Wooden bicycles, lots of pics

http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/675008/Luxury-bikes.aspx
Luxury bikes
Global Times | September 13, 2011 03:07
By Pang Qi
From Ferrari to Lamborghini, bicycles now manufactured by some of the world’s first-class automakers are gradually gaining in popularity as industry experts have predicted a return to the bicycle since cars have experienced booming development in recent years.

During the 21st China and International Bicycle and Motor Fair in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province this May, UCC bicycles, which are made in Taiwan, sold out even though they cost 50,000 yuan ($7,730) each, according to the Beijing magazine Oriental Outlook.
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Full article in the link.

Hopefully no pandas were harmed in the making of this bicycle.
 
I'd imagine that bamboo is actually very good material for building bicycles, since it's so strong, light and easily available.

Actually, now that I think of it, why aren't there more of these? Where can I buy one? :D
 
Biene said:
Actually, now that I think of it, why aren't there more of these? Where can I buy one? :D
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How does $2,100.00 for a frame sound to you?
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=39123
IMG_6674SQ.JPG
 
Lots of pretty work in this thread! My workmanship isn't the finest but from aways away it doesn't look too bad. Thanks to Micheal Storer for design inspiration & philosphy.

Stitch & glue construction is really easy, almost all cutting was with an x-acto knife! People think I spent eons "crafting" this, but it went together really fast. I wasted a lot of time dreaming up complicated ways of making the corners perfect. But in the end I just blocked them, and it took no time. Started with a 50grit board, it came down really fast, then a few successions of sizes and I ended up with a very smooth and consistent radius with very little effort. The body has only simple curves, except the rear edge of the back deck, I split and fanned out that bit of the plywood, then fiberglassed & bondoed it. There is no "frame" (wood or metal), nor any welds. Big blobs of fiberglass join the knuckle arms to the axles.

VM Ag in driver seat.jpg
VM Ag in rumble seat.jpg
Fauchet & Flowers med.jpg
 
spinningmagnets said:
From "Driftwood Cruisers", they also make several other frame styles. This cruiser is exactly why I started this thread, to collect ideas on how to make a custom frame without welding / brazing, using common tools. Even if the cruiser style isn't your cup of tea, wood / bamboo means every option is available to any garage enthusiast.
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Woods are beautifulHOW TO TURN OFF A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT materials to work with and can give stunning finished effects.
But there is a skill in choosing the "optimum material" for the specific application .. EG,. no one would consider using steel to make an airplane !,, and i dont think plywood would be very effective for a military tank ! :lol:
Likewise, i do not believe wood is the "optimum" choice for a practical bike frame .
Producing strong reliable joints in wood is not easy, even for an experienced " carpenter/joiner". especially where you have to mate up to metallic components ( BBracket, drop outs etc etc)
Strength may be adequate , but i suspect only at a weight penalty , especially if a rigid, flex free, frame is required.
And of course basic frame design would have to be configured to suit a the choice of material.
In reality, i believe it is easier for the "garage enthusiast" to learn metal working skills ( brazing, welding, etc) to make practical bikes.
 
Hi Lock,

Thanks for the compliments, that's what I was fishing for!
Yes, it's got a 1500W hub motor & 60V controller with a 20ah pack that puts out 15ah or so. I haven't measured anything yet, but it goes frighteningly fast, maybe 20mph or so. I was worried the CG so high it would be pretty tippy, but it's not. Still worry about my unproven suspension - if a front wheel breaks off it could roll. Also still trying to figure out a good way to hook up pedals to make it into a bike and (semi)legal.
 
I like it!

Don't know if spinningmagnets would, it's definitely a "different kind" of beauty than wood. To me it looks like he put in an awful lot of work to end up with something that still "looks like it's made of cardboard".

I've always wanted to do a monocoque velomobile out of cardboard molded over mud and reinforced with housepaint. The ultimate cheap & accessible method of construction, like Bread & Puppets: http://breadandpuppet.org/photo-gallery/museum-images
It's easy to make a monster this way, but hard to make without texture: hard to make a form the male psyche would accept as a "beautiful vehicle to transport me".
 
1JohnFoster said:
It's easy to make a monster this way, but hard to make without texture: hard to make a form the male psyche would accept as a "beautiful vehicle to transport me".
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I like to think the ebike world attracts a lot of free thinkers John. Ya might be surprised at some of the designs ES folks have reviewed favourably...
http://www.thinkcontra.com/vagina-bike/
 
http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/why-hand-crafted-high-tech-wooden-bikes-give-a-better-ride/
http://youtu.be/[youtube]TBC7NEJwZ5U[/youtube]
 
Stumbled across this, tagged with "Tugra Destireci" who is apparently a Turkish citizen on Facebook. The sign is in Dutch, so perhaps he was on vacation in Holland? The sign on the bike is "Fijnhout" who is apparently a Dutch-based specialty wood supplier. http://www.fijnhout.nl/

600503_315013625252355_691955599_n.jpg
 
The wooden motorcycle is made from wood from the Acacia tree. That is 25% of the trees in our small tree farm. :)

HMMmmmmmmmmm. John keeps trying to get me to make a wooden bicycle.

Wonder what the speed-torque limit is for Acacia Wood. :shock: :shock: :lol: :lol:
 
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