AFP - visiting us during a weekend workshop

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‘I am raising money for Action Medical Research, a great children’s charity dedicated to improving the health of babies and children in the UK.

I am doing this by cycling solo for 24hrs (call it a rush of blood to the head) on a BAMBOO BIKE’

For almost 60 years the charity has been behind numerous breakthroughs such as the UK polio vaccine, ultrasound scanning in pregnancy, and more recently the fetal heart rate monitor a new state-of-the-art device that could help save thousands of at-risk babies.

Action Medical Research relies entirely on donations to fund a range of research projects that address serious childhood conditions and improve quality of life for children with disabilities.

You will also be supporting research to reduce premature birth, prevent pregnancy complications that threaten babies’ lives, and find the best ways to care for sick and vulnerable babies.

Please give generously, cycling 24hrs with very little sleep deserves a lot of sponsorship money, especially for such a good cause.

To support Adam visit the his page on the Action Medical Research Page – Click Here

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It is time to unveil our latest creation – the black mamba Bamboo Bike messenger frame. Over the last few months this fellow has been taking shape slowly, and has now been on the road in London for a couple of weeks.

For the first time, we used a pigment additive to the epoxy resin, giving a jet black finish to the bindings. Coupled with a Dia Compe wheelset, Brooks  Copper Team Pre Special and some custom-made bamboo handle bars, this frame is really brought to life.

Fixing the flat bars was certainly a challenge, as the varying bamboo diameters meant that timber shims were necessary to guarantee alignment. The results are, however, most definitely worth it.

So for the foreseeable future this bike will be cruising around Hackney, Bow and the city centre on the daily commutes – stop me and check it out if you get a chance, and have a ride for yourself! The geometry is super-tight and is by far the most reactive bike I’ve ridden in some time.

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Guest Blog by Sara Dawkins

Bicycle Trailers for Riding Across the UK

Bicycling with the family can be a fun and rewarding experience for both parent and child. It could be a great way to experience the outdoors for the child as they ride comfortably in a kind of trailer. These “kiddie trailers” can be attached to the parent’s bicycle and towed such as a trailer being towed by a vehicle. These trailers are built for safety and comfort complete with a tent-like hood to prevent the children from getting wet. There are many ways to travel by bicycle in the United Kingdom with or without a child as your cargo.

1. Pet Carrier - Many of us enjoy sharing the outdoors with our pets. Trailers of varying sizes can be mounted to your bicycle to take these pets along for the ride. From inside a protected tent-like dome, your pet can enjoy as much of the outdoors as you do.

2. Cargo Racks – There are bicycle trailers that are nothing more than racks that you can strap your luggage on. Whether it is camping gear, suitcases, or groceries you can use your bicycle to haul as much as your legs have the strength for.

3. Containers – If you need to have better protection from the elements or need to keep something cold, there are container trailers that are made of durable plastic. As these can vary in size, you can store enough food for a quick bicycle trip to the park or go on a full-blown camping excursion.

4. Campers – For those who are planning on bicycling across the UK, having a collapsible camper trailer for your bicycle could help keep you safe and warm at night. These trailers can fold out to sleep one comfortably, possibly two if you don’t mind being too close to someone. They work much like a collapsible hunting trailer without the bulk. These campers can be set up and dismantled relatively quickly for a more hassle free bicycling/camping experience.

5. Saddlebag Trailers – Some trailers you can use consist of a single wheel that connects to your bicycle loaded with saddlebags on either side. These are perfect for cross country tours or extended day rides from one city to the next. Survival equipment and water can be carried in these smaller bags ensuring you have a safe and healthy ride.

6. Wagon Trail – Extravagant bicycling could include a mode of transportation that has been around for hundreds of years. Trailers that resemble miniature covered wagons can be attached to your bicycle which server the same purpose they did in the past. Whether your hauling goods or children, the covered wagon could provide protection for your cargo from the sun while you ride to your destination.

