Didja hear the one about the wooden bike?

fat bloke

It would'n go!!

Yak yak yak. Ba dum tish.


I've been meaning to post something up about this, I was chatting to a lad on the Sean Kelly 160k route who was riding a "Woodelo" wooden framed bike. Asked him about it at one of the food stops and it turns out he made it himself!:eek:

I saw a fancy looking bamboo road bike in a bike shop in California a few years ago and I thought there was some other crowd starting to or threatening to supply bespoke bamboo frames recently, but this is a different kettle of fish altogether. The bamboo bike looked like lugged tubing, similar to Colnago, but the woodelo looked more like a one-piece construction like a modern carbon fibre moulded bike. I'm sure it's not of course, but that's the style of finish it had. Made from ash apparently, it certainly caught the eye, and I love the "special branch" decals!

Yer man said he was launching them shortly, and it seems he managed the 160k without any problems. I wonder what the weights are like and what they're like to ride.

So....question is....

<ahem>

wood you???:pac:

NegativeCreep

I can't even ride a bike and I want one of them :eek:

Seweryn

fat bloke wrote: »

It would'n go!!

Yak yak yak. Ba dum tish.


I've been meaning to post something up about this, I was chatting to a lad on the Sean Kelly 160k route who was riding a "Woodelo" wooden framed bike. Asked him about it at one of the food stops and it turns out he made it himself!:eek:

Hi Bloke,

Thank you very much for posting this. I was looking for some info about that bike, as I was chatting to the owner just before the second food stop on the SK cycle, but I forgot the name of the bike after. The bike owner and builder is based not far from me, so I may pop in and have a better look at this lovely machine some day .

leeomurchu

I can't imagine it'd be to light if it's made from Ash, more of a novelty piece but it is cool lookin I'll give him that

Elvis_Presley

West End of Glasgow, hipster capitol of the world. Wooden fixie snapped on my street.

Colmhayden76

Met him and his buddy at the nationals in Clonmel. he had another prototype with him then with dura ace and mavic r sys wheels:eek:

If I ever figure it out I'll post a picture of it as it's on my phone from the day in question. Sweet looking bikes and the build process is really cool. The one above weighed about 8kg if I remember what he told me on the day.

Seweryn

leeomurchu wrote: »

I can't imagine it'd be to light if it's made from Ash

It is only marginally heavier than your aluminium bike, if at all. The frame weighs only about 2kg, so you can build it as light as you wish.

fat bloke

Sure if you wanted to make it lighter or more aero, just slap it in a bench vise and give it a few strokes of a plane : D

Elvis_Presley

Here's another hipster on his penny farthing, Kelvingrove park last week.

Tenzor07

I'm disapointed... Alu rims! :rolleyes:


-> ghisallowoodenrims.com

Seweryn

Tenzor07 wrote: »

I'm disapointed... Alu rims! :rolleyes:

-> ghisallowoodenrims.com

Steel spokes? :eek:

Steel bearings? :P

Where do you stop? :pac:

Vizzy

I actually rode that very bike( the Dura Ace one) in Clonmel during bike week.
It is truly a joy to ride.

Because the wood is actually hollowed out it is extremely light( same weight as alumimium)
The amount of time that it takes to actually build it is huge( about a week i,e 40 hours) and then a full day to hand sand it.
Not cheap though,about €1500 for the frame alone.

AverageJoe82

leeomurchu wrote: »

I can't imagine it'd be to light if it's made from Ash, more of a novelty piece but it is cool lookin I'll give him that

its 8kg , check out his facebook page. loads of pics up

refusetolose

hope its insured for fire and theft

longshanks

refusetolose wrote: »

hope its insured for fire and theft

... and woodworm, dry rot, wet rot......

leeomurchu

Seweryn wrote: »

It is only marginally heavier than your aluminium bike, if at all. The frame weighs only about 2kg, so you can build it as light as you wish.

2kg I'd have thought at least 3-4kg if not more has it been hollowed out or something. It does look cool though

Just read through the posts I see it is hollowed out. that'd be one hell of a labour cost

doozerie

Renovo Bicycles do some very exotic looking wooden frames, including this one:



about which they say:

Triathlon, TT bike. Raced in the Ironman world championships in Kona, and in the Race Across America. This one weighed the same as the carbon bike it replaced, stiffer front triangle. All internal cabling, aero down tube, intregated aero seat mast.

I like the idea of wooden frames, I'd have to say, they appeal to the tree hugger in me. Ironically though, they may be just as environmentally unfriendly to construct as some of the alternatives, given the machinery, glues, wood treatments/finishes, etc., involved, and the prices that I've seen online are right up there too.

Daithi BC

That looks lovely.

I have an ash plantation on the farm - would love to get a frame made from a tree out of it.

Seweryn

Yes, I wood.

And in fact, I did.

I just came back home after a good 10km test ride on the bike on various road surfaces. My mind was all over the place before, during the test ride, as well as after, while cycling back home on my own bike.

To cut the long story short, the most impressive is the ride quality, as it is unexpectedly high. The bike is smoother on a rough road than any metal or carbon fibre frame bike.

The frame, the front end and the bottom bracket stiffness is excellent and comparable to a high quality road bike. I saw the way the bottom bracket is manufactured and it is a fine detail, really well designed. The bike climbs very well and descending at a high speed is no problem at all and you can feel confident while doing it.

The weight of the bike is comparable to a good road bike, as the complete frameset weighs not much more than about 2kg, so with good components you can have the bike as light as you wish.

The details and the finishing of the frame looks very, very good also.

I would like to say Big Thank You to the owner (designer and builder) of the bike for the test ride. It really made my day today :cool:.

uberwolf

there's one in the window of Patagonia on Wicklow Street (or there was last week). Lovely looking machine.

FISMA

If you do not like wood, try bamboo.

polymath

Just one question, how long would these bikes hold up under frequent use? I would certainly want to buy a "different" and unique bike like this, yet I want to make sure that it is worth the money

Seweryn

polymath wrote: »

Just one question, how long would these bikes hold up under frequent use? I would certainly want to buy a "different" and unique bike like this, yet I want to make sure that it is worth the money

There is no reason it wood not cover the same mileage as your ordinary bike. The frame is well protected from inside and outside.

However, the bike is not for sale, or not yet AFAIK.

fat bloke

That sounds brilliant Seweryn.

Check out their Facebook update, there's a fixie up there on new wooden rims

leeomurchu

Here it is

Seweryn

fat bloke wrote: »

That sounds brilliant Seweryn.

Check out their Facebook update, there's a fixie up there on new wooden rims

Yeah, I saw the fixie as well and it is actually equipped with very nice hubs and... wooden rims. I did not test ride it though, I was a bit shy. As I have never ridden a fixie before, there was not much point really. Very well made indeed.

rab!dmonkey

Elvis_Presley wrote: »

West End of Glasgow, hipster capitol of the world. Wooden fixie snapped on my street.

Wow, external steertube! :pac: