Mark built a free-ride 29er — and it keeps taking everything he throws at it
Mark built a bamboo 29er mountain bike with BBC and has been throwing it down the Surrey Hills for over two years — drops, jumps, technical trails. It keeps taking everything.
Figures from BBC programme records. Reoffending is a contested measure — we report what we can verify.
Plenty of people build a bamboo bike to commute on. Mark built one to send down the trails.
What happened
Mark made a 29er mountain bike from one of our frame kits and set it up as a proper free-ride machine — then took it out into the Surrey Hills, where he rides it.
What we did
We supplied the frame kit; Mark did the rest. He built the frame and kitted it with serious trail components: a Fox 160mm fork, Hope 30 Wide hoops, Shimano XT brakes and Maxxis Minion 2.6 tyres. A home-built bamboo frame, dressed for real off-road riding.
Why it matters
A bamboo frame holding up to free-ride mountain biking is the durability story told the only way that really counts: out on the trail, by the person riding it. Not a lab figure — a bike its maker is happy to keep throwing at the hills.
In Mark's words
"I eventually got my 29er setup going — Fox 160mm, Hope 30 wide hoops, XT brakes, Maxxis Minion 2.6 tyres. I am loving riding my free-ride creation in the Surrey Hills. The bike keeps taking everything I throw at it."
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