Gravel Frame Build Kit
Adventure-ready geometry for gravel roads, light touring and bikepacking — hand-built by you from bamboo, flax and carbon.
1-year kit warranty · 14-day returns on unopened kits · ships in ~2 weeks
Build your own — and help fund a place on our Build to Bond prison programme. Every £1 we generate returns £11.41 of social value.
- No power tools required — just basic hand tools
- Illustrated manual + 15+ hours of step-by-step video
- Lifetime community of 4,000+ builders for support
- Cycle to Work accepted — save through salary sacrifice
What makes it different
No welding, no workshop
Build the whole frame on your kitchen table with basic hand tools — everything else is in the kit.
Everything in the box
Bamboo, the jig, metal fittings, resin, fibre and 15+ hours of step-by-step video — you only add the components.
Every kit funds learning
Your build helps fund accredited skills courses in prisons and schools. You learn a skill — so does someone else.
Built to fit you
| Frame size | Rider height | Inseam |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 148–163 cm | 68–74 cm |
| S | 160–173 cm | 74–80 cm |
| M | 170–183 cm | 78–86 cm |
| L | 180–193 cm | 84–92 cm |
| XL | 190–203 cm | 90–100 cm |
| 2XL | 200 cm + | 98 cm + |
Inseam is the better guide — measure barefoot, floor to crotch. Bands overlap on purpose: if you fall between two, choose the smaller frame.
No sizing gamble: you build your frame to fit you. Use your height and inseam to pick your size.
Your frame's size is set on the jig you build on — so pick the size that matches your fit, then fine-tune with seatpost, stem and saddle. Being between sizes is normal: build the smaller one.
Outside these sizes? Build a custom frameYour build helps fund accredited skills courses — inside prisons and schools.
Complete your build, the easy way.
The kit is the frame. Add a matched component pack — fork, wheels, groupset, finishing kit — and you're ride-ready. Or source parts from any bike shop; your frame fits all major groupsets.
Everything to build the bamboo gravel frame.
Fork, wheels, groupset, bars, saddle and finishing kit.
A complete, one-of-a-kind gravel bike — built by you.
Add the component packPrefer to choose your own parts? Skip the pack — the frame works with any standard groupset, and we'll advise.
What you'll need at home.
Basic hand tools
A hacksaw, files, sandpaper, a measuring tape — no power tools. Everything else is in the kit.
A bit of space
A sturdy table around 1200 × 600 mm and a spot the frame can sit undisturbed while joints cure.
A few weekends
25–35 hours across multiple sessions. No rush — bamboo is forgiving and most mistakes are fixable.
Four stages, across a few weekends.
Set the geometry
Lock gravel geometry on the jig — wider clearance and a slacker head angle than road.
Join & wrap
Bond the tubes with epoxy and wrap each joint with carbon-fibre tow.
Cure
Leave it for a full cure — that's where maximum joint strength comes from.
Sand, seal & ride
Sand smooth, seal the bamboo, fit the headset and bottom bracket. Adventure awaits.
A smoother, more compliant ride.
Bamboo's natural vibration damping takes the edge off rough trails — ideal for bikepacking. Frames are compatible with all major groupsets and can be built around Shimano GRX or Rohloff geared hubs.
The current trend is for carbon frames that lack environmental credentials. Bamboo is easy to grow, offsets its carbon footprint, and — combined with flax and bio-composites — offers a viable alternative.
In the kit
Heat-treated Moso bamboo tubes (with spares), a full-size frame blueprint, a plywood alignment jig, the CNC metal parts that the steering, cranks and wheels bolt to (head tube, bottom-bracket shell and dropouts), carbon-fibre tow (the reinforcing fibre you wrap each joint with), two-part epoxy resin, and an illustrated manual plus 15+ hours of step-by-step video tutorials.
You'll add
Fork, wheels, groupset, handlebars, saddle and finishing components. Grab a complete component pack from us, or source parts from any bike shop.
You've got this — and we've got you
You can't really ruin it
The glue is slow and adjustable, each joint wrap is additive (more = stronger), and a cured joint simply sands back to shape. The kit even ships with spare bamboo — at no single point is a mistake permanent.
Tools you'll need
- Hacksaw
- Files
- Sandpaper
- Tape measure
- A rounded wood file
- Electrical & masking tape
- A 1200×600mm board
- No power tools needed
You're never on your own
Stuck mid-build? Get help fast through our builder forum, step-by-step YouTube videos, WhatsApp and email. Most of our builders start with zero experience.
Caring for your frame
Seal the bamboo and store it indoors; dry it after wet rides. A frame you built — and understand — is one you can maintain and repair yourself for years.
Warranty, returns & shipping
- 1-year warranty on the kit materials
- Full refund within 14 days on unopened, unused kits
- Ships in ~2 weeks · UK £12 · Europe £25 · USA £45 · rest of world £75
See a frame come together.
The same hand-build every kit follows — start to finish, on camera.
Rated by the builders who made one
Woody made the full 8,288 miles with virtually no mechanical issues at all. All bikes are like magicians — but a bamboo bike multiplies that a hundredfold.
— Kate Rawles, author of 'The Life Cycle'I've got five bikes and this is my favourite — it feels stiffer, dampens vibration better, and I feel safer and more confident on it.
— Daan, gravel-touring build, AmersfoortBefore you build.
Do I need power tools?
What if I make a mistake?
How strong is it really?
Is it weatherproof?
Not sure which size?
Can I use Cycle to Work?
Built by people like you
Novice to 10,000 km
Read this build
Colin's custom gravel bike
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Alex's gravel bike
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Andrew bikepacking his CX bamboo bike
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Carl's bamboo gravel bike
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Andrew's custom gravel bike
Read this build
Watch the build, start to finish
Build film by Julian Goulding · a Bamboo Bicycle Club community build
Every kit ships with 15+ hours of step-by-step video. Here's a taste of what you'll do.