19 Responses to “ Put Some Wood Between Your Legs with an Eco-Friendly Bicycle ”

1. 

   Benjamin Jones
   

   04. Dec, 2008

   3.5-4.5 pounds for the frame is pretty heavy, actually. Like, really really heavy, but what to you expect with wood. I imagine calfee’s bamboo frame still wins for both weight and sustainability.

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2. 

   ching
   

   04. Dec, 2008

   I think in humid Hong Kong, anything made in wood for outdoor is so easy to be rotten and means need to throw away every 2 year…. 3 yr maximum durability… still prefer metal….??!!

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3. 

   Bill in Detroit
   

   04. Dec, 2008

   It’s important to note that this bike can survive impacts that would destroy a metal bike … although I’m not sure how you would factor that into its overall value.

   I do some woodworking as a hobby and also bike at the same level … I think I’d like one of these.

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4. 

   Pete in San Antonio
   

   04. Dec, 2008

   Splinters, Splinters, Splinters, Splinters, Splinters!!!!!

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5. 

   Diane
   

   05. Dec, 2008

   That’s a beautiful piece of art! There’s just something delicious about the grain of wood and using it to make a bike frame is exciting!

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6. 

   Billy in South Africa
   

   05. Dec, 2008

   Um, is it only me, or is there anyone else seeing the irony of cutting down a tree for an eco-friendly bike?

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7. 

   phred
   

   06. Dec, 2008

   Eco-friendly? Whatever. It still has carbon fork, seatstays, and chainstays, it has steel/aluminum/carbon components, and I’d wager the vast amount of time and effort to finish the wood portion of the frame puts a serious dent in the carbon footprint attributed to its manufacture.

   Wood is just another frame material. In the context of this bike, it’s just a fashion statement, like a Prius (be as smug as you want, folks, you’re still burning gasoline). People, get a bike, and go out and ride it. Here endeth the reading.

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8. 

   Stuart
   

   07. Dec, 2008

   This is eco-friendly because it is a bicycle, not because the frame is made of wood.

   It looks awesome and I want one, but you couldn’t honestly claim that this frame is superior in performance to metal or carbon frames of similar value, or that by using wood it’s somehow more environmentally friendly.

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9. 

   JP
   

   08. Dec, 2008

   Ha, thats awesome! I wonder if this is equally as eco-friendly as the bamboo bicycle found here:
   http://www.thechicecologist.com/2008/11/i-bet-you-cant-make-that-out-of-bamboo-green-gone-mad/

   They sure are pretty though!

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10. 

    Charlie in MN
    

    17. Dec, 2008

    I understand that a wood frame will have a large capacity to absorb vibration but I can also see it’s bottom bracket swaying from side to side as a rider puts some power down on the pedals.

    They are beautiful though. The finished wood grain does add to the “bling” factor of these frames. I would love to see a wooden single speed beach cruiser.

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11. 

    Nick
    

    17. Dec, 2008

    Nice, yes. Eco friendly, no?

    A good steel frame will last a lifetime, and can be easily recycled into products of equivalent value. I guess this wooden frame would last about five years, and cannot be recycled at the end of its life.

    Also the frame is such a minor part of a bike in energy terms, far better to worry about fuel used in shipping stocking and component manufacture. On a $1000 bike the manufacturing cost is about $300 and the frame cost about $30. If you use gross assumptions then the frame represents 3% of the bicycles value, and possibly around 10% of its physical energy value.

    If you want an eco bike buy something 2nd hand in steel or titanium, and look after it properly. My daily ride is from 1954 and other than its tyres/tubes brake shoes and ball bearings its still original(yup original chain in a chain case). This is at the extreme end but it is an example of what is possible.

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12. 

    derek
    

    18. Dec, 2008

    @Nick Thanks for the figures on bike costs - interesting when you look at the prices to see where the manufacturing costs lie.

    I ride a mid-80s Trek converted to a singlespeed, and it’s still got a lot of life in it yet. I don’t know from personal experience what the lifespan of the wood frame is…

    As a woodworker, I find the wood frame very tasty to the eyes, but if the wood comes from clear-cut forests, then it isn’t very ecofriendly…

    Maybe we need an ethically-harvested fair-trade wooden bike?

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13. 

    London Cyclist
    

    21. Mar, 2009

    Absolutely loving the look of this bike. Wish I had some spare cash to get one!

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14. 

    Veloslug
    

    29. Mar, 2009

    Unless a rider is a the absolute top of competitive cycling, weight is not such a big deal. Honest to God, the way people get all consistent … regular bicycle fundamentalists. I drink more than the weight in dispute, and then ride….

    They’re beautiful and statistically unusual. Leave it at that. If you’ve got a chance to slip a little beauty into your life, between your legs, do it. God, the utilitarian creepy critical bitchy approach to life is hard enough to read in a blog. Some of you folks must live alone or with alcoholics.

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15. 

    Random Ray
    

    09. Apr, 2009

    LOL ,why does someone always say it’s wood therefore it’s going to rot when there are wooden ships over a hundred years old .Hint they’re in the water all the time . We missed the silly ones about termites but of course there was the splinters post . How splinters would be worse then getting a metal handle bar stuck in your leg is beyond me . The life time of this frame is going to be no worst then any modern frame which is about 5 years for a top notch frame . they are really closely engineered to thier limits “that’s why their so light ” .Don’t get me wrong there are bikes that will last far longer . A good classic reynolds bike will last years and years . Aluminum and carbon fiber are going to fatigue after awhile and don’t crash .Ho, ho ,ha, sorry you’re on two wheels, it’s not if ,but when you go down . If it were safe you’d be on the couch . Is it eco-friendly I don’t know but it’s pretty .

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16. 

    Brigitte
    

    26. Apr, 2009

    Type your comment here…

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17. 

    Name (required)
    

    26. Apr, 2009

    I rode one of Renovo’s bamboo road bikes last Sunday for 80+ miles on really rough and broken pavement, climbed about 5000 ft and felt fantastic afterwards. Even drove home, a drive of 250 miles after that ride. It was my longest ride so far this year.

    Yesterday I rode my Trek 1600SL for 90 miles on similar pavement , climbing 4500 ft. I will never do that ride again on my Trek!!! My body and mind got beaten to a pulp and there is now way I could have driven 250 miles to get home after that.

    I really missed the bamboo bike.

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18. 

    Kena
    

    26. May, 2009

    WTF, i think dis idea is just insane . what was wrong with the oiginal bike?

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19. 

    Mya *******
    

    26. May, 2009

    i don’t put many things between my legs, but this bike is not going there either. It’s probably uncomfortable and its ugly too.

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