by Catherine Haug
Last week, National Public Radio featured a piece on hand made bamboo bikes: Do It Yourself: Building Your Own Bamboo Bike. This story featured the Bamboo Bike Studio, who offer classes and workshops. They also champion the creation of small businesses in developing countries, to make these inexpensive bikes out of sustainable bamboo.
But anyone can make and use these bikes, not just those who live in developing countries. All you need are wheels, gears and pedals, bamboo for the frame, and materials to join the bamboo.
Unlike working with steel and other common bike materials, bamboo is a natural material that requires only woodworking skills that one can master in a weekend! (more…)