Earthbound Bikes
A new builder in the UK. Looks like good build quality and reasonably priced for a custom build! 500 pounds (currency… not weight)
- Bamboo Mountain Bikes & Road Bikes
- Bikes are built in poverty stricken areas of Africa/Philippines etc
- Bamboosero is an off-shoot of Calfee Design
- Great idea, great bikes
- Prices
- Frames ~ $650
- Completes ~$950- 2950
Calfee Design
- Calfee design was really the first on the scene.
- Bamboo mountain and road bikes, hemp fiber or carbon fiber joints
- High quality, high art, but $$$
- Prices
- Frames – $2695
- Custom Completes. $$$$
Organic Bikes & Parts
- A newcomer but with some really interesting choices.
- Reclaimed and bambooed bikes, and bamboo parts!
- Road and commuter bamboo hybrid bikes
- Prices
- Frames $299
- Completes $599-$650
Renovo Bikes
- Renovo takes it to the next level with bamboo composite & wood frames as well as hardwood racing frames.
- Serious bikes for serious riders
- Prices
- Frames ~ $2000+
Boo Bikes
- Sure they’re expensive but they only weigh 16 pounds and they are works of art… So if you have the cash. Go for it.
- Custom bamboo and carbon road frames
- Prices
- Frame $2625+
Panda Bikes
- Panda bikes gives you a quality build.
- Single-speed, commuter & road bamboo bikes
- Prices
- Completes for $2500
Webb Works Bikes
- Bamboo bikes built in Thailand
- Bamboo and carbon road and commuter
- Prices
- Frames – $800
- Custom Frames – $900
Posted by phil webb on November 29, 2010 at 11:22 am
If you’re interested in finding us, our website is http://www.BambooBikeMaker.com
Posted by James Wolf on May 4, 2011 at 9:05 am
Hi Phill, great article and comparison, theres also Mauselli, Threepenny, Sylvan had a nice one, BME, bamboocycles (Mexico), Human, the new one in Alabama, and more every week. I met your 2 sons in Austin at NAHBS this year.
Best regards,
James Wolf
Posted by Matthew on March 28, 2012 at 4:05 am
Hello Mr Wolf,
I’ve seen you working, on youtube. I like your style, and your product. I’m a Kiwi (NZ) staying in Thailand, in a quiet country town down south, and I’d like very much to build a road bike frame for use here.
Would I be able to purchase some treated bamboo and other parts such as S.Head, B.Bracket, dropouts for int.gear hub, from you please?
I know I can do a very nicely finished hand-built product myself, and I’m looking for some quality materials to start my first bike.
If you could, please reply to Mattwellness at Gmail.com. I’d really appreciate that.
Regards,
Matt.
Posted by mmann1123 on April 2, 2012 at 11:21 pm
I am sorry Matt, I don’t sell any materials at this moment. There is quite a bit of information about where to source materials on the site however. If you run into any new sources in NZ let me know and I can share the information with everyone. Good luck and have fun!
Posted by Martika on April 22, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Hello Mr. Wolf,
My name is Martika Jenkins and I am an undergraduate student. I am working on a research project for bamboo bikes and am looking for people that have experience building and riding them. This is the first time that I have heard about bamboo bikes and would just like to learn about your experience and how you first heard about them. I would really appreciate your time if you would talk with me, my email is mjenkins2@babson.edu.
Thank you for your time,
Martika
Posted by David Yoder on July 12, 2011 at 4:12 pm
omg these bikes are amazing is there a layway option? i like the road bike a mtn bike frame the most
Posted by Ludo on September 27, 2011 at 11:35 am
Hi,
great blog thank you for that.
What is the cost of making your own bamboo bike?
Minimum/maximum or average (including tools, materials…)
Posted by mmann1123 on September 27, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Wow… thats a good question. Its hard to say since a large amount of my effort went into experiments, mistaken orders etc. I would assume that if you have all the tools necessary, and you keep things simple (single speed) you could put together a bike for 400-500 dollars. If you are buying used parts (chopping up a brooken bike, etc) it could be as little at 250-300, but its hard to imagine getting the price down much more than that for a fully built bike. Tools, of course, cost lots of money. If you live in an urban area look into tool lending libraries. Free tools! Hope that helps.
