Hands-on STEM and accredited learning through building real bamboo bikes — in schools, colleges and youth settings. Five pathways, from a single lesson to a multi-day programme.
Start with a talk, climb to digital fabrication. One bench, one set of skills, five ways to book it — each sheet carries the cohort, the format, the duration and what gets built.
A hands-on introduction to bamboo, sustainable design and practical engineering.
A low-cost, low-barrier, light-touch session with an immediate, tangible outcome. Students explore regenerative materials, tools and product design through an accessible making activity — creating something themselves while discovering where STEM, sustainability and engineering can lead.
cohort
up to 30
format
whole-group activity
duration
1–2 hours (1.5 hrs recommended)
pricing
based on cohort size and delivery format
activity
make-and-take product
material
bamboo & regenerative design
learning
STEM, sustainability & practical skills
progression — A low-barrier introduction that can lead into pathways 02–05.
Build a real bamboo balance bike — practical engineering, teamwork and accredited learning.
Students work in small teams using hand tools and technical drawings to build a working balance bike, developing practical skills in product design, manufacturing and problem-solving.
cohort
up to 30
format
teams of 3–5
duration
3–6 hours
pricing
based on cohort size and number of bikes built
accreditation
OCN London Level 2 available — Introduction to Product Design & Manufacture (Bamboo Balance Bike), centre course 1131207.
From idea to pitch — practical enterprise learning built around a real product.
Students create their own bike business, developing a brand, product and commercial idea while building skills in teamwork, budgeting, marketing, problem-solving and pitching.
cohort
up to 30
format
teams
duration
6 hours
pricing
based on cohort size and delivery format
build
bike business concept
skills
branding, costing & pitching
learning
enterprise, communication & problem-solving
progression — Builds confidence, commercial awareness and pathways into further learning, employment and entrepreneurship.
Electric drivetrains on bamboo frames — hands-on STEM, sustainable transport and future technology.
Students work with motors, batteries, sensors and controllers to assemble and test an e-bike, applying science, engineering and maths through a practical challenge.
cohort
up to 16
format
teams of 4
duration
1 or 2 days (6-hour sessions)
pricing
based on cohort size and number of bikes built
build
working e-bike
tech
motors, sensors & controllers
learning
applied science, engineering & maths
progression — Pathways into sustainable transport, manufacturing, construction and composites.
From digital design to physical parts — practical skills in AI, CAD and 3D printing.
Students use AI-assisted design, CAD and 3D printing to develop and manufacture real bike components, exploring digital fabrication, materials and modern engineering through a practical challenge.
cohort
up to 30
format
teams
duration
1–2 days
pricing
based on cohort size and delivery format
build
real bike components
tech
CAD, AI tools & 3D printing
learning
design, prototyping & manufacturing
progression — Pathways into engineering, digital manufacturing, apprenticeships and technical careers.
One sheet open at a time. Every pathway is quoted on cohort size and delivery format; a taster talk in your venue is free.
Every pathway fits a school format — a single period, a double, a half day, a drop-down day or a multi-day programme. Teachers stay in the room; we bring the tools, the material and the plan.
school format
typical time
typical use
best suited pathway
Lesson / period
45–60 mins
Curriculum lesson / introduction
Enterprise · Make & Take
Double lesson
60–90 mins
Practical STEM activity
Make & Take · Enterprise
Half day
2.5–3 hrs
Enrichment / targeted cohort
Balance bike · E-bike
Full / drop-down day
~5 hrs
STEM / enterprise / enrichment day
Balance bike · E-bike · AI & 3D printing
Multi-day programme
2–5 days
Deeper skills / progression
AI & 3D printing · E-bike
From a single lesson to a full STEM day or an intensive programme.
Crafting bamboo bicycles goes beyond the workshop; it's a journey of innovation, environmental responsibility, and the integration of STEM principles.
Nick Mills, Head of Design, Bradfield College — D&T Practice magazine, January 2024
1
no workshop needed
Hand tools and technical drawings — no welding, no factory. We bring everything; you bring the class and a room with tables.