7. DIY Trailer – Customization could give you exactly what you want in a trailer to cross the UK with. As long as it has spinning wheels, nearly any object or idea can be attached to the bicycle for towing. You’re only limited by your engineering skills.

For those interested it bicycling across the UK and taking in the sites, there are many options depending on your needs. Whether you are showing the child the beautiful UK landscape or on a camping pilgrimage to bicycle across the the country, there are many styles of trailers you can choose from. Find the one that is perfect for you and enjoy the outdoors.
Author Bio
Sara is an active nanny as well as an active freelance writer. She is a frequent contributor of http://www.nannypro.com/.

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Tom Valentine who runs the Lee’s Solicitors Bike Claims Blog approached us to do a guest Blog about how the bamboo bicycle club started and more about the founders

Tell us a bit about Bamboo Bicycle Club, exactly what do you do, and how did it all begin? 

It’s been nearly 2 years since we started building – and we made a lot of mistakes before we began to get the ride right! There is enormous enjoyment to be gained from building bikes you design yourself, specifically for your body. When we rode our first bamboo bicycle, neither of us could stop smiling, and wanting to share that experience with others is one of our key motivators.  There are so many self build videos online, but there isn’t enough detail. Bamboo Bicycle Club workshops allow anyone to fulfil their bamboo bike dream without the endless research, buying any tools or sourcing material suppliers – like we had to for so long!

There has suddenly been quite a bit of press and coverage of bamboo bikes recently, but how long have they been around? 

The first bamboo bicycles were built in 1896, but they were quickly sidelined in favour of steel and other metals for mass production purposes. In 1996 Craig Calfee began building bamboo bicycles using a hemp composite and since then, there has been a steady growth in builders, especially in the US. It’s still in the early stages and very much a niche frame material, however, we believe with continuing innovations it can become a viable frame material choice.

Why is Bamboo such a good material to build a bike with? 

Bikes can be built without all the machinery required for steel, aluminium and carbon frames. Under instruction, people can learn the skills easily, or they may even have them already. The frames are all unique, which is perfect for those who struggle to find the right frame geometry. They feel stiff on the road, but have enough natural flexibility to absorb every bump that comes your way and dampen the ride.

Is it safe?

We have not gone through factory tests or pummelled our frames to total destruction, but we and others have heavily test-ridden our frames to simulate tough conditions and the results are fantastic. All our models are designed for city/town use and we haven’t broached the mountain-bike game (yet). Obviously there are risks associated with building your own frame, and as long as they are respected, we’ll ensure you build to a high quality and achieve success.

What is your favourite city in the world to cycle in? 

For me, somewhere like Vancouver BC has great scenery and a good bike vibe, but actually, London has a great buzz and is always a thrill. As for Ian, he’s a Beijing fan and claims that no-where else compares – anywhere where there are always hundreds of cyclists around every corner is a fantastic place to ride.

What do you think of the Cycling infrastructure in the UK? What could be done to improve cycle safety and get people out on their bikes. 

There is lots of really positive press at the moment, and the momentum needs to be maintained through the winter. All new roads need to fully encompass the needs of cyclists as they currently so often don’t – cycle channels as found in Amsterdam and Copenhagen are the ideal way to segregate traffic and encourage more people to get cycling. The concept of including cyclist awareness in the driving test is brilliant, but it will be a generation before we notice the full effects. Unfortunately our cities are the diamonds in the rough – the likes of London and Manchester are far safer to cycle in than small towns and suburbs. No matter how frustrated cyclists get with the aggression of some bus drivers and cabbies, at least they know we’re there.

You offer workshops in Bamboo Bike Building, is it really the case that anyone could build a bike for themselves? 

Yes – 100%. We teach a maximum of 4 people here at a time so that we can help people who are less confident and make sure they are following the correct steps.

Talk us through the build process, what other materials do you use? 

The first few hours are spent setting up the jig and aligning the metal parts in the correct places – we use customised stainless steel water-cut dropouts, and cromoly tubing for the head tube, seat post tube and bottom-bracket sleeve. Then we get everyone to select their bamboo from our stock and start cutting and shaping them to size. We tack them in place, and early on the Sunday morning we use hemp and epoxy to bind the joints together.

Can you remember what your first bike was? 

I shared a bicycle with my twin brother which was a red with stabilizers.

Be honest…do you own any non Bamboo bikes? 

I currently only own bamboo bikes – I had a steel touring frame and a hybrid that I stripped for parts to feed my bamboo habit. Ian still has a couple of non-bamboos on the road, but they are ever more seldom used.

In 5 words… convince us why we should own a Bamboo bike. 

Custom, Light, Durable, Comfortable, Cool

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One of the key components for a successful build is developing a strong material base for connecting the frame together and there are a number of ways to go about doing this. Here at Bamboo Bicycle Club, we have explored and experimented with the most common and proven methods: hemp and carbon. It is often a question we are asked about, so this blog will act as a guide to better understand the different joining methods that exist, along with their advantages and disadvantages. This is all based on knowledge we have required both through research and testing it out for our own builds. There are many other methods out there, and it can be up to personal style and preference to choose one over the other.

Metal Joints

About - The original bamboo bicycle used metal at the joints, which is then crimped around the bamboo. Although it is a good method, it requires considerable manufacturing to create the steel lugs and also adds additional weight to the frame.

Advantages

-Easy to manufacture once designed and moulded/machined part has been created

-Clean finish and does not require a lot of work to complete

-Strong material

-Easy to test the durability

Disadvantages

-Needs expensive tooling

-Requires large quantities of CO2 to produce

-The crimping needs to be done carefully to prevent damage to the bamboo

Carbon Fibre - Joined with epoxy

About – This is one of the most popular methods used by people for building bamboo bicycles. Carbon offers excellent strength to weight ratio and can be bought in a number of different forms.

Carbon tow is generally used for a bamboo bicycle and is wrapped around the joints. Some builders will use a glass fibre base to increase strength and to make a good structural composite,  due to carbon tow being one directional. This makes it very  important to have a multi-directional base layer.

Advantages

-Pre-process material so requires little finishing

-Extremely strong

-Cheap to purchase

-Attractive finish

-Lightweight

Disadvantages

-Requires a lot of processing, making it an unsustainable material and cannot be easily recycled

-Generally, it is a multi- directional glass-fibre, which increases the build time and material usage.

-It can be expensive as a large amount is required to complete a bicycle

Hemp Fibre-Joined with epoxy

About

On the same level as carbon fibre for usage in bamboo bicycles, hemp was often used to make sail canvases, and the word canvas derives from cannabis. The founder of modern bamboo bicycles has used raw hemp fibre since 1996 and continues to build bamboo bicycles using this method.

When grown for non-drug purposes, hemp is referred to as ”industrial hemp”. A common product of this is known as fibre, which can be used in a wide variety of products, including the seed for nutritional aspects and for the oil. The number one grower is China, followed by France (the French do love a smoke!)

Advantages

-Creates a very strong multi-directional composite

-Cheap to purchase

-Very sustainable due to undergoing very little processing.

Disadvantages

-Hard to purchase in the UK, it can only be grown with a cultivation license which is issued by the Home Office as a result of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It is also difficult to get in a raw form.

-Needs a lot of work to get a good finish

-Requires a lot of resin to bond

Twine – Joined with wood glue

Some people use twine – yes garden twine. Hemp string is available and extremely strong. Hemp rope was traditionally used at sea and is extremely strong. One chap we meet used twine with wood glue – we are not sure of the advantages or disadvantages of this, you can make your own mind up!

What we use

At  Bamboo Bicycle Club, we use a unique type of hemp. We have found that it is easy to purchase in the UK, allows bikes to be built over a weekend with less time spent on finishing and lowers the amount of epoxy’s required. -

If you want to find out more about building bamboo bicycles, you can visit our workshop

If you want to build your very own bamboo bicycle we have available workshop dates

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