Would you rock this?

taku · Kickflip Joined: 10 Mar 2007 Posts: 2868 City: Central FL

Bamboo road & mountain bikes

On the outskirts of