Kevin Dwyer of Salt Lake City designed and built this amazing bamboo and carbon mixter. He sent me the pictures a while ago, and I went looking for them tonight to show them off.
He says, “Attached are a couple of photos of my last frame. The handlebar and leather grips are also custom by me. The frame has structural carbon inlays on the down and seat tubes in a sweetpea vine fashion. The dual top tube bridge is reinforced with tarantula web (no shit!) composite.”
“The inlays are “keyed” into the bamboo creating a superstructure, dramatically stiffening the bamboo. Also, they are cross laminated with the carbon fiber at the joints. They vary in depth, fiber orientation, length and width depending on application, with some, but not most, going all the way through. The inlays were sketched/transferred to the surface then carved out with a variety of tools (mostly power) and methods.”
Even aside from being handmade and innovative, it’s a nicely built-up mixte with a unique look. Caliper front, disc rear with an internal gear hub, it might take you a minute to register that it’s made out of bamboo.
More pictures and specs are on Drunk Cyclist: http://drunkcyclist.com/2010/01/26/i-got-ya-bamboozle-right-here-sweatpea/
Kevin’s blog is here: Spoke(n) about Bicycles
http://static.flickr.com/5298/5476984459_21c23ed733_b.jpg
Awesome! I thought I’d seen everything when I saw the Stalk Bicycles version. Now there’s 2 of you!