Wooden bikes...

eyko

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670944/a-7 ... ld-chair#1

I'm not sure which is crazier the looks (although I do kind of like it) or the price :shock:

tetm

...or the appalling photoshopping of Valverde?

JamesB5446

tetm wrote:

...or the appalling photoshopping of Valverde?

Invisible brake hood!


That bike is bullshit, they need to get rid of the chain and replace it with a bit of vine, then I'll be interested.

pangolin

Yeah I thought it looked a prime candidate for belt drive! I guess no hole in the frame possible during production sadly.

cyclingprop

I like this one

Ginjafro

A snip at $70,000!

JamesB5446

pangolin wrote:

Yeah I thought it looked a prime candidate for belt drive! I guess no hole in the frame possible during production sadly.

Indeed. Overpriced and stupid.

SimonAH

I'm sorry, very pretty but that frame geometry would collapse under any rider over 0.5 kilos - even if it were made out of Moots Titanium.

Art for the wall, not a practical bicycle.

gbsahne001

how about a bamboo bike?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15198952

The Rookie

Was a Bamboo bike at the NEC - weighed a 'ton'....

That wooden bike is pathetic, not even road legal and $70,000 - there 'avin a giraffe!

rjsterry

SimonAH wrote:

I'm sorry, very pretty but that frame geometry would collapse under any rider over 0.5 kilos - even if it were made out of Moots Titanium.

Art for the wall, not a practical bicycle.

If you read the article, you'll notice that it says "Thonet, which makes one of the most famous chairs in the world, commissions a high-end bike to show off its wood-bending process". It's obviously not intended to be a practical bike. Thonet chairs - which also inspired the first tubular steel chairs - don't collapse under the weight of their occupants. I think you'd be surprised at what wood can do, but yes, it might be a tad springy. Price is daft of course.

london-red

I've been loaned a bamboo bike for a week by Bamboo Bikes - it's actually surprisingly light. Bloody good fun too - although that's probably just because it's a mountain bike and I haven't ridden 'off piste' for a while.

He's a picture of her resting up in Richmond Park: http://www.andbike.cc/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/bamboo-bike.jpg

veronese68

London-Red wrote:

I've been loaned a bamboo bike for a week by Bamboo Bikes - it's actually surprisingly light. Bloody good fun too - although that's probably just because it's a mountain bike and I haven't ridden 'off piste' for a while.

He's a picture of her resting up in Richmond Park: [urlhttp://www.andbike.cc/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/bamboo-bike.jpg[/url]

I really like the idea of them. Have you got it now? Can I have a look?

london-red

Yeah, of course you can. Either tonight or tomorrow evening, or before I set off in the mornings are the only times I can do though. Got it until Thursday.

walkingbootweather

I also know someone who would be interested in a bamboo bike. Any chance you could let them have a taste?

Obviously I'm joking. I don't know anyone.

gbsahne001

The Beginner wrote:

Was a Bamboo bike at the NEC - weighed a 'ton'....

The bamboo bike in the bbc article was designed in part by a friend (Dr Broughton) and ridden by him and another colleague in the TransAlp race. I think it's probably also the bike being used by London-Red if it's come from bamboobikes.

some more info..... http://www.brookes.ac.uk/business_emplo ... bamboobike

veronese68

London-Red wrote:

Yeah, of course you can. Either tonight or tomorrow evening, or before I set off in the mornings are the only times I can do though. Got it until Thursday.

PM'd you. I think I may get a few comments off the wife when I tell her I'm popping up the road to look at a bamboo bike.

london-red

gbsahne wrote:

The Beginner wrote:

Was a Bamboo bike at the NEC - weighed a 'ton'....

