bamboo bike

Here is a new eco-friendly bamboo bike fad. It is from this material that the frame of the bicycle is made. The first bamboo bicycles were built in London, the birthplace of this type of innovation. Rob Penn described his actions on this matter in an article published in the Financial Times. Encouraging building, he announced that any DIY enthusiast who can assemble a desk bought from Ikea can also make such a bike for themselves. It is so simple.

On the streets of London, Rob Penn's bike made a splash, and the biggest difficulty during the ride was people approaching Robie and asking about the bike's origins and design. The car is really impressive. Let's take a closer look at the work. Just the frame and bottom bracket of the rear wheel are made from bamboo. If we want to become the owner of such an ecological bike, we first need to collect the appropriate bamboo pipes. Apparently, it is already possible to buy in London a ready-made set (set) of suitable bamboos harvested for this purpose in Africa.

Information

Bamboo wood is light, flexible and durable. Bamboo (phyllostachys pubescens) is native to China. Under natural conditions, it grows up to 15-20 meters in height and about 10-12 cm in diameter. The plant can grow up to 1 meter per year. Bamboo shoots are almost hollow inside. The plant tolerates temperatures as low as -25°C. In severe frosts, the above-ground part freezes through. Spawns from shoots in spring. It grows, letting out more and more branches. It even lives for several decades! However, it only flowers once, produces seeds, and then dies. It turns out that bamboo is a species that is cultivated without problems in our climate. Seeds can be sown all year round. If you want to have your own bamboo material in the future, plant the plant in a slightly shaded area with a constantly damp surface.

Bamboo is great for terraces and home growing in containers, as an exotic plant in the garden and, as it turns out, to be built into the design of a trendy bamboo bike. If we don't have the patience to wait and grow our own bamboo, we'll be fine too. Necessary bamboo fishing rods can be bought or obtained, for example, from old, archaic, unwanted fishing rods or old-fashioned, damaged canes.

Construction Materials

• Bamboo rods with a diameter of approximately 30 millimeters. They can be bought in large shopping centers or obtained from recycled materials. We will calculate the length of the required elements based on the design.
• You will also need hemp strips or ordinary hemp thread and a strong two-component epoxy glue. Please note - this time we will do without hot glue supplied from a glue gun.
• An old but functional bike will be the basis for building our eco-friendly car. We can also order a matching set of new bike parts from stock.

You will find the continuation of the article in the June issue of the magazine