Posted by Stephen on November 2, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Hi,
The bikes look nice, just a few areas/ questions commonly on the minds & hope to clarify herein.
1. Wet weather & bike’s geometry deformation?
2. Useful life of the organic bike?
3. Racing/ training usage style, can the frame stands the usage mode?
4. How reliable are the joints of bamboo to the lugs?
5. Estimated completed bike weight with say Dura ace groupset & wheelset for a road bike.
6. Are you willing to tailor built to measures? if so, at what price & delivery period.
Generally, people like me likes to have your bamboo or wood bike as for semi training or week ends ride usage with a balance of bike reliability, cost & weight in mind plus off cause the nice feels of riding a classic art works.
Posted by Stephen on November 3, 2011 at 6:33 am
Thank you for the reply. I felt more confident after learning the reply.
Will send an email enquiry to Nick on purchasing on Boo road bike, make to measure with customized wordings, perfectly with my name printed on will be nice.
Rgd, Stephen from Malaysia.
Posted by James Wolf on November 3, 2011 at 1:32 am
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for keeping the discussion on bamboo bikes rolling. Allow me to answer your points below.
1. Wet weather & bike’s geometry deformation?
There is absolutely no deformation due to weather, my bikes are as stiff as any bike out there, however they do absorb the finer vibrations that cause discomfort on an ultra stiff bike.
2. Useful life of the organic bike?
Ten to twenty years, much longer than most people stick with one bike anyway.
3. Racing/ training usage style, can the frame stands the usage mode?
Absolutely! Boo bikes are race ridden by numerous professionals in Cross, Road and MTB. Nick Frey, Tyler Wren, Esteban Chavez to name a few. Fist place finishes in the Miami Veulta, Crusher in the Tushar (First place overall and first place single speed), other podium and notable finishes have been taken on bamboo bikes made by Boo.
4. How reliable are the joints of bamboo to the lugs?
The lugs are stronger than most carbon bikes and the tubing does not bend and stay that way like metals do. It bends and then returns back to its original geometry. A bamboo frame will be more usable than any other frame du to the fact that it will not shatter or bend, but will flex and return. (Think fishing pole). We have had numerous reports of heavy crashes that totaled the wheels and forks, but the frame was dead straight afterwords.
5. Estimated completed bike weight with say Dura ace groupset & wheelset for a road bike.
Coming in at 15 to 16 pounds is easy, less is even possible.
6. Are you willing to tailor built to measures? if so, at what price & delivery period
Absolutely we can build any kind of custom geometry and option. I also can do Pressfit 30 BB shell, carbon head tubes in various sizes and will be offering BB86 and BB92 soon. Please call Nick about purchasing one. 515.554.9226
Best regards,
James Wolf
Posted by Steve on January 5, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Hi, I’m a director with a UK based brand making tested mountain bikes with more models to follow in the future. The design was developed by Oxford Brooks University and has had a lot of research. We think our bikes are about the best out there, they’re not the cheapest as there are no corners cut, but they’re by no means the most expensive either. They’re manufactured in Yorkshire & available to UK & worldwide.
They can be ordered direct from the website & Edinburgh Bike Coop will also be stocking bikes & frames from February 2012.
Posted by Nick Frey on January 6, 2012 at 10:34 pm
James, thanks for the comments–and yes, I’m here to answer questions and take orders as well! nickfrey@boobicycles.com
Posted by Evan on January 10, 2012 at 9:47 pm
Check out Valid Cycles in Seattle. We’re a small company, but we’ve built almost 20 bikes since we started in late 2009, mostly for California (previous HQ) and Seattle locals. We do purely custom and built to order bikes, we’ve grown a lot this last year and have been enjoying a small cult following. We are taking it up a notch in 2012 by increasing our web presence and are excited about the bikes we have hitting the road, including the first triathlon bike we built for a customer (Look out Coeur D’alane Iron man 2012!) One of these days if we have a free moment we’ll update our website
Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well.