The bamboo bike in the bbc article was designed in part by a friend (Dr Broughton) and ridden by him and another colleague in the TransAlp race. I think it's probably also the bike being used by London-Red if it's come from bamboobikes.

some more info..... http://www.brookes.ac.uk/business_emplo ... bamboobike

Yep, that's the one - looks the same as pic I linked to above.

http://www.andbike.cc/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/bamboo-bike.jpg

dhope

Veronese68 wrote:

London-Red wrote:

Yeah, of course you can. Either tonight or tomorrow evening, or before I set off in the mornings are the only times I can do though. Got it until Thursday.

PM'd you. I think I may get a few comments off the wife when I tell her I'm popping up the road to look at a bamboo bike.

Pick up a glass hammer while you're out etc?

london-red

London-Red wrote:

gbsahne wrote:

The Beginner wrote:

Was a Bamboo bike at the NEC - weighed a 'ton'....

The bamboo bike in the bbc article was designed in part by a friend (Dr Broughton) and ridden by him and another colleague in the TransAlp race. I think it's probably also the bike being used by London-Red if it's come from bamboobikes.

some more info..... http://www.brookes.ac.uk/business_emplo ... bamboobike

Yep, that's the one - looks the same as pic I linked to above.

http://www.andbike.cc/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/bamboo-bike.jpg

PM'd back. I think - not sure if it got through.

Daz555

Bamboo bikes. Cool (if you like that sort of thing) but they are NOT made of wood.

Bamboo is a type of grass iirc.

SimonAH

Daz555 wrote:

Bamboo bikes. Cool (if you like that sort of thing) but they are NOT made of wood.

Bamboo is a type of grass iirc.

Boudica's chariot was actually a militarised bamboo lawnmower.

Anonymous

What about Kalfee ones?

There are some bikes which use bamboo and lay it up in fibres....

asprilla

coriordan wrote:

What about Kalfee ones?

There are some bikes which use bamboo and lay it up in fibres....

Calfee.

His are massively expensive, but he also provided design and training to a number of start ups around the world. Zambikes produce one of his frames and next time I'm in Lusaka I'm going to look into getting one.

rjsterry

Asprilla wrote:

coriordan wrote:

What about Kalfee ones?

There are some bikes which use bamboo and lay it up in fibres....

Calfee.

His are massively expensive, but he also provided design and training to a number of start ups around the world. Zambikes produce one of his frames and next time I'm in Lusaka I'm going to look into getting one.

Like it's at the end of the Northern Line.

JamesB5446

I've got some bamboo socks.

veronese68

The bamboo bike is brilliant and surprisingly light, even if it's not technically wood it still grows out of the ground. Thanks for stopping by LR. Probably just as well I still can't ride as I'd want one even more.
I love the idea of them, I even like the idea of building my own, like this, but would never have the time in reality.

asprilla

rjsterry wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

coriordan wrote:

What about Kalfee ones?

There are some bikes which use bamboo and lay it up in fibres....

Calfee.

His are massively expensive, but he also provided design and training to a number of start ups around the world. Zambikes produce one of his frames and next time I'm in Lusaka I'm going to look into getting one.

Like it's at the end of the Northern Line.

I've got family there so I get over every couple of years.

On the other hand, I don't think I've been on the Northern Line for at least three years

rjsterry

I wouldn't rush back. The grinding awfulness of it forced me back onto the bike last night despite my knee still being pretty sore from last week's off.

BTW, bamboo is not wood, it's a grass {/pedant}

veronese68

rjsterry wrote:

BTW, bamboo is not wood, it's a grass {/pedant}

Keep up RJS, already pedanted at the top of the page. It's a plant so vaguely related which is good enough for me.
I still really like it, saw London Red ride by this morning and was slightly green looking at the bike, exacerbated by the fact I still can't even ride a bike.

rjsterry

Oops, missed that Veronese.

Here's some more info on the Thonet bike. Clearly it is rideable (despite the dodgy photoshop work in that article), although still no explanation of why it costs £43,000. Presumably down to the cost of the bespoke tooling and the low production run.

http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/design/articles/2012/october/08/andy-martin-and-thonets-classic-ride/