Bamboo road frame with dark wrapped joints, set within a line drawing of a complete road bike
Road frame kit

Road Bike Frame Kit – Bamboo

Beginner-friendly · no experience needed~25–35 hrs · a few weekends

Endurance geometry for long days on rough tarmac — a drop-bar frame you build yourself from bamboo and flax. Bamboo tubing tested at Swansea University to BS ISO 22157:2019 — and built on camera by road.cc.

£375
Estimated dispatch in about two weeks. Tracked delivery.

Klarna and Shop Pay at checkout · Cycle to Work accepted

Choose your size / option
Quantity
Prefer a workshop?

Not sure it's for you? Book a free 10-minute call

1-year kit warranty · 14-day returns on unopened kits

We also teach practical making in schools and prisons. See our programme work.

Build with a buddy — buy a second kit and save 15% on both. Better builds, better stories.
  • 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 arrives

everything but the parts you already own.

One box: graded bamboo, the metalwork, the fibre and resin, the jig, the plan and the course. Fork, wheels and groupset are yours to choose.

  1. 1 heat-treated Moso bamboo tubespre-shaped, with spares
  2. 2 CNC head tube, bottom-bracket shell and modular dropouts
  3. 3 flax fibre and two-part epoxy resinfor the joints
  4. 4 plywood alignment jig and 1:1 frame plan
  5. 5 illustrated manual + 15 hours of videoand the builder community

Spares included. If anything in the box is not right, we replace it.

The road kit laid out flat
fits your parts

will it take my parts?

The numbers you need to check a part you already own. The kit is the frame — fork, wheels and groupset are yours to choose.

tyre clearance
38 mm 700c
rear spacing
135 / 142 mm modular dropout
axle
12 mm thru or QR · singlespeed · hub gear
brakes
Disc post mount · flat mount with adapter
bottom bracket
BSA 68 mm threaded
seatpost
27.2 mm internal dropper routing optional
mounts
Rack + mudguard braze-on front mech optional
build time
25–35 hrs across a few weekends
Building from a donor bike? Send us its spec and we'll confirm the fit before you order.Ask us about your parts →
build time 25–35 hrsacross a few weekends
difficulty No experience neededmost builders start from zero
tools Hand tools onlyhacksaw · files · sandpaper · tape
space A tableabout 1200 × 600 mm
Documents1:1 frame plan — in the boxBuild manual and video course — with your kit
shipped worldwide from the London workshop

no customs bill at the door

Destination Shipping Duty & tax
United Kingdom At checkout Included
Europe At checkout Paid by us
USA & Canada At checkout Paid by us
Rest of world At checkout Paid by us
Delivered duty paid

The price at checkout is the price the kit costs you. We pay the import duty and tax before it ships, so the courier has nothing to collect when it arrives.

Packed by hand and shipped twice a week, tracked all the way. Kits have reached 45 countries.

Find your fit

built to fit you

Rider height by size for this kit
SizeRider height
Small157–170 cm
Medium168–184 cm
Large180–193 cm
XL190–196 cm

Start with the rider-height range for this kit. If you’re between sizes, send us your height and inside-leg measurement and we’ll help you choose. How to measure.

Outside these sizes? Build a custom frame
Our programmes

Practical skills in schools and prisons.

Our programmes teach practical making with bamboo, hand tools and a jig.

See our impact
What it costs to actually ride

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.

Frame kit
£375

Everything to build the bamboo road frame.

Component pack
Priced by build

Bars, wheels, drivetrain and finishing kit, chosen for your build.

Ride-ready, all in
From £810

A complete, one-of-a-kind road bike — built by you.

Add the component pack

Prefer to choose your own parts? Skip the pack — the frame works with any standard groupset, and we'll advise.

What's in the box

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), flax fibre (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.

Build with confidence

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.

After the build

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
  • Tracked delivery. Shipping and delivery.
Watch the build

See a frame come together.

The same hand-build every kit follows — start to finish, on camera.

Bamboo Bicycle Club — frame build film

The Bamboo Bicycle Club has impressively improved the accessibility of building a bamboo bicycle.

road.cc
Builder reviews

rated by the builders who made one

Having had it now for about 7 years and ridden it hard for about 4-5 of those years I would call it my beater bike. It rides fast when I need… the ride is much smoother.

Jamie · Road kit builder, Romania · verified builder

Ten years on, every joint is still sound and the frame is strong. I ride it daily and did the Dunwich Dynamo — 180km — on it. It handled it effortlessly.

Taro Tsuruta · architect, 10 years on his bamboo bike
3,500+
bikes built
BBC records · since 2012
84.3 MPa
bamboo tubing, tested
Swansea University · BS ISO 22157:2019
2012
building since
BBC records
~2×/wk
shipped from London
full tracking
Common questions

before you build.

Is a bamboo road frame stiff and efficient enough for fast riding?
Swansea University tested the bamboo tubing to BS ISO 22157:2019 and measured an ultimate tensile strength of 84.3 MPa. That figure is for the tubing we supply, not for a finished frame: how strong your bike ends up is decided by your joints. Follow the manual, let the resin cure fully, and check the joints before every early ride — and call us if anything looks wrong.
How much does a finished bamboo road bike weigh?

Bamboo is naturally a touch heavier than a top-end carbon race frame, so it's built for all-day comfort and durability rather than the lightest possible climbing weight. Most builders find the smoother ride and the fact they built it themselves more than worth it. Send us your build goals and we'll advise on the lightest sensible component spec.

Will the frame survive years of big road miles?
Finished frames are sealed with epoxy resin. Dry your bike after wet rides, store it indoors, and check the joints before every early ride. The tubing we supply is tested at Swansea University to BS ISO 22157:2019; how your bike holds up over the years is decided by the joints you make — follow the manual and let the resin cure fully, and call us if anything ever looks wrong.
What drivetrain and groupset can I run?

The frame works with all major road groupsets. Add one of our matched component packs — Shimano 105 hydraulic disc, a clean single-speed pack, or GRX for road-plus versatility — or source your own parts from any bike shop. We'll advise on the right setup for how you ride.

How wide a tyre will it take?

It's built around modern road rubber — comfortably running wider tyres than a classic race frame for lower pressures and more compliance on rough surfaces. Tell us the tyres you have in mind and we'll confirm clearance for your build before you order.

Road Bike Frame Kit – Bamboo Add to cart