London-based engineer James Marr has been teaching people to build bicycles from bamboo for the past 13 years. It’s sustainable, sure – bamboo grows fast, stores lots of carbon and requires minimal processing – but it also makes great bikes. “The focus for me has always been the performance,” he says. “Because if we want people to look at sustainable options, we need to be able to provide something that’s better than what a polluting product could be.” Bamboo’s cellulose structure naturally dampens vibrations for a comfortable ride, and it has a tensile strength similar to steel.
There are a number of makers: US-based Calfee custom builds bamboo frames to order, and Netham Bamboo in Bristol offers pre-made models from £800. Marr won’t sell you a finished bike, though, even if you ask nicely. His company, Bamboo Bicycle Club, taps into a psychological phenomenon known as “the IKEA effect”, which accounts for that extra bit of affection people reserve for objects they put together themselves. “They need to invest in the process, understand it and feel that massive satisfaction you get from building something,” he says. The brand sells DIY kits for gravel, road, city and mountain bike frames (from £375) in standard sizes or to custom measurements. For hands-on teaching, customers can attend two-day workshops in London (£695 plus component costs) or at sister operations in Amersfoort, Toulouse and a new outpost in Brighton.
