11,300km Across South America for Charity: The 2 by Bamboo Story

"After 6 countries, 11,300km, a bloody long mountain range, lots of laughs, a few sobs, unbelievably kind people and 1,620 rice-based meals — we made it across the finish line in Cartagena!"

The Expedition

Two cyclists set out under the name "2 by Bamboo" on a charitable expedition across South America. The route crossed six countries, climbed mountain ranges, endured border crossings in multiple languages, navigated deserts and tropical roads, and concluded in Cartagena, Colombia — where they posted those words to BBC's community in July 2018.

Every kilometre was a fundraising opportunity. Every conversation that began with "what is that frame made of?" was an entry into a story about why they were riding and who they were riding for. The JustGiving campaign ran throughout the journey, updating with every major milestone.

The Frame Evidence

11,300 kilometres of South American roads are not gentle. They include unpaved mountain tracks at altitude, cobbled city streets, and long stretches of highway. Through all of it, the bamboo frames never needed touching. Chains broke. Tyres wore through. A pannier rack gave way. The bamboo frames held.

This is not a marketing claim. It is 11,300 kilometres of lived evidence, accumulated in conditions no factory stress test can simulate. The durability objection to bamboo — will it really last? — is answered on the road between one end of a continent and the other.

Outcomes

• 11,300km completed across 6 South American countries
• Zero bamboo frame failures across the full expedition
• Charity funds raised via JustGiving — publicly promoted throughout
• Both frames outlasted every other component (chains, tyres, rack)

"After 6 countries, 11,300km, a bloody long mountain range, lots of laughs, a few sobs, and 1,620 rice-based meals — we made it across the finish line in Cartagena!"
— 2 by Bamboo, July 2018

2 by Bamboo is one of four documented BBC epic expeditions covering over 5,000km. Across all four — South America, Southeast Asia, France to New Zealand, and the Andes — the bamboo frame has never been the thing that broke. That is not luck. That is material science.