Core77

BIY Bikes? Build Your Own Bicycle With Bamboobee

By Kat Bauman - November 17, 2014

in Kickstarter | Crowdfunding

Forgive me, actual bike mechanics of the world, for what I am about to share. But if you, the common bike fancier, have ever thought bamboo bikes looked really cool, or read about their enjoyable ride qualities, or dreamed of someday making your own, check this out.

Bamboobee is a DIY bamboo bike building kit. Pony up for the kit in the next nine days, and you'll receive seven precut and mitered pieces of bamboo, the necessary frame hardware (aluminum headset and bottom bracket sleeves, cable guides, dropouts...), a couple simple tools, and an interesting flat-pack snap together frame jig. Just supply the epoxy for wrapping joints, the basic ability to follow directions, and virtually every component, and you could be zipping around town and country on a distinctive stiff-yet-compliant bamboo bike of your own making. The campaign was created by a seemingly experienced bamboo builder and it's already 300% funded, so you're at risk for very little except impatience.

Per the design, the frame you get is a bit relaxed—a touring/country/city jaunt bike rather than a racy roadie. (Which is really for the best since this frame fits 1" forks, which racers haven't used since this Kickstarter's creator was on training wheels.) The sizing runs S/M/L, but it's a bit limited: If the "S" is best for folks 5'7" and taller, my dwarven self isn't invited to this party.

Per the design, the frame you get is a bit relaxeHaving blown by its initial goal, you can now also add dropouts for disc brakes and belt drive options, a dorky bamboo pen, and a parts package (sans wheels) that looks like a real pile of crap but would get your project rolling faster than ever.

...And therein lies my only complaint, and it is a deep one: This is a DIY kit for a vehicle! It makes bike-building a "fun and accessible" activity for even people with no idea how normal bikes function, what parts go on bikes, or how to work on bikes. And so I predict that for every ten of these "BIY" bamboo bike frames actually built to completion, seven will wind up in a local bike shop with no idea what parts they need and no interest in paying for the basic goods and services involved with making any bike work well—homemade or otherwise.

Regardless, this would be a super fun puzzle.

o

Favorite This
Q
3

Comment

Comments

Rob Wilkey

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

That name sounds like a parody of typical Kickstarter product names...

All I'm gonna say about this is that 1) bamboo is inherently unpredictable and therefore unreliable, and 2) I don't see the Southeast Asian Rickshaw aesthetic taking a hold in modern urban environments.

But who knows, maybe I'll see a bunch of people riding around on Bamboobies here in a few years.
!Report as spam
KROBUZ

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

I am a mechanic/ fabricator and I will be the first to say that is F.A.N.TA.S.T.I.C.

I know so many bicycle enthusiasts who would jump at the chance to build their own bike, especially sexy bamboo. It is about time this happened.
!Report as spam
Steve

10 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

But why take the bike right to the point before actually making it? Now they have to mail jigs and all the supplies to work with glueing this thing. One would think it would be simpler to take the last step and just finish building them it the array of sizes needed? Liabilities possibly?
!Report as spam