Introduction

Bamboo bikes on the finish line in the Transalps 2011 After more than eighteen months in development and having passed rigorous safety checks, the Oxford Brookes-designed Bamboo Bike is now available to order.

Fully tested to British Standards and with a high performance ride quality, the mountain bike is hand assembled by RAW Bamboo Bikes in Yorkshire to an exclusive specification to match the performance of the frame.

The bike frame is made with bamboo tubes and advanced jointing technology using flax fibre, which has strength and flexibility to complement the stiffness and durability of bamboo. Oxford Brookes engineers Dr Shpend Gerguri of the Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment and Dr James Broughton of the Joining Technology Research Centre have developed the frame to maximise bamboo's unique rigidity and vibration absorbing qualities.

The picture shows James Broughton (left) and Shpend Gerguri (right) successfully putting the frame through the gruelling eight day Transalps race across mountainous terrain. (Image courtesy of Sportograf Germany).