Build a ‘home-grown’ bamboo bike at Eden then shoot off on test ride!
Cyclists are being given the unique opportunity to build bikes using golden bamboo and take part in a mass-participation ride at the Eden Project in Cornwall
Eden is teaming up with the Bamboo Bicycle Club to create a workshop in the shadow of the world-famous Biomes where riders can design and make their own bikes from canes grown at the project. The event is set to take place from May 4-6th, in advance of the third annual Eden Classic sportive on Sunday May 7.
A bike made by Bamboo Bicycle Club which has teamed up with the Eden Project to offer people the chance to build their own bamboo bike
The Bamboo Bicycle Club is a London-based social enterprise that has been running for four years. Its team of experts teaches people to build their very own custom bicycle frame using bamboo, and the bikes have been used for regular commutes, racing, off-roading, and travelling around the world. Cornwall is also well-known for its exotic varieties of bamboo, and Eden has some striking examples outside and inside the Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes.
Participants will learn how to build their own bicycle frame onsite, beginning with the initial bamboo selection and cutting, right through to fitting the wheels. They will also have free admission to the Eden Project and the Eden Classic, which takes hundreds of riders on a choice of three routes from Eden to the stunning Cornish coast and countryside.
Riders setting off at the Eden Classic 2016. Cyclists who make their own bamboo bike at Eden have free admission to this year’s Eden Classic on May 7 | Photo: Ben Foster
Bamboo Bicycle Club co-founder James Marr said: “We’re doing something that hasn’t been done before – inviting cyclists to choose bamboo canes from a growing clump, harvest them and build a bike to their own design and fit. Then they have the exciting prospect of taking part in a great challenge ride on their brand-new bamboo bikes.”
Gordon Seabright, Managing Director of the Eden Project, said: “Working with James and his team, we are helping to tell the story of this amazingly versatile and sustainable plant. A peloton of bamboo bicycles in our big cycling event the Eden Classic would be a fine sight to see.”
To take part in the bamboo bike build, e-mail – info@bamboobicycleclub.org
The three-day frame build costs £650 plus VAT, and in an additional one-day workshop the Bamboo Bicycle Club team will teach riders how to fit the rest of the bike, either through recycling components (wheels, handlebars, etc) from an old bike or using new parts. The club can advise on what to buy or can source the components. A place to stay is included in the cost, with riders being offered basic, self-catering farmhouse accommodation within walking distance of the workshop.
