Pottery, sewing, knitting and jewelry making are just a few of the weekend workshops that are available to people wanting to learn a new art or hone a skill. Now bicycle frame building can be added to this list. Bamboo Bike Studio is offering a multi-day, hands-on class in the art of building a bicycle frame and best of all you’ll bring home your very own frame or bike!
Bamboo Bike Studio has two permanent, on going workshops in San Francisco and Brooklyn that host three day frame building sessions throughout the year. For as little as $632 you can be taught over the course of long weekend how to build your very own bamboo single speed bicycle frame. These bamboo frames are not to be hung as wall art, but actually used by the people that built them. Bamboo Bike Studio has a number of years of experience building bamboo frames and has extensively tested their designs to ensure the safest possible frame.
The process used in our workshops and kits has been developed, tested, and refined over three years, hundreds of frames, and thousands of miles. In field testing, frames have withstood all conditions – punishment from some of New York City’s most demanding bike messengers. In lab testing, frames have met the highest American safety standard.
If a single speed is not for you, front and rear derailleur hangers, cable stops and internal cable routing can all be added at an additional cost. If you do not have the components to add to your new frame, Bamboo Bike Studio also offers component groups for sale.
Their bamboo frame designs follow very common bicycle specifications:
• 1 1/8″ head tube
• 27.2mm seat post, 28.6mm for the clamp
• 68mm English thread bottom bracket
• 120, 130, 135mm wide rear spacing
• Disc brake mounts available on request
No matter which component configuration that you choose, the bamboo frames are constructed in a similar fashion. The bamboo tubes are joined with a combination of a fiberglass tape, epoxy composite and carbon fiber roving, epoxy composite. The fiberglass and carbon fiber are woven together with specific patterns to create strong lugs. The resulting frame should weigh between 4.5 to 6.5 pounds. On average, the frames weigh 5.25 pounds which is mostly dependent on the size of the frame constructed and any additional features add to the original design.
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Bamboo Bike Studio has taught over 250 people how to make bamboo bike frames and recently helped to start a factory in Ghana this past September. The goal in starting that factory was to provide the lowest cost and highest value bicycles to people who wanted or needed them most.
If it is not possible for you to make it to their studios to participate in a workshop, Bamboo Bike Studio has a traveling workshop tour. Florida, Colorado and even Alabama have had tour stops or upcoming workshop dates planned – keep checking their website or Craigslist for possible dates in your area. If you would rather ride your grass as opposed to smoking it, put your hands-on skills to work and build your very own bamboo frame.