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Bamboo Bikes

03.01.2015 by Ray Niekamp // 1 Comment

This has been a tough week for Bike Noob. Tough, because the weather has gone to pieces, and we’ve had irritating light rain and chilly temperatures for the last several days. I’ve gotten in no riding at all this week. So, since I have no riding to write about, I thought I’d take a look at an interesting development in the biking world.

I keep getting emails from entrepreneurs who are starting up small companies that make bamboo bikes. That’s right, those tall stalks of segmented wood tubes are used to make bikes — and not just in Southeast Asia, not by any means.

At first blush, it sounds crazy. But bamboo is different from other woods. It’s light, but strong. The cellulose fibers that make the outer layer of the wood are stiff and strong. Because it’s hollow, bamboo is light. The segments in the stalk provide built-in vibration damping.

A road bike by Bamboosero of La Selva Beach, California.
A road bike by Bamboosero of La Selva Beach, California. (Click to enlarge.)

According to the testing firm Instron, one disadvantage of bamboo is the uniqueness of its different species. Each has different properties. Its height, age, and water content can all affect its ability to perform as a bike frame. It also has to be treated to avoid insects and fungus.

The bamboo is heat treated to prevent cracking, and coated to keep out moisture. It’s joined to other parts of the frame by carbons fiber jointing, or by wrapping in epoxy.

Bamboo bikes are labor intensive to build, and therefore, the bikes can be pricey.

This bamboo 29er mountain bike from Calfee Design costs a cool $10,000.
This bamboo 29er mountain bike from Calfee Design costs a cool $10,000.

One company, Greenstar Bikes of Minneapolis, claims to be the “affordable” bamboo bike, with a price of $450.

Greenstar's EcoForce 1 bike in blue.
Greenstar’s EcoForce 1 bike in blue.

Or, you could buy a do-it-yourself kit from the Bamboo Bicycle Club of London for about $445 US.

The Bamboo Bicycle Club offers workshops and class for people who want to build their own bikes.
The Bamboo Bicycle Club offers workshops and classes for people who want to build their own bikes.

 Bamboo bikes strike me as the ultimate niche cycle. A number of other companies around the world make them, but they’re still not something you see every day — or ever.

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“Adventure Road” Bikes

02.01.2015 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

As I deal with less than optimum biking weather this winter (although I shouldn’t complain — I rode today in 62-degree (16C) sunshine), my thoughts turn to other bikes. What’s out there that I need to pay attention to?

I’ve noticed one category that has taken hold quickly, at least based on the offerings of all the major bike companies. That’s the so-called “Adventure Road” bike. Evolved from cyclocross bikes, the adventure road is intended to let the recreational roadie go beyond the tarmac. The wider tires offer good traction on gravel roads, too, and more comfort when the pavement disintegrates. It has the drop handlebars of a road bike, and it’s priced in a wide range — from under $1,000 to well up into the several thousands. What sets it apart is its wider-than-typical road bike tires and its brakes.

I took a look at several makes, and selected models that are priced in about the mid-range: $1,200-$1,500. Here’s what you can get:

The Trek CrossRip

The Trek CrossRip Elite.
The Trek CrossRip Elite.

The Elite model has an aluminum frame and carbon fork, a 9-speed cassette with an 11-32 tooth range, a 50/34 compact crankset, mechanical disc brakes and 32 mm tires. Its MSRP is $1,270.

Giant AnyRoad 1

The Giant AnyRoad 1.
The Giant AnyRoad 1.

Also aluminum frame, carbon fork, mechanical disc brakes. It has a 9-speed cassette with an 11-34 tooth range, and a 48/34 crankset. It also comes with 32 mm tires. Its MSRP is $1,225.

Diamondback Haanjo Comp

Diamondback Haanjo Comp
Diamondback Haanjo Comp

Aluminum frame, carbon fork, and a 10-speed Shimano 105 drive train. It has a 12-30 cassette, and a 46/36 crankset. Mechanical disc brakes, but wide tires — 40 mm. MSRP: $1,500.

Norco Search S2 Steel

Norco Search S2 Steel
Norco Search S2 Steel

The Canadian bike maker Norco has low-to-medium-priced adventure road bikes with steel frames, and more expensive carbon fiber framed models. The S2 has a chromoly frame and fork, and 11-speed Shimano 105 drivetrain, 11-32 cassette and a 50/34 crankset. Mechanical disc brakes, 28 mm tires. It’s priced at $1,215.

So, what’s the attraction of bikes like these? Well, they offer a more comfortable alternative to traditional road bikes. Their geometry is more relaxed than most road bikes, with shorter top tubes, and taller head tubes. The disc brakes offer better stopping power, and the wider tires cushion the ride somewhat. If you have gravel roads in your area that beckon the cyclist, these bikes are good gravel grinders.

It’s likely that they won’t keep up with the A group in your club, but that probably won’t bother most people in the market for them. For a certain type of rider, the ride is important — not the speed. I’m intrigued by these bikes. I’m not in the market now, but if I do start shopping for a new road bike, I think the adventure road will be the road I take.

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The Wife and the Mountain Bike

09.09.2014 by Ray Niekamp // Leave a Comment

I came home from work today to find my mountain bike standing on the garage floor. This is unusual, because it normally hangs from hooks in the garage ceiling.

“Did you go for a mountain bike ride today?” I asked my wife.

“I did!” she replied.

Her own bike was over at our local bike mechanic, getting an overhaul.

“And did you take it down by yourself?” I asked. “That isn’t easy.”

“No,” she said, “it’s not.”

“How was your ride?” I asked. “Say, compared to last week, when you took it out.”

“You know, it was a lot tougher,” she said. “Those gears just didn’t want to shift.”

I’ve been meaning to run the mountain bike in to my mechanic for awhile now. It won’t shift into the lower gears on the rear, and it won’t shift from the middle ring to the small ring up front. But while she thought her trouble today was about the shifters, I suspected it was something else.

“When you took it out last week, I pumped up the tires beforehand,” I said. “I knew you would ride only on streets, so I gave you 60 pounds pressure. But I didn’t know you were riding today, and when I took the bike out Friday, I deflated the tires so I could ride the singletrack. They’ve only got about 35 pounds in them, maybe less.”

“Ah, that explains it,” she said. “When was was coming back up the hill by the supermarket, it felt like I was being pulled backward.”

I got an email from the mechanic today that her bike was ready, and after supper, I went over to pick it up. In the meantime, I dropped off the mountain bike. The next time she rides it, it’ll shift smoothly.

Although now that she has her own bike back, I’ll bet she won’t ride the mountain bike anytime soon.

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