bamboo frames eh?

trail jacker

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14397027

Anonymous

Cool idea, I've seen a few pictures of such things before. However, I reckon it's damned well near impossible to ensure that each bamboo shoot grown is strong enough, or has no defects.
Extruding aluminium tubing is more of a known quantity.

neil_sheehan2000

Also, bamboo's not as environmentally friendly a material as you might think:

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2011/07/rethinking-smugness-steel-is-new-bamboo.html

Anonymous

Material's fine according to what I could be bothered to read of that link, but the epoxy used in some "make your own bicycle workshop" was not biodegradable.

cooldad

They are also useful for picking up hot panda chicks in the forest.

gilesjuk

Bamboo is probably stronger than carbon fibre in the event of a crash

Raymondavalon

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Material's fine according to what I could be bothered to read of that link, but the epoxy used in some "make your own bicycle workshop" was not biodegradable.

Right, for some strange reason biodegradable epoxy holding a frame together would make me nervous...

cloudynights

Bamboo as been used for many years in far east for construction, for scaffolding, roof structures, plywoods its also a very flexible and strong,its a grass wood not a tree wood, depending on the production methods for making a bike frame ie laminated or special treatment too the bamboo shoot it would be fine for a bike frame , it has a better tensile strength than mild steel and better weight to strength ratio than graphite, only problem i can see is how they would joint it but there are that many types of glues available so it must of been overcome, wood is not to be underestimated ive been working with it for nearly 30 years so hopefully i should know

Meatfox

i reckon getting chased by starving angry pandas would put me off

supersonic

Bamboo is carbon fibre I suppose!