bamboo bikes

Some cool stuff coming out of the Philippines.  Well, at least cool to me.

While this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a bike made out of bamboo, it’s the first time I’ve seen it as a base product for a company.  I have to admit I’m not so sure about what would happen to a bamboo frame long term, but if they can create a niche for themselves in the bike world and provide jobs for the local folks who needs them, who am I to argue.  Local materials and local labor sound like a win to me.

(For all you hipsters out there, imagine showing up to your local ride with this fixie..)

Looking around on their website, I have to admire the workmanship in the closeups of these frames. I don’t agree so much with his arguments that bamboo bikes could start to replace traditional materials used in frames, especially if the frame itself runs between $500 – $600.  Once you add up all the other components you could be looking at a grand just to get the thing on the road, and I personally don’t know that many people right now with a lot of disposable income for that. 

Maybe I’m wrong though.  While you’re never going to see anyone win the Tour on a bamboo frame, I think it would be pretty cool to see more of these around.

On a side note, I miss being on my bike.  I used to travel the whole city on two wheels, doing errands and commuting to work.  The responsibilities of having a young family have pretty much sucked up all the time I would have spent on the road.  It’s been probably four years (and twenty pounds) since I last spent any significant miles with my bike.  I was healthier and a lot less stressed back then, and I need to figure a way to get myself back to that.

[bambike.com]
[reuters.com: Bamboo bikes – a growth industry]
[Calfee]