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At the recently concluded Manila Fame, a bike primarily made with bamboo was one of the Katha Awardees.
It’s called The Bambike Revolution Cycle and it’s made with locally sourced and treated bamboo, plus aluminum, high-grade plastic, leather and rubber components. It is sturdy, lightweight, flexible, and given its all-bamboo frame, rather eye-catching on the road.
“Weighing an average of 2.2 kilograms, the Bambike’s frame is comparable with an all-aluminum bike,” notes Alex Vergara on Inquirer.net.
We have Bryan Benitez McClelland, a Fil-Am who founded Bamb Ecological Technology, to thank for. McClelland adopted and brought the technology straight from Ghana.
Apart from the bamboo being what he considers the ‘greenest building material on the planet’ it also has a natural shock absorption. “The main material itself, which is bamboo, is ‘vibration-dampening,’ notes the Inquirer report. “Shock absorption is thus built into the Bambike’s entire frame.”
According to the Bambike website, there are now 5 models of Bambikes, which retails anywhere from PHP15,000 and up. Among its models are the “Luntian” which is its most versatile model, made with bamboo and abaca; the “Mira Nila Classic,” which is a single-speed street bike. There is the “Ligtasin Cove” which is a two-seater beach cruiser. “They could allow you to make angkas, and that’s very Filipino,” McClelland was quoted in Inquirer as saying.
The report continues: “To further assure the public of Bambike’s safety and roadworthiness, McClelland sought certification for his bikes from an independent company in Taiwan. Not only did they pass international standards; each Bambike also comes with three-five year warranty.” And says McClelland, if you treat your Bambike well, it can even last you a lifetime.
Photo: Bambike website
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