BAM

BOO

BIKE

S

PREPARED AND PRESENTED BY DENNIS WIAFE-AKENTENG

BRIEF HISTORY

• German Inventor Karl von Drais is credited with developing the first bicycle.

• His machine, known as the "swiftwalker," hit the road in 1817.

• Dispute about who invented the first bicycle with pedals (1818)

BAMBOO BIKES• First patented in England by the Bamboo Cycle Company

Ltd., and introduced to the general public on 26 April 1894.• A US patent was applied for in 1895, by August Oberg and

Andrew Gustafson, and granted in 1896. • Though bicycles are a staple of transporting humans, in

both rural and urbanised areas, bamboo bicycles are currently not widely introduced; however, with the advent of the Green movement, bamboo is being used again, primarily for high-end racing/touring bicycles. Today, bamboo bikes are starting to enter the market once more as low cost alternatives to the relatively expensive and unsustainable aluminium/metal bikes.

BICYCLE??• BICYCLE: A human-powered, pedal-

driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other

• Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century in Europe and as of 2003, more than 1 billion have been produced worldwide, twice as many as the number of automobiles that have been produced

BICYCLE PARTS

MATERIALS??

• Frame - The core• Material importance lays with weight and

strength • Strength and Density of material and processing• Titanium• Steels• Aluminium• Bamboo

FRAME FABRICATION

• Designed based on the usage of the bicycle

• Major overall bicycle requirements are speed, safety, comfort, and endurance.

• Weight is the key to speed, but the lightweight need must be balanced by the other factors (safety, comfort, and endurance)

• To fulfil these requirements , specific materials must be chosen

WHY BAMBOO FOR BIKES??

If you are considering buying a carbon or titanium frame, then let’s learn more about the re-discovered properties of bamboo

BAMBOO?• BAMBOO: a natural composite material longitudinally reinforced by strong

fibres.

LIGHT: In wood the strongest fibres are packed in the centre of the trunk, however in bamboo the stems are full of cavities and the strongest fibres are distributed most densely in the outer surface region.

STIFF: As a consequence the most stable fibre structures in bamboo are most dense in regions of greatest longitudinal stress. Wood bends relatively easily but bamboo does not.

STRONG: Extremely strong wood fibres can resist up to 5kN/cm2 and steel can resist at most 37kN/cm2 whereas the outer fibres of slim bamboo tubes have tensile strengths of up to 40kN/cm2

• Bamboo is therefore an ideal material for bike construction where stiffness and strength to weight ratios are important

• OXYGEN: Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth, generating more oxygen than the equivalent stand of trees.

• NATURAL RESOURCE: There are about 500 species of bamboo and hundreds of sub-species throughout the world. Within a year, plants reach full height, and over the next 6-8 years, plants gain hardness and strength as they lignify. It is an enduring natural resource that can be selectively harvested annually.

• ECO FRIENDLY: Steel, aluminium and titanium frames all require high levels of energy to produce, from extraction to extrusion, before being suitable for bicycle manufacture. Carbon fibre also requires a lot of energy to produce in its controlled oxidation, carbonisation and graphitisation. The graphitisation process in particular is highly energy intensive, requiring temperatures of ~2600°C for high strength fibres or ~3000°C for high modulus (elastic) fibres.

BAMBOO SETBACK

Limited durability- splits but fibres stay together afterwards

THE BIG PICTURE

• Give a man a fish,• He eats for a day• Teach a man to fish,• He feeds his family for a lifetime• Teach him how to make fishing gears,• He creates job for his neighbours• Buy his products,• He grows his business and prospers

Frame Geometries

SIZE*TOP TUBE LENGTH TT

SEAT TUBE ANGLE ST

SET BACK SB

STAND OVER HEIGHT

B.B. DROP

HEAD TUBE ANGLE HT

HEAD TUBE LENGTH HT

MAX HEAD TUBE EXTENSION

MAX SEAT TUBE EXTENSION

WHEEL BASE

48 52 72.5 14.4 76.0 5.5 70 9.1 3.5 1.5 98.0

50 53 72.5 15 78.2 5.5 70.5 10.0 3 3 98.1

52 53.5 72 16.1 79.4 5.5 71 11.3 2.5 3 98.2

54 55.3 71.5 17.1 81.0 5.5 71 12.8 3 2.5 99.0

56 56.5 71 18.2 83.3 5.5 71.5 15.0 3 3 99.8

58 57.5 71 18.9 84.3 5.5 72 16.0 2 2 100.5

60 58.8 70.5 20 86.2 5.5 72 18.0 3 2 101.1

62 60.5 70.25 21 88.0 5.5 72 20.0 3 2 102.1

MAKING A BAMBOO FRAME

• Preservation Treatment• Positioning of Bamboos• Sanding (avoid waxy surface)• Apply Epoxy• Sand Epoxy joined surfaces and apply Hemp fibre

soaked in epoxy• Should be 1/2 to 3/4″ thick and should extend down

the tubes about 2 1/2″ to 3 (on all sides on tube) to make sure joints are adequately stiff.

• Sand Hemp fibre wrappings• Final finishing

RIDE CHARACTERISTICS• QUIET LUXURIOUS RIDE: The vibration damping characteristics of

bamboo make this bike a dream to ride. It is much more comfortable than a carbon fibre frame.

PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGE: This is not just a cool bike. It is appropriate for racing and for everyday use. The vibration damping is a performance advantage on longer rides, reducing fatigue and shock associated with carbon frames.

• NATURAL DAMPING: The composite nature of bamboo gives it an enviable advantage over carbon for absorbing road shocks and vibrations. By absorbing shock, yet remaining incredibly stiff, the rider experiences a rare combination - a forgiving, performance frame.

SIT BACK AND RELAX

TIME FOR MAKING YOUR OWN

BAMBOO BIKE FRAME