Drying, curing, and whatever else

At least there wasn't a span of months between this post and my last. Unfortunately it isn't a physical update in the sense that we've actually gotten more work done. No, the bamboo is still growing. What we have discovered, though, is that we live in a desert. Okay, it's not much of a discovery in and of itself, but it is after research revealed that dry climates shorten the time it takes to properly dry the bamboo rods significantly. It may seem obvious, but when we can shorten the time down from several months (even years in some places) to only a few weeks, that is a big plus.

I wanted to share this because much of the research we have done says that the biggest threat to bamboo bikes is splitting of the rods. If we are able to properly dry the bamboo in a decent amount of time, that will prevent either of us from trying to rush it.

When it comes to finishing and curing the bamboo, however, I haven't found many tried and true ways. Some have suggested tung oil, some have used fiberglass and paint, and another article said shelac. I know it is a long way off, but after all this work, protecting the final project is an intregal step.

Update, Finally

Okay, I've realized that I have not made any sort of update to this blog in several months now. It's unfortunate, I know, but the silver lining is that I havent forgotten about this. For any people out there who may have stumbled upon this journal in their own journey of bamboo-ness I apologize for taking so long. I wish I could say that I have made much progress, but, alas, I fail you all again. There were many unforseen circumstances that blocked our path to gentrified greatness (record number of 110+ days and invasive surgery just to name a few) and that is what left this blog blank for so long.

We did much research and found a few nurseries in our area that sold bamboo. the first trip resulted in failure in the form of broken sprinklers and negligent keepers. The next visit was more successful. We settled on some "lumber bamboo" (I apologize for not knowing the fully latin name, but I did not make the purchase and thus can not relay it) but it's name implies a sturdy breed I'm just concerned on the possible width. I do know it can get up to 4" but I really don't want much thicker than 2.5 for the front triangle and 1.5 for the rear stays.

I will make no guarantees as to further updates but there will be more. Right now we're waiting for the bamboo to grow a little more before we harvest. Fortunately we are in an environment that, even though it's getting late in the year, any sort of freezing is not an issue. The wind, however, may prove to be a hastle. We shall see.

Another Adventure For A Bored Cyclist

For those of you who don't know, I recently completed my first bike. This was a pure experiment on my part in the realm of self satisfaction and daydream accomplishing. It doesn't seem like it was enough to quench my interest in the subject of bike building, however, and after some thought and a bit of research I have decided to attempt the humble bamboo frame.

I first heard about the bamboo bike frame almost a year ago from a magazine article, and I'll admit that I really didn't think much of it. I didn't even read the whole article (though I wish I had before I tossed the magazine). As I approached the end of my last build though I began to think about what else I could build and bamboo kept popping up so I decided to give it a shot. I've been doing a bit of reading on not only the subject of bamboo, but also frame building and I feel I am a pretty prepared to take this on. It doesn't seem that there is a lexicon of information out there regarding bamboo frames however, so some of this is going to probably be based on instinct. This is going to be the chronicle of a frame, so I'll spare all the gruppo details.

This page is merely a filler as I have done nothing but planning in my head and probably wont begin even purchasing tools for a few more weeks. Like last time there is no time limit for myself. Unlike last time though I have no budget and will post pictures along the way. Also, although it isn't entirely official, I will be working on this at least in part with a buddy of mine so expect a much more technical outcome with hopefully much more pictures. Please stick around and follow along.