# New Ride - Bamboo!



## cdn-dave (Jan 6, 2007)

Hey guys, it took me all winter but finally finished my first bamboo frame! 

Here it is all built up:








And just the frame:








Had to build a heat treating oven:








Heat travels down the inside of the larger tube, preheating the inner tube, then into the bottom of the inner tube and out thru the top. Bamboo is hung inside the inner tube.

Jig shot:








To wrap the hemp tightly, I tie-wrapped a bunch of plastic 'crowns' at the ends of the joints. This made it a lot easier to wrap with long strands of hemp, though clean up was a little more work.








Perforated shrink tape is available ready-made (samples too!)








Yah, I figure for the next one I'll pile on more hemp between tape wrappings. It took me forever wrapping just thin layers.

I got the steel frame (Hercules) from a local shop, it already had a broken weld so perfect candidate for this project. Bamboo was sourced locally in the fall, and I got the hemp from a hardware store (did you know plumbers use it to seal joints?). Epoxy and resin online too.

First impression when I went for a ride was 'woo hoo! no sudden CRACK!!'  Feels solid and very smooth. Not sure if that's the bamboo or the 28c tires...

Let me know what you think or if you have advice/questions!

cheers,
dave


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## Drew Diller (Jan 4, 2010)

Nice work!

Fellow hobbyist bamboo builder here. Questions!

Bamboo species? Looks like phyllostachys of some variety.
Front triangle pole diameters? Wall thickness?
Dunstone tape, yeah?
How do you find the torsional flex of the frame?
What are you using for sealant? Tung oil or something more permanent? You need to prevent the bamboo from adjusting to ambient humidity.

Nice use of teeth to make it easy to apply tension at the outskirts of each lug. I'd been mulling around on the same idea, cool to see it in practice.


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## De La Pena (Oct 7, 2008)

Oh good God!! I envy your will power. Nice job. I hope it serves you well.


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## wahday (Mar 23, 2012)

And?....how does it ride? I’ve been fascinated with bamboo bikes since I found out about them about a year ago. I’m impressed you did this entirely on your own. I’ve considered the kits in part because they have dried the bamboo and provide the materials for the joints. But you’ve taken it to a new level!

Ride report, please…


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## crux (Jan 10, 2004)

Very creative with the heat treating oven. Great finished project as well. Hope you get many miles on it.


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## cdn-dave (Jan 6, 2007)

Hey guys, thanks for the compliments!

Drew - I've followed your builds too, part of the inspiration - thanks!
- not sure what species, actually, just your typical garden variety 
- front triangle tube diameters are approx 38mm, stays about 24mm
- good call on the tape - yep, Dunstone
- torsional flex - so far I haven't noticed it through what I call hammering, though that's relative (I'm a flyweight)
-haven't sealed it yet, my plan though is some beeswax weatherproofing stuff I've got for my hiking boots, what do you think? :???:

6bobby9 - it was a long time in the works - about a year I figure. The jig came first, then I harvested the bamboo and let it sit in the garage actively drying out while I went skiing 

Wahday - very smooth ride, uneventful really. Went for an hour along the streets including curbs and cobblestone, and not a peep from the frame. The drivetrain is a little sketch due to a bunch of washers trying to compensate for a proper chainline. 

Crux - I stole the oven idea from the bamboo rod makers. Those guys are the keeners when it comes to heat treatment!

cheers,
dave


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## Drew Diller (Jan 4, 2010)

cdn-dave said:


> -haven't sealed it yet, my plan though is some beeswax weatherproofing stuff I've got for my hiking boots, what do you think? :???:


No experience with that personally, but I believe the builder of this frame used beeswax. I'm looking for the description, I know I've read about it before.


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## jonasrullo (Aug 28, 2012)

I just finished my one and only bamboo frame a couple weeks ago and sealed with spar polyurethane. I started with Valspar, but either it's an old can, or it's a bad brand. It dried, but was always soft on the surface. I switched to Cabot and it leaves a super shiny and firm coating more like a regular painted bike. I used gloss clear. Spar has UV protection and is intended for use outdoors and on boats so I figured it would be a good choice for my bamboo frame. It stays shiny and repels finger prints. Also, being my primary bike, I didn't want to use something I would need to re-apply every 4 months.


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## scruz muddog (May 3, 2008)

My friendhas built many bamboo bikes and sometimes will drill center length of tubes in order to put sealer into inside to prevent swelling with condesate and splitting. You can't keep moisture out. junk yard/ recycle bin will supply dropouts and bottom brackets & brake bosses. You are the future, keep on keeping on.


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## Mr.Magura (Aug 11, 2010)

cdn-dave said:


> Hey guys, thanks for the compliments!
> 
> cheers,
> dave


Those compliment are more than deserved.

Nice going there.

Magura


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## constantijn13 (Oct 11, 2006)

*pu paints*

poly uerethane based paints are not up to there final strength when dry.
After about 2 weeks they get their final strength/ surface thoughness


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## bobbotron (Nov 28, 2007)

Drew Diller said:


> No experience with that personally, but I believe the builder of this frame used beeswax. I'm looking for the description, I know I've read about it before.


I've played around with a lot of wood finishes, thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. Beeswax isn't going to be your best sealer, I'd go with something stronger, maybe use beeswax as a final coat. You guys should try using some epifanes varnish from a marine supply store. It's a top shelf varnish for boats..

