!

 

[Michielveedeebee]

A 100% wooden bike! I like the creativity of these crew!

you know two hundred years ago, bikes were made out of wood

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Now you have to beat these guys...

http://www.splinterbike.co.uk/

I'd be a little concerned about my ballsacks riding just above that huge gear flywheel that's just under the saddle.

 

[durianrider]

Thats what I like about bamboo, its the strongest material for a bike frame. Ive seen so many carbon bikes fail after even a light crash.

 

[craig1985]

Some of the worse crashes I've heard have been through carbon handlebar stems. And it was at over 80km/h.

 

[Archibald]

Thats what I like about bamboo, its the strongest material for a bike frame.

interesting statement... can't say I've seen a katana go through titanium or aluminium quite like it does through bamboo

(not that the bike ninjas are something that we encounter much)

 

[durianrider]

Put alloy, carbon, steel or TI lightweight tubing against bamboo vs SOLID tubing.

I raced again on the weekend. Rough roads that Ive raced before and the bamboo just soaks em up. Out the saddle the stiff frame just diverts every pedal stroke to forward motion.

Got fitted by Steve Hogg in Sydney last week. The guy is a legend.

 

[ambrose]

i didnt realise specialized made bamboo forks
I don't think you should be giving all the credit to the bamboo.... the fork is incredibly important when it comes to ride quality, along with geometry.

anyway i appreciate the concept.

on a slight side note, have you even had a carbon frame? i know you've got an alloy cannondale (least i think it is from memory) and i know that allu frames have nothing on carbon (speaking from my engineering background as well as reasonable amount of experience, though i've never had a top end allu frame, well more than $2000) i can apppreciate bamboo as a building material though.

also could you please make it look pretty? non matching tyres jees

 

[durianrider]

Hey Ambrose.

#Ive NEVER had a drivers licence and am 34. So thats given me a lot of km riding different bikes of different materials. I also worked in the bike industry for a few years and rode heaps of test bikes. I dont know many people that have riden more bikes or more miles than myself.

Here is a vid I just put together.
http://youtu.be/hkLCsRgzTw8

 

[simo1733]

Thats what I like about bamboo, its the strongest material for a bike frame. Ive seen so many carbon bikes fail after even a light crash.

You could make an incredibly strong carbon frame at the same weight as bamboo if there was any market for a heavy carbon frame.

 

[karlboss]

Thats what I like about bamboo, its the strongest material for a bike frame. Ive seen so many carbon bikes fail after even a light crash.

I like bamboo as a building material, in the fibre direction it's properties are impressive.

Quick comparisons.

Bamboo Steel Carbon T700s (in epoxy)
Tensile Strength
148-384 MPa 160 MPa 2550MPa
Young's modulus
20GPa 230 GPa 230GPa
Density
.3-.4g/cm^3 7.6 1.8

Max Specific strength
384/.3=1280 21 1416
Max specific stiffness
20/.3=66.67 30 127

Note these values are all in the direction of the fibre, and pound for pound this relatively cheap carbon is still stronger and stiffer than bamboo, however bamboo should have better impact resistance as the tubes for the same weight will be far thicker. Also note that these are maximum values for bamboo, it can be quite a bit weaker/more flexible due to imperfections such as knots.

EDIT:: Damn editing has made this hard to read...Sorry

 

[dsut4392]

I like bamboo as a building material, in the fibre direction it's properties are impressive.

Quick comparisons.

Bamboo Steel Carbon T700s (in epoxy)
Tensile Strength
148-384 MPa 160 MPa 2550MPa
Young's modulus
20GPa 230 GPa 230GPa
Density
.3-.4g/cm^3 7.6 1.8

Max Specific strength
384/.3=1280 21 1416
Max specific stiffness
20/.3=66.67 30 127

Note these values are all in the direction of the fibre, and pound for pound this relatively cheap carbon is still stronger and stiffer than bamboo, however bamboo should have better impact resistance as the tubes for the same weight will be far thicker. Also note that these are maximum values for bamboo, it can be quite a bit weaker/more flexible due to imperfections such as knots.

EDIT:: Damn editing has made this hard to read...Sorry

Good start but you left a few critical material properties out:

________________Bamboo______Steel_______Carbon fibre
Magic_____________87__________71__________3
Romance__________76__________97_________-11


But never let the real facts get in the way of a good story

 

[durianrider]

A carbon bike weighing that much would be like riding a bamboo bike that would use way less resources.

Besides, I rock up on my carbon S-Works and everyone has seen one before or its 6 months older than the 'latest euro falcon/american eagle/spanish sparrow' and therefore 'old stock'.

I was in Thailand last week and the locals love the bamboo as much as the locals here in NYC at Central Park. Its the same awe yet different culture, different language.

 

[durianrider]

i didnt realise specialized made bamboo forks
I don't think you should be giving all the credit to the bamboo.... the fork is incredibly important when it comes to ride quality, along with geometry.

anyway i appreciate the concept.

on a slight side note, have you even had a carbon frame? i know you've got an alloy cannondale (least i think it is from memory) and i know that allu frames have nothing on carbon (speaking from my engineering background as well as reasonable amount of experience, though i've never had a top end allu frame, well more than $2000) i can apppreciate bamboo as a building material though.

also could you please make it look pretty? non matching tyres jees

You raise some almost valid points.

* I had that specialized fork, wheelset, tyres, bar and stem on my Caad9 so I can objectively say the frame is the factor here.

* I used to work in the bike industry. Ive owned a LOT of bikes and test riden even more. Ive NEVER had a drivers license. Ive riden over 190 000km in the last 10 years Ive been vegan. Cycled all over the world. From deserts, to ruthlessly dangerous city scapes to some of the steepest paved roads on earth.

My personal conclusion is that the heavier the bike is, the more comfy it is to ride. Same with forks, wheels, tyres and wheels.

This bamboo bike is HANDS DOWN the most comfy road bike Ive ever riden. Its good enough for me to race Cat 1 too. Not bad for a 10.56kg bike lol!