2
no engineering background needed
Teachers join in whether or not they've held a saw. Session plans, risk assessments and the run-of-day arrive before we do.
3
accredited when you want it
The balance bike build is available as an OCN London Level 2 course — Introduction to Product Design & Manufacture (Bamboo Balance Bike), centre course 1131207 — with portfolio evidence collected session by session.
4
priced by cohort and format
Each pathway is quoted on cohort size and delivery format, and we help schools find funding routes before the budget conversation starts.
Bamboo is harvested in years, not decades — no welding, no factory. A frame under load in a university test rig is the whole argument in forty seconds.
Regrows in three to five years — sustainable design that students can hold, cut and shape.
Low barriers — a hacksaw, files, sandpaper and a tape measure make real engineering accessible.
Learning through materials — engineering, design and sustainability in the same hour.
one frame, many entry points
bamboo speaker
balance bike
road & gravel frame
e-bike
3D-printed lugs
bespoke frames
community & councils
prevention through making.
Start with a free taster talk in your venue and go as far as your young people want — the same five pathways, built for youth settings.
councils
violence reduction units
youth hubs
PRUs
community trusts
Delivered with Project Zero and Waltham Forest College — 27 young people built working bamboo bikes, and their ratings regularly reached 9–10 out of 10. Piloted with Camden at Euston Skills Centre.
read the Project Zero case study →
What a young person leaves with — and what a school, council or funder can evidence.
springboard into adulthood
Accredited training with work-ready skills and direct pathways to opportunities.
education pathway
Two OCN London Level 2 courses, curriculum projects and portfolio evidence for academic progression.
active travel & decarbonisation
Personal builds that ride home — accessible, zero-emission mobility with a story worth telling.
inclusion
Team-based learning with adapted builds, so every young person can take part and finish something real.
green skills
Environmental STEM training delivering transferable skills for green careers.
working with us
how commissioning works.
start with a conversation
Tell us your setting, cohort and outcomes — we shape the programme around them.
see it working
A taster session or one-day pilot in your venue, with your team in the room.
set up, properly
Supplier onboarding and purchase order; risk assessments and session plans shared in advance; safeguarding, photography and SEND adjustments agreed with your team.
deliver and report
Baseline and end-of-course surveys, session data, and an impact report back to you.
Public liability insured. Delivered by Bamboo Mobility Project CIC — registered UK learning provider, UKPRN 10098630.
the instructor app
every session planned, every outcome evidenced.
Instructors and teachers deliver from the same app — run-of-day plans, safety-first checklists, and portfolio evidence collected session by session.
run of day, timedsafety first, every sessionevidence into the OCN portfolio
recognition
Financial Times, September 2025
The Guardian
Kevin McCloud's Green Heroes, Grand Designs Live 2018
D&T Practice magazine, January 2024
as seen at — Design Museum, London · Musée du Luxembourg, Paris · London Design Festival · Grand Designs Live · UK Bamboo Summit, Coventry
Build to Bond is supported by The National Lottery Community Fund.
track record
built in schools, colleges and universities.
universities
UCL · Aston University · Imperial College London · King’s College London · London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · London South Bank University · Oxford Brookes University · University of Surrey · University of Manchester · Swansea University · University of Warwick · Coventry University · University of Exeter · Nottingham Trent University
schools & colleges
Southbank UTC · Bradfield College · Kingswood School, Bath · The Judd School · Harborne Academy · James Brindley School, Birmingham · Reed’s School, Cobham · Verulam School, St Albans · Bearsden Academy, Glasgow · BMET College, Birmingham
Every institution named is on record — workshops delivered, kits supplied or builds run together, 2014 to today. Some sessions are delivered with partners, including We Job Box.
next steps
book a discovery call.
A short call is all it takes to start. Tell us who you are and what you'd like to run, and we'll come back with a scoped plan and budget you can take to your governor, head or funder.
community
community
universities
universities
community
community
community
schools
