Gravel Bike by Jonathan

Design: Gravel Bike
Build: Gravel home build kit
Location: Stroud, U.K

What made you decide to build a bamboo bike?

I've always wanted to build my own frame, having been a keen cyclist since I was a teen but the cost of a steel frame, course, jig and materials has always put me off. I've known about bamboo frames for a number of years, and I have built one previously and enjoyed the process.

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

I loved it and would recommend it to any like minded individuals.

What did you find most difficult about your bike build?

I didn't do a typical bamboo bicycle club build, I used carbon fibre for the lugs rather than the supplied sheeting in the kit. So I needed to remove the frame several times from the jig to get the wheel alignment just right.
All sorted though.

What was the easiest part of the build?

The jig assembly at the start.

What advice would you give to other bamboo bike builders and what would you improve if anything?

If you don't know your bikes, read the instructions from cover to cover and work slow. If you know your bikes, still read the instructions and work slow. Improvements could be made to the instruction booklet - as it's a little generic and could do with more detail here and there (spacers required for disc brake installation etc.).