I just read the news that a local company manufactures bamboo bike frames and it has targeted the commercial world. Bike frames have come a long way from steel and aluminum to exotic alloys and carbon fibers. Now, they're going all the way back to bamboo. Can this be a hot item?
KawayanTech(the sole company who markets this product) was formed on July 6,2009 when Craig Calfee visited the Philippines and conducted a one week training workshop on bamboo bicycle frame building to select interested parties in the Yap Farm, Municipality of San Jose, Province of Tarlac. KawayanTech was founded by members of the University of the Philippines mountaineers club, including Hecky Villanueva, an urban anthropologist; dive instructor and resort operator Boy Siojo; visual artist Eng Chan; US-based educator John Climaco; and Eric Cadiz, an electrical engineer who also runs a motorcycle dealership.
Within months, the group had a business plan to develop products balancing profits with social responsibility -- including a bike with a frame made from tough bamboo. When one member of the group, Mr. Villanueva, died of brain aneurysm in 2010, his wife, Tammy, took on a bigger role.
How are bike frames made?
Each one is handmade. The company gets its bamboo from suppliers in multiple parts of the Philippines, relying on varieties that are hard and durable, including some that are used for furniture and in construction. The bamboo is then dried to avoid splitting, with abaca, a plant fiber, used to join the poles together. The only power tool used in production is an electric drill, which runs for a maximum of three minutes per frame.
People who use the bikes say they provide a smoother ride than some of the most sophisticated metal alloys, in large part because bamboo naturally absorbs shocks from bumpy rides.
They offer wide variety of bikes from including a child's bike for toddlers and bigger children who are learning how to ride called a "Push Bike," which sells for P5,000 ($119). Higher-performance bikes, such as mountain bikes also made of bamboo frames, are sold for P20,000 ($476), while commuter or "city" bikes cost P10,000($238).
My reactions to this local product
I love the idea of KawayanTech but when I saw the price, my initial reaction was "OMG, why is it too expensive?" Bamboos are all over the place but it looks like the company has an overpriced item. From their official website, http://kawayantech.com, Mountain bike's frame costs Php 20,000. It's endurance and quality are still in question too.