Pedal power has gotten more sustainable thanks to the engineering ingenuity of Calfee Design and the techniques they use to produce their Bamboo Bike.  I know what you’re thinking, Bamboo may be good for flooring, cutting boards, or bowls, but how successful is it being put to use as a high-tech piece of sports equipment, and while the $2500+ price tag may be high for the everyday biker, it costs a lot less than less sustainable carbon-fiber bikes that start at $13,000.

Why did Calfee turn add bamboo frames to their line in 2005 after its long history of building carbon fire frames since 1988?  Well despite current household uses, including chopsticks, test show bamboo having a higher tensile strength than steel and stronger compressive abilities than concrete.  Have you ever wondered how such a skinny plant can grow to over 60 meters and still stand-up?  Those properties alone generated enough interest for Calfee to try it out on bikes, a notion that other shops are starting to pick-up on, but something that Calfee was able to deliver on first.

The Calfee Bamboo Bike frames come in geometries popular to their carbon fiber originals including their variations on their pro, tri, or cross frames.  The bamboo used in production is smoked and heated to keep it from splitting.  While there are still remain components of the bike that cannot be done in bamboo due to their more mechanical properties, Calfee has done all it can to ensure that even the connections are as sustainable as possible, comprised of a hemp fiber epoxy composite.  Gaining popularity at a variety of different venues, Calfee’s Bamboo Bikes have won awards for Best Road Bike, Best Off-Road Bike (yes, that’s right, they make a Mountain Bike version as well), and People’s Choice Award at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.  Those of you still not willing to dish out the $2500+ cash for one of these sustainable two wheelers need not worry, Calfee is working on finding ways to mass produce their line of bicycles, lowering the price, by actually forcing the bamboo to grow into the desired shapes they need for the frame.

+ Pedal Power Makes Resurgence on Zimbabwe's Road