Bamboo Bikes Don’t Grow On Trees…Technically

At first it was just a house here and there, then some furniture, kitchenware, and clothing, but these days everything from underpants to bamboo bikes are sprouting up all around the country. Two separate organizations are using the raw material of bamboo and sustainable practices to create economic and environmentally friendly transportation for people in opposite corners of the globe. While bamboo bikes don’t grow on trees, per se, they can still be grown in your backyard!

A Sustainable Ride

In an industry commonly known for uppity bike mechanics and snotty riders, a California company is breathing a little life into the ‘exclusive’ world of cyclists. Stalk Bicycles is a team of laid-back, passionate “dudes” in pursuit of the perfect bike. Rather than waiting around for perfection, they chose to build bikes themselves, out of bamboo! We know bamboo as a sustainable and versatile material.

While the major components of the bicycles are made from conventional materials, the frame, as well as handlebars and cargo racks are made from bamboo. Due to its natural weather resistance, bamboo frames last longer than traditional frames made from various aluminums and steel alloys.

All Stalk Bikes are built in Oakland, California using local bamboo harvested from the San Francisco Bay Area.

A Helping Hand

The Bamboo Bike Project is a project created by scientists and engineers of Columbia University. The goal is to provide sustainable bamboo bicycles to African countries for their various transportation needs. While many impoverished citizens must rely on expensive buses, or their own two feet, the Project is hoping to provide bikes as well.

The two main objectives are to build better bikes for poor Africans in rural areas, and to encourage a bicycle building industry in Africa that fulfills the needs of locals, and stimulates independence. There are no local bike-building businesses in sub-Saharan Africa, and the Bamboo Bike Project has their work cut out for them.

It turns out that bamboo might be the best raw material available for stimulating many small economies, and due to its ability to grow quickly in various climates, there futures of Stalk Bicycles and The Bamboo Bike Project are looking bright.

Bamboo Bike Project Video