Custom Fatbike by Christopher

Design: Custom Fatbike Kit
Build: Custom Design
Location: Netherlands

What made you decide to build a bamboo bike?

I wanted to build a frame by myself since i started biking. I love the idea to build it completely at home, which would not be possible for me with a steel or carbon frame. A few years ago I saw a bamboo bike and was fascinated - so I decided to order a fatbike kit. My first self-build bike should be different from the others in my garage.

Did you enjoy building the bicycle from scratch and would you recommend the experience?

Yes! It was some kind of a relaxing activity. I was a little bit worried about this very special frame type (fatbike), but at the end it was a lot of fun!

What did you find most difficult about your bike build?

Measurement and fitting of the rear triangle for the fatbike tires! I bought the rear wheel with the tire before building the frame to ensure everything is align correctly. Also the lugs where a kind of challenge - i used a little bit more flax to make a more sturdy frame. Also fitting the axle (177mm) to the rear triangle took me a lot of time.

What was the easiest part of the build?

Cutting the bamboo to fit to the head- and downtube and tacking the frame afterwards.

How would you describe the ride of your finished bike?

So, it's a fatbike with 4.0 tires - it rides like tractor ;-) It's very smooth and it has some kind of suspension due to the very low tire pressure of 0,5 bar. The frame feels very sturdy and I enjoy every minute on the bike!