What made you decide to build a bamboo bike?

Having built up a bike with an off the peg frame I wanted to see if I could build a bike including the frame. Bamboo is a material that I’ve never ridden on and something different and unique

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

Yes I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot in the process. There will always be snags and challenges and trying to address them as they arise is all part of the experience. I would certainly recommend the weekend workshop.

What did you find most difficult about your bike build?

The sanding and filling and sanding and filling of the lugs was more tedious than difficult. I was becoming a bit OCD over it. My LBS was invaluable in inserting the headset, cutting the steerer and inserting the bottom bracket as I didn’t have the tools to do it myself. Also, they tapped a thread for the rear hangar.

What was the easiest part of the build?

Fitting the rest of the components. It seems everyone is shying away from fitting a front derailleur ...I actually didn’t think this was hard. I just needed a bit of thought beforehand.

How would you describe the ride of your finished bike?

More of an all day in the saddle sportive ride rather than anything really aggressive. The geometry is a little more relaxed which may well be contributing to the difference to my Ti. Bike. I haven’t done much mileage as I am still waiting for the Tung oil to cure fully. I thought I’d try Tung oil as opposed to lacquer. Time will tell whether I made the right choice.

What would you improve about the build experience or your finished bike?

If I knew what I know now I’m would be more mindful of the clearances especially of the chain stays and seat tube diameter. Also, I would have liked to have incorporated internal cabling right into the chain stay which would have been easier to sort out when building the frame.