Carbon fiber? Pshhh

[NaOH]

Text

Downside:
Can't ride through fire.

 

[Electric Amish]

That's pretty cool.

 

[lxskllr]

There's still a handmade car from England(can't remember the name) that uses a wood frame. It's supposed to be very crash worthy, but I imagine it's pricey to get fixed.

 

[coldmeat]

You can get bikes made from bamboo too, and apparently they are pretty good.

edit: I didn't read the link til now

 

[So]

Originally posted by: NaOH
Text

Downside:
Can't ride through fire.

Laminated bamboo is about is about as natural and environmentally friendly as aircraft grade aluminum.

 

[randay]

Originally posted by: NaOH
Text

Downside:
Can't ride through fire.

Damn, I cant ride through fire? Thats a deal-breaker, ladies.

 

[NaOH]

Originally posted by: lxskllr
There's still a handmade car from England(can't remember the name) that uses a wood frame. It's supposed to be very crash worthy, but I imagine it's pricey to get fixed.

It can withstand the heat from the engine?

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: NaOH

Originally posted by: lxskllr
There's still a handmade car from England(can't remember the name) that uses a wood frame. It's supposed to be very crash worthy, but I imagine it's pricey to get fixed.

It can withstand the heat from the engine?

Apparently. I don't know too much about it. It was a short web article, or perhaps TV where I saw it. I'll see if I can dig something up, and post a link.

Edit:
Morgan Motors...

http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/

 

[chipy]

that's pretty cool. how much do they go for on average?

 

[darkxshade]

Man I don't know how I would prepare myself mentally to be able to sit my 175+lb ass on a wooden bike going upwards of 30mph and hitting bumps along the way.

 

[reallyscrued]

I would love to ride one to compare how it feels to a typical bike with a metal frame and passive suspension.

 

[marincounty]

Complete garbage on their website:
"The fatigue life of wood rivals carbon and is substantially longer than aluminum or steel. "

The fatigue life of steel, designed for the level of stress, is infinite. The fatigue life of wood is longer than infinity?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I can think of a couple more downsides: dry rot and termites.

 

[TridenT]

Originally posted by: chipy
that's pretty cool. how much do they go for on average?

I would assume many thousands...

And how does this compare to Ti bikes? Also, I would think these fuckers would be very flexy. Not something I want in a bike...

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: marincounty
Complete garbage on their website:
"The fatigue life of wood rivals carbon and is substantially longer than aluminum or steel. "

The fatigue life of steel, designed for the level of stress, is infinite. The fatigue life of wood is longer than infinity?

Well...
That's the thing. The nature of engineering a thing like a bike is a compromise between weight and strength. That means there is an inherent lifespan. It wouldn't be a solid piece of steel. It also depends on the alloy in question.

A real life example would be the B-1 bomber. It was a variable wing design, which had problems because the steel near the point of rotation developed cracks.

Aluminum has always been problematic.

Wood and carbon are inherently more forgiving than either metal.

 

[Q]

Very nice looking bike

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: chipy
that's pretty cool. how much do they go for on average?

They got prices on the site. The one I bothered to look at, one of the bamboo Panda's, ran 2 grand.

Haha, they are made in Portland, OR, that does not surprise me in the least.