Post #600879 by pjc5150 on Thu, Aug 4, 2011 2:17 AM

nah...only using the metal parts that are necessary. That bamboo is thick & already heat treated. I just need to go to Lowe's & get a drill bit to bore them out enough to sleeve the little frame "nubs" that I left on the crank hub, head tub, etc. (about 2 to 3 inches all around). I figure I'll use some metal hose clamps to keep the sleeved areas reenforced until I can get some carbon fiber or some other binding to wrap the joints. I just want to make it functional & then go from there as far as shaving more metal off of it (like ditching the hose clamps, and then looking at other parts of the bike that I could convert to bamboo as well - seat post? forks? etc.). Once I have it perfected I may cut up a nicer bike to do something a little more "aesthetically pleasing". This one's a prototype so I'm not all that worried about how pretty it is. I just want to see it work.

Here's everything I'm NOT using....