| It begs the question why. This may lead to a huge side debate, but for a lot of mechanics, the frame is actually the boring part of a bicycle build. Sure it's the centerpiece. Sure does it plane? But there's already a plethora of other issues one needs to address when assembling a bike that building your own frame seems like a misprioritisation of time for novices. For example: will all the components of the drivetrain you pieced together actually shift well? Are the cranks going to clear the chainstays? Is the headset too tight? Do the brakes bite at the right moment when one pulls the lever? Why do the brakes squeal? Are the wheels properly tensioned and trued? These details may not matter the first 30 minutes of riding a new bike. But 3 months from now, whether a bike has issues or not depends on attention to these details. Most local bike co-ops have enough 80s Japanese frames that are still compatible with easily accessible parts that I don't see a strong proposition for building a bamboo frame other than a design gimmick. Steel frames are generally lighter, won't fail catastrophically, and are arguably more elegant. But to answer your question, if you'd like to build a bicycle frame, I'd look into a class from any of the following: UBI in Oregon - https://bikeschool.com/ Doug Fattic in Michigan (he has a three-week course) - http://www.classicrendezvous.com/USA/Fattic-Doug.htm One of Doug's students has written a lengthy piece about his experience - https://medium.com/@ben.hudson/framebuilding-with-doug-fatti... Yamaguchi in Colorado - https://www.yamaguchibike.com/content/School |
I’d rather see numbers on that. My cheapo MTB is sure as hell not light. Depending on how much I have to pay for the materials, bamboo one might be lighter and provide higher quality of ride at the same price point (not counting work).