[mb7733]

I don't know how well the bamboo frame performs, but I'm not sure your critiques really demonstrate that it's "not a serious bicycle".

> $400 for just some tubes, glue, and dropouts, plus another $800-$2500 for the other parts needed to turn the frame into an actual bicycle, plus however much you value several days of labor

$400 is extremely cheap for a bike frame, not to mention a custom one. And the "labor" is a selling point -- this a niche product is for customers who _want_ to build their own frame. The DIY assembly isn't a cost-saving measure like with furniture.

The $800-$2500 is just a catch-all range for the rest of the components. It's doesn't have anything to do with their specific frame.

> Care for your bike like a musical instrument?! They can't be serious. That instrument had better be a steel triangle.

I'm not sure what your issue is with their statement. Regular maintenance is important, and will extend the life of the components. That's true for all bikes. People that spend time & money on a quality bike are willing to maintain them.

> Is that 10 miles each? That's not very reassuring.

I agree with you that their statement doesn't give any indication of the durability of the frame. They should have quoted some kind of actual statistics, either real world or from factory testing.

[lmm]

> I'm not sure what your issue is with their statement. Regular maintenance is important, and will extend the life of the components. That's true for all bikes. People that spend time & money on a quality bike are willing to maintain them.

I keep my musical instruments in padded hard cases, in climate-controlled rooms away from direct sunlight. That kind of treatment is not remotely practical for a bicycle if you're actually using it as a means of transport.

[Lio]

That doesn’t seem that extreme or strange to me. If you fly with a bike then you’ll want a hard, padded case for it, like one of these[1].

I also keep my best bike (I, er, have several) in the house. i.e. a temperature controlled room.

1. https://www.bikeboxalan.com

[lmm]

> If you fly with a bike then you’ll want a hard, padded case for it, like one of these[1].

Sure, but flying is very much an occasional thing; you have to semi-disassemble a bike to put it in a case like that, and generally reckon on having to do a shakedown ride after you've unpacked it (at least I do). Putting it in a box every time would not be practical.

> I also keep my best bike (I, er, have several) in the house. i.e. a temperature controlled room.

That's not unknown but not exactly normal; you must admit having several bikes is pretty extreme in itself. If you're not on the ground floor then knocking the bike against a wall or doorframe on the way in or out is almost inevitable, whereas I certainly wouldn't want to do the same to a musical instrument. I suspect the majority of people who are using a bike as day-to-day transport would keep that bike in, at best, an unheated garage.

[Lio]

The bike I use for commuting is a Brompton. Folding it up to put in its padded bag takes less than 30 seconds and I do that every time I put it away in my hall. I don't own a flight case for it but they exist and don't require disassembly to use.

I'm not saying that everyone does this, just that treating a bike like a musical instrument isn't that far fetched an idea.

> you must admit having several bikes is pretty extreme in itself.

I'm in a bike club. I know so many people with more than one bike it's not even a joke any more. N+1 and all that.

[lmm]

> Folding it up to put in its padded bag takes less than 30 seconds and I do that every time I put it away in my hall.

But you leave it unboxed for 8 hours at the other end, right? I don't think any musician would do that with their instrument.

> I don't own a flight case for it but they exist and don't require disassembly to use.

Sure, because it's a dedicated folding bike. Will this bamboo bike go in a flight case without any disassembly?

[Lio]

> Will this bamboo bike go in a flight case without any disassembly?

Yeah if you want that. BikeBoxAlan have a case you put a bike into and only need to remove the wheels[1].

If you'd discount that because of such minor disassembly you'd have to discount the minor disassembly of putting a flute or Sax in it's box too.

As I said though, you don't have to treat the bike like that but you could easily if you wanted to.

1. https://www.bikeboxalan.com/product/triathlon-easyfit/?v=79c...

[rtlfe]

> $400 is extremely cheap for a bike frame,

It's on the low end, but certainly not "extreme". A nice steel frame like Surly or Soma is $500-600. "Extremely cheap" would be something like Huffy that is under $200 for the complete bike.