Bamboo Bicycle Club at Kew Gardens
We'll be setting up a mini workshop at Kew Gardens this year for there summer cycle on the 27th of July
Details about the event
Join us this year to celebrate the summer with an even bigger and more exciting evening bike ride at Kew Gardens.
As bicycles are not usually allowed in the Gardens, this is a unique opportunity for you to explore Kew’s most beautiful spots with friends and family as the sun begins to set.
Get ready to be dazzled by the range of entertainers we have in store! Everything from unicycles to balloon animals to Tree Tours!
Bask in the enchanted woodlands and beautiful blooms; a magical way to enjoy your summer.
Make an evening of it and stop for a summer drink; listen to our live music with your own picnic, or dine at one of our restaurants on route.
Our Gardens really do come alive when you're on two wheels!
"In a quiet corner of Hackney Wick, Ian McMillan and James Marr are helping Londoners customise their rides."
"Bamboo Bicycle Club taps into 'the IKEA effect' — that extra bit of affection people reserve for objects they put together themselves."
Bamboo Bicycle Club at Kew Gardens — The Story
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is one of the most visited cultural and scientific institutions in the UK — and one of the world's leading centres for plant research and conservation. Bamboo, as one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth and a material central to the BBC's mission, made this partnership a natural fit.
The BBC's appearance at Kew Gardens brought live bicycle building demonstrations to an audience who came to Kew for the plants — and left with a deeper appreciation of what those plants can become. Watching a bicycle frame emerge from raw bamboo culms in real time is a powerful demonstration of what plant-based materials can do when combined with craft and engineering.
Kew's collection includes over 250 species of bamboo — from the tiny Pleioblastus pumilus at ground level to giant Phyllostachys culms reaching six metres or more. The BBC team worked alongside Kew's botanists to discuss which species are best suited to structural applications, and how sustainable bamboo harvesting works in practice.
For visitors, the build demonstration answered a question many cyclists ask: is a bamboo bike actually strong enough? The answer, demonstrated through live build and rider testing on site, was unequivocal. A properly built bamboo frame — with well-selected culms, correctly positioned joints, and quality composite lugs — is structurally comparable to aluminium and in some vibration-damping properties superior to carbon fibre.
The BBC continues to run public events and demonstrations throughout the year. Follow the BBC on social media for upcoming events in London and beyond.