questions, answered.
About the kits, the workshops, and the programmes the bikes pay for. Pick your door or read the whole manual.
pick your door.
choosing a kit.
Which kit should I start with?
If you ride, build the bike you'll actually use — road, gravel, mountain or city. If you want a lighter first taste of frame-building — or a build to run with a class or group — start with a balance-bike kit. If you've got a dream geometry in mind, the custom kit is built to your numbers.
What's in the box?
Everything the frame needs: heat-treated bamboo, flax fibre and bio-resin for the joints, the jig components, an illustrated manual and the full step-by-step video course. You add basic hand tools and a few weekends.
What do kits cost?
Full-size frame kits run from £375 (road, city) to £795 (lugged road); balance-bike kits start at £66. Current prices always live on the shop — the catalogue is the authority.
Can I build a custom geometry?
Yes — the Custom Frame Kit is cut to your measurements. Tell us how you ride and we'll help you spec it.
What about wheels, gears and finishing parts?
Component packs carry everything but the frame — groupset, wheels, finishing kit — matched to your build. Parts & tools are also sold separately for repairs and upgrades.
building it.
Do I need experience or special tools?
No welding, no factory — a hacksaw, files, sandpaper and a tape measure. Most of our builders had never made anything like this before; the manual and video course assume you're starting from zero.
How long does a build take?
25–45 hours across a few weekends. No rush — bamboo is forgiving and most mistakes are fixable.
How strong is bamboo, really?
Bamboo frame tubing tested at Swansea University to BS ISO 22157:2019 — 84.3 MPa ultimate tensile, comparable to mild steel at a fraction of the weight. Builders tour continents on these frames. The full datasheet lives on Why Bamboo.
Will it crack? Can it get wet?
The bamboo is heat-treated and every joint is bound in flax and bio-resin, then sealed with lacquer — rain, mud and winter commuting are fine. Splitting is rare and covered: we replace split bamboo within 3 months of purchase, and every kit carries a 1-year warranty.
What if I get stuck mid-build?
The Support Centre has tutorials and the builders' community, and you can book a free 10-minute call with the workshop. Email info@bamboobicycleclub.org — a real person answers.
workshops.
Do you run in-person workshops?
Yes — frame-building days at our London workshop, with partner sessions in the Netherlands. Formats and dates change through the year, so the workshops page is the source of truth for what's currently bookable.
Do you sell gift vouchers?
Yes, and they're a favourite — workshop gift vouchers are active in the shop and redeemable against any workshop format when the recipient books.
I have a voucher — how do I book?
Email info@bamboobicycleclub.org with your voucher reference and we'll get you scheduled.
schools & education.
What do you offer schools?
Three tiers. DISCOVER: a free talk and show-and-tell with real frames. BUILD: a reusable class kit (£595) with refills and teacher CPD so you can deliver builds yourself. PARTNER: a site licence (£2,500/yr) for embedded delivery. Sessions align to KS3/KS4 Design & Technology — sustainable materials, tolerances, joining methods, circular economy.
Is the schools course accredited?
Our schools Level 1 curriculum (Practical Manufacturing Skills) is in the OCN approval process. Post-16 and vocational settings can access our verified OCN London bespoke Level 2 course where its specification applies. We'll only ever describe accreditation exactly as the awarding body records it.
Can our teachers run it themselves?
Yes — that's the BUILD tier: one day of teacher training plus the class kit, then refill packs per cohort. More on the education page.
prisons & justice.
What is Build to Bond?
Our prison programme: Makers build bamboo bikes over a six-week accredited course — OCN London bespoke Level 2, Workshop Skills and Sustainable Manufacturing — learning workshop skills, material science and finishing. A second registered Level 2 course, Introduction to Product Design & Manufacture (Bamboo Balance Bike), was accredited in July 2026. Frames are built to go home — a bike for a Maker's child is a reason to keep close family ties.
Does it work?
90%+ completion across the prison programme, and a measured 26% confidence uplift in programme evaluation. Ministry of Justice research found prisoners who receive family visits are 39% less likely to reoffend — that's the mechanism the bike-that-goes-home is built on. The Prisons Minister has publicly endorsed Build to Bond; the full endorsement and the evidence behind the numbers live on our impact page.
Where does it run?
The flagship is HMP Lowdham Grange — a 2,000 sq ft dedicated workshop, running since late 2024, oversubscribed, with peer instructors trained from the cohorts. The programme is active across multiple prison sites; the impact page carries the current picture.
How do I bring it to my prison?
Email info@bamboobicycleclub.org. The core course is 6 weeks at 18 hours/week with cohorts of six Makers; pricing is agreed per site and cohort. We handle OCN registration, materials, instructor cover and security-cleared delivery.
companies & teams.
What's a team build day?
Your team builds real bamboo bike frames in a facilitated day — hands-on making, a shared output, and a sustainability story that isn't a lanyard talk. Every corporate event directly funds the prison and schools programmes.
Who have you run these for?
Our flagship corporate relationship is Investec — team builds over multiple years that grew into accelerator funding and advocacy. We're an Investec Beyond Business winner.
Group size and venue?
From a small leadership team at our London workshop to large away-days at your venue — tell us your headcount and we'll shape the day. More on team building.
orders, shipping & returns.
Where do you ship?
Worldwide, tracked, from our London workshop — kits have shipped to 45 countries, and about 80% of kit sales are international. UK shipping £12; your country's rate shows at checkout.
What's your returns policy?
14-day returns on unopened kits — see the refund policy for the details.
What's the warranty?
Every kit carries a 1-year warranty, plus the 3-month split-bamboo replacement promise.
where the money goes.
Where does the money go?
Kit and workshop revenue covers our costs — funder money goes straight to programme delivery. We run two entities on purpose: BBC London Ltd runs the commercial side (kits, workshops, corporate); Bamboo Mobility Project CIC delivers the social programmes in prisons and schools. Teaching bamboo bicycle fabrication since 2012 — 4,000+ people trained, 3,500+ bikes built.
Who backs it?
Investec Beyond Business winner (2025) · Financial Times · Inside Time · National Lottery Community Fund (“Pedal Forward”) · Kevin McCloud's Green Heroes · Design Museum exhibition. The proof lives on the impact page.
Still stuck?
Email info@bamboobicycleclub.org, or visit the Support Centre for tutorials, the builders' community and a free 10-minute call.