Bamboo bikes give athletes a lift
Calfee Design owner Craig Calfee is headed to Ghana this month to take his bamboo bikes global. Have you tried out a bamboo bike? Intrigued by the idea? Share your thoughts here.
Comment
Email
RSS
DiggIn reply to John – Fairfax, VA, who says Bamboo grows like weeds. Do you have any idea how useful the bamboo plant is? Do your himework next time please. Bamboo is used in stuctural design & construction in many parts of the world.
Calfee is proud of its “American-made” bike frames. But according to an article by Fred Dreier in the Velo News Buyer’s Guide, Calfee states he hires documented Mexican workers instead of American-born ones. His production managers act as interpreters. “I now rely on the current (predominantly Mexican) staff to recruit new workers.”..”We started out with American-born production workers, but we had trouble with turnover, theft, and erratic attendance”.
So much for keeping Americans at work by buying American. What good is repealing NAFTA if Americans won’t even hire Americans??
Reading that these bamboo bikes weigh four pounds is very misleading. Only the bare frame weighs four pounds.
When lightweight parts are added to make this rideable, the complete bicycle will weigh about 17 – 19 pounds. About one to two pounds more than carbon fiber, or similiar in weight to quality steel framed bicycles.
Yours in cycling, Michael
Speaking of exorbitant prices for bamboo products, there’s a guy in our town who makes bamboo fly rods. You might not want to know what these cost.
Yes, the great bamboo , I love it.
I use it to start fires under old tires to burn up brush piles that are home to bunnys, possums and other vermin.
I like capitalism. Imagine: a product that grows like a weed and is almost impossible to get rid of once it starts growing. And yet this guy finds a way to sell it at an exhorbitant price.
You gotta love America.
That is a good idea. Why not make crappie poles out of old bicycle frames while we’re at it.
Henry Ford tried making his cars out of Soybeans in 1940. Many Pigs and Cows ate the Cars, so Henry had to dis-continue his Soybean Cars ! If you park a BamBoo Bike at the ZOO, a Panda Bear will EAT it.
If you Park a BamBoo Bike at the ZOO, a Panda Bear will EAT it.
History repeats itself. A visit to the museum in Munich will show a bamboo bike on display. It is very old, but I forget the age.
Like the concept and happy to try it if it is offered in NJ/NY/CT area. I see a Nike van on west side highway that offers running shoes to try out. If Calfee does something similar, I am sure he will find many happy customers in NYC.
Features-
Insurance costs are killing small firms -- but many entrepreneurs oppose government-backed coverage. More -
Smart entrepreneurs are now doing deals in 140 characters or less on Twitter. More -
In a tough economy, more business owners are bartering for the stuff they need. More -
In Oregon, the Recovery Act is paying for a local small business to protect nearby communities from wildfires. More -
As more customers choose - or are forced - to fill prescriptions by mail, independent pharmacies are struggling to survive. More -
A Texas hospitality company considers where to invest and where to cut back to weather the recession. More
sorry, but I am not paying $2500 for a mexican-made bamboo bike. I’ll spend less than half that for a very good aluminum one, or slightly less than the bamboo and get titanium. if I’m going to spend the big bucks it’s all carbon fiber baybee.
I DO however LOVE bamboo baseball bats. they are very durable and have a great weight and consistent feel to them. I’ve yet to figure out why american pros don’t use them, but I am sure some japanese players do. and unlike the bike, you can get one for $70 that will withstand the test of time much better than ash or maple.