29 June 2009
Diary: Building Bamboo Bikes in Ghana
Craig Calfee is the founder of Calfee Design, builders of carbon-fiber bike frames that have performed in world-class competitions such as the Hawaii Ironman, the Tour de France and the Olympics. A few years ago, Calfee turned his attention to more practical transportation matters and founded the Bamboosero line of bamboo-frame cargo and mountain bikes. He also formed the Bamboo Bike Project with scientists and engineers at Columbia University’s Earth Institute to study bamboo bike-making in Ghana.
June, 2009
I returned to Ghana last August to visit Ibrahim, with whom I have worked on bamboo bikes. Ibrahim had assembled a modest crew at his bicycle shop in Accra, and crew members were anxious to learn how to build a bamboo mountain bike. We planned to build one over a five-day training session.
My strategy with bamboo bikes is to get locals to begin building bikes for tourists and then move to exporting. As they progress, they will generate better profits, buy more and better tools, and gain efficiency. At that point, building costs should come down and locals can build less costly versions for themselves.
Upon my arrival, Ibrahim and I tried to collect all the parts necessary to build the bike, but many local suppliers did not stock the correct parts. The Village Bicycle Project does a great job of teaching people how to maintain their new bikes, but once a crucial part breaks it becomes very difficult to find a replacement.
Bamboo is a different story. It grows abundantly.
During my last visit, Ibrahim and I harvested bamboo and prepared it for curing by treating it with a nontoxic, split-preventing chemical. Now it is dry and ready to become a bicycle frame.
After less-interested students drifted away, a core group formed and stuck with the training for the duration.
We began by investigating local fiber sources to wrap the intersecting points on the frame. A village elder named Mr. Asanti showed us where to find a strong, local forest vine. He processed it into fiber by heating it over charcoal, beating it with a stone and then pulling it apart by hand. It was fairly labor intensive, but we used it on the bike for a local style.
We also harvested bamboo for six future bikes. I showed the students how to choose the right diameters and lengths for different parts, how to apply the correct treatment and how to dry the wood. The students wrapped the cut sections in palm leaves and carried them out of the forest. In five months, these tubes can be used to build more bikes.
After I inspected the assembled bike, I found it needed some reworking. In keeping with the idea of building one without my supervision, I recommended some changes and the bike was reassembled with backup parts I had brought from Taiwan. The bike was finally completed at dusk with help from Wisdom, a local bike mechanic with good tools. We marked the bike with the Bamboosero brand name, inscribed “Abompe” on the top tube and marked the seat tube with “Made in Ghana 8/14/08.” The date will help me track the bike’s durability.