Maybe do a few coats of tung oil first (thinned with mineral spirits) and then epifanes on top. This is the kind of thing you'd do on a cedar strip canoe, I imagine this would seal up a bamboo frame well too.

Edit: if you put tung oil down, let it dry for a day between application and after the final coat let it dry for a week or more before varnish. It's not quick drying stuff, it keeps hardening long after it's "dry", it's best to wait and let it do its thing.


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## bobbotron (Nov 28, 2007)

Ps: good job on the bike, well done!


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## Deru (Jan 4, 2008)

Using mineral spirits in tung oil will not change the size of the molecular structure of tung oil to penetrate better in the bamboo's cells. If are you using tung oil don't use with mineral spirits. I used tung oil on some bamboo frames that I made. Now I'm using japanese lacquer(synthetic version using brush) + two parts clear coat(using a compressor)


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## bobbotron (Nov 28, 2007)

Deru said:


> Using mineral spirits in tung oil will not change the size of the molecular structure of tung oil to penetrate better in the bamboo's cells. If are you using tung oil don't use with mineral spirits. I used tung oil on some bamboo frames that I made. Now I'm using japanese lacquer(synthetic version using brush) + two parts clear coat(using a compressor)


Yeah - however a thinner will make it a lot easier to apply the tung oil, and less likely to put too much on in one coat.

Anyway, just my two cents.


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## Deru (Jan 4, 2008)

It is easier to apply but will you need do more coats.
Each coat dry in 2 or 3 days, I usually make 7 to 9 coats.


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## Deru (Jan 4, 2008)

I just put some pics of my bamboo frames in my user gallery.


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## TR (Jan 12, 2004)

Deru said:


> I just put some pics of my bamboo frames in my user gallery.


Deru

That frame deserves it's own thread.
I have so many questions about it.
How have you installed the bottle cage fittings?
How have you done the multiple colours?
What size is it.
What diameter bamboo have you used?
I am looking at building a 58cm top tube bike and am not sure what size diameter and thickness I need. I want it to be raceable so not keen for anything that is flexy.


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## Drew Diller (Jan 4, 2010)

Second that, Deru, your finish work is of high quality. Willing to share more info?


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## bike biker (Sep 24, 2012)

That's crazy!! Now try a dual suspension....


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## Deru (Jan 4, 2008)

TR said:


> Deru
> 
> That frame deserves it's own thread.
> I have so many questions about it.
> ...


I will make a thread, in this thread I only want share my experience about staining/painting bamboo to help cdn-dave.
The bottle cage fittings first I fixed a M5 bolt on a small milled aluminium part, it is easier if weld the bolt, but in my case I don't have a welder machine or a torch. Next I glued it with epoxi, after cure I wrapped with natural fibre+epoxi.
The multiple colours I used japanese lacquer painted by brush. The technique paint is kawari-nuri, it was used to paint samurais armors, fly rods, pens, chopsticks, etc.
My on bike in the picture is a M size (520 mm top tube), the another one is a S size.
I don't know which bamboo will you use. If I build a 58 cm frame, DT with 45 to 50mm diameter, top tube 32 to 35 mm. In my case I use japanese bamboo(madake from Kyoto), treated with chemmicals and fire. All process of bamboo's treatment takes months.


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## TR (Jan 12, 2004)

Deru said:


> I will make a thread, in this thread I only want share my experience about staining/painting bamboo to help cdn-dave.
> The bottle cage fittings first I fixed a M5 bolt on a small milled aluminium part, it is easier if weld the bolt, but in my case I don't have a welder machine or a torch. Next I glued it with epoxi, after cure I wrapped with natural fibre+epoxi.
> The multiple colours I used japanese lacquer painted by brush. The technique paint is kawari-nuri, it was used to paint samurais armors, fly rods, pens, chopsticks, etc.
> My on bike in the picture is a M size (520 mm top tube), the another one is a S size.
> I don't know which bamboo will you use. If I build a 58 cm frame, DT with 45 to 50mm diameter, top tube 32 to 35 mm. In my case I use japanese bamboo(madake from Kyoto), treated with chemmicals and fire. All process of bamboo's treatment takes months.


Thank you so much for you response. It was very helpful.
I look forward to reading your thread about the painting too.


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## Deru (Jan 4, 2008)

Drew Diller said:


> Second that, Deru, your finish work is of high quality. Willing to share more info?


I'm using japanese lacqueur(synthetic version), based in cashew nuts. I don't know if kashu lacquer can be found in overseas(kashu=cashew).
To work with this paint the key is the preparation, I spend more time preparing for the painting than painting. The brush, tools, material to be painted must be very clean. It is needs many coats, between each coats you need to wet sand, 800# to 1500# grain in base and 1500# to 2000# grain in the last coat. The cure of paint is slow if compared with automotive paint for example, you can't accelerate the process with a oven or exposed to light/sun. It is a very slow process.


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## Deru (Jan 4, 2008)

bike biker said:


> That's crazy!! Now try a dual suspension....


I just started my job as framebuilder, at the moment I'm working on a cyclocross frame, after I want a HT MTB, maybe some day a FS MTB.:thumbsup:


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## cdn-dave (Jan 6, 2007)

Wow! Sweet ride Deru, thanks for sharing the pics! Can't wait to check out your thread on the build :thumbsup:

Sorry for the late reply, thanks for all the tips on sealing a bamboo frame


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## sportfish258 (Sep 17, 2010)

First I've seen of this.... Incredible work


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