Fatbike Home Build Kit
Massive 4"-plus tyres at low pressure spread your weight and grip where everything else digs in. Hand-built by you from bamboo, flax and carbon — strong enough for the expedition, fun enough for the beach on a Sunday.
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.
- 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 you'll need at home.
Whether you want to build a bike, run a programme, or back the mission — there's a door for you.
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
30–45 hours across multiple sessions. No rush — bamboo is forgiving and most mistakes are fixable.
Four stages, across a few weekends.
Whether you want to build a bike, run a programme, or back the mission — there's a door for you.
Set the geometry
Lock fat-tyre geometry on the jig — huge clearance for 4-inch-plus tyres at low pressure.
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.
Float over anything.
Bamboo's natural vibration damping takes the edge off rough, broken ground, and every joint is reinforced with carbon-fibre. Built around fat-specific forks and wide rims, so you can spec the bike around where you actually ride.
Floats over soft ground
Huge 4-inch-plus tyres at low pressure spread your weight and grip on sand, snow and mud where everything else digs in and sinks.
Steel strength, a tenth the weight
Tensile strength comparable to mild steel at a fraction of the weight, with every joint reinforced in carbon-fibre. Independently flex-tested at Swansea University.
Built by you, fixable by you
No mines or smelters — just bamboo, a jig and hand tools. A frame you understand is one you can maintain and repair for years.
Greener by far
Bamboo regrows in 3–5 years — a rapidly renewable grass, grown not mined. Combined with flax and bio-composites, a real alternative to carbon.
I took it to the beach. Then the forest. Then snow. It handles everything I throw at it.
Fatbike Builder, Home kit build
In the kit — and what you'll add.
Whether you want to build a bike, run a programme, or back the mission — there's a door for you.
Rated by the builders who made one
Whether you want to build a bike, run a programme, or back the mission — there's a door for you.
It's very smooth, and it has some kind of suspension due to the very low tyre pressure of 0.5 bar.
Christopher · custom bamboo fatbike
Built to fit you
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.
| Measurement | Small | Medium | Large | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rider height | 160-170cm | 168-178cm | 178-187cm | 185-193cm |
| Seat tube (C-C) | 48cm | 52cm | 56cm | 58cm |
| Top tube (effective) | 52cm | 54cm | 56cm | 58cm |
| Head tube | 12cm | 14cm | 17cm | 19cm |
| Stack | 54cm | 56cm | 58cm | 60cm |
| Reach | 37cm | 38cm | 39cm | 40cm |
Being between sizes is normal: build the smaller one. Outside these sizes? Build a custom frame.
Before you build.
What tyre sizes will it fit?
Designed for 26×4" or 27.5×4" fat tyres, with massive clearance for sand, snow and soft ground. Planning an unusual tyre setup? Ask us and we'll confirm the exact maximum clearance before you order.
What terrain is a fatbike actually for?
Soft, loose and slippery ground — dry sand, packed snow, mud, beach and bog. The very wide tyres run at low pressure so your weight spreads out and floats over the surface instead of sinking into it. They're also a confidence-inspiring, forgiving ride on normal trails.
Is a bamboo frame strong enough for expeditions and a loaded bike?
Very strong for its weight. Bamboo is a light, hollow natural composite and every joint is reinforced with carbon-fibre, giving a high strength-to-weight ratio. Our bamboo is independently tested at Swansea University. Builders ride these frames daily and tour continents — with proper care they last for years.
Will it survive cold, wet, sand and salt?
Finished frames are sealed with epoxy resin, so they shrug off cold and wet. After beach or salt rides, rinse off sand and salt, dry the bike, and store it indoors — do that and with proper care it'll give you years of riding.
What gearing and components does it take?
The frame is the frame — you add fork, fat-specific wheels, drivetrain, bars and finishing kit (a fat-tyre fork and wide rims are the parts to get right). Source them from any bike shop, or take a matched component pack from us and we'll advise on fat-specific spec.
What makes it different
Whether you want to build a bike, run a programme, or back the mission — there's a door for you.
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.
Watch the build, start to finish
Build film · 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.