Custom Frame Kit
Made to measure

Custom Frame Kit

Beginner-friendly · no experience needed~25–45 hrs · a few weekends

A bamboo frame designed around you — any geometry, any discipline. You don't need to know frame design: we work through your measurements and riding style with you 1:1, then you build it.

£495.00
In stock — ships ~twice a week from our London workshop, fully tracked.
Choose your size / option
Quantity
Prefer a workshop?

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.

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
Why builders love it

What makes it different

No welding, no workshop

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

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

Every kit funds learning

Your build helps fund accredited skills courses in prisons and schools. You learn a skill — so does someone else.

Find your fit

Built to fit you

Bamboo Bicycle Club frame size guide — by height and inseam
Frame sizeRider heightInseam
XS148–163 cm68–74 cm
S160–173 cm74–80 cm
M170–183 cm78–86 cm
L180–193 cm84–92 cm
XL190–203 cm90–100 cm
2XL200 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 frame
Every kit does more

Your build helps fund accredited skills courses — inside prisons and schools.

You build
a custom bamboo bike · from £495
Profits fund
accredited skills courses
A life changes
skills · confidence · futures
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
£495.00

Everything to build the bamboo gravel frame.

Your chosen component pack
from £425

Fork, wheels, groupset, bars, saddle and finishing kit.

Ride-ready, all in
from £920

A complete, one-of-a-kind gravel 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.

Before you order

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.

Geometry
Made to your measurements
Discipline
Road · gravel · MTB · city
Design support
1:1 guided — no expertise needed
Construction
Bamboo, flax & carbon, by hand
How you'll build it

Four stages, across a few weekends.

01

Set the geometry

Lock your own geometry on the jig — built to the measurements we work out together.

02

Join & wrap

Bond the tubes with epoxy and wrap each joint with carbon-fibre tow.

03

Cure

Leave it for a full cure — that's where maximum joint strength comes from.

04

Sand, seal & ride

Sand smooth, seal the bamboo, fit the headset and bottom bracket. Adventure awaits.

A custom bamboo bike on a long touring adventure
Why build a custom frame

Your geometry, your discipline, built by your hands

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.

I wanted something nobody else had. Now I ride a bike that's completely mine — geometry, shape, everything.

Custom kit builder, Bespoke geometry build

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.

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.

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
Watch the build

See a frame come together.

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

Builder reviews

Rated by the builders who made one

Rated by the builders who made one

I went from knowing nothing about bicycles to having built one. Two years on, I still burst with pride riding something I made myself.

— Louise, home-build road bike
4,000+
builders trained
since 2012, 36 countries
Swansea
University tested
independent testing
1 yr
kit warranty
+ 14-day returns on unopened kits
~2×/wk
shipped from London
full tracking
Common questions

Before you build.

Do I need to know anything about frame geometry?
No. This is the whole point of the custom kit — you don't design it alone. Send us your height and inside-leg measurement and tell us how you want to ride, and we work out the tube angles, lengths and fit with you, 1:1, before anything ships. You bring the body and the riding style; we bring the geometry.
How does the custom process actually work?
First we talk through your measurements, your chosen discipline and how the bike should feel. We design the geometry together and agree it with you. Only then do we prepare and ship your kit — bamboo tubes, a jig set up for your unique geometry, metal inserts, carbon-fibre tow and epoxy — plus the full video tutorials. You build it at home with direct support throughout.
Which disciplines can I choose?
Any of them — road, gravel, MTB or city. We'll work with you on the frame type and the geometry that suits it, whether that's a fast road position, a stable gravel/touring setup, a slacker trail bike or an upright city commuter.
What measurements do I need to send?
To start, your height and inside-leg measurement, plus a sense of your current bike and how you'd like this one to feel. From there we'll guide you on anything else we need. No special tools or fitting knowledge required on your side.
How long does it take, and why does it cost more than a stock kit?
A custom build takes longer than a fixed-spec kit because you're designing the geometry from scratch with us first, and the build itself runs longer (more design and prep time up front). The price reflects the bespoke 1:1 design work and a jig set up specifically for your geometry — you're paying for the consultation and the made-to-measure fit, not just the materials. Lead time depends on the design stage; we confirm it with you when we scope your build.
Custom Frame Kit £495.00 Add to cart
Before you buy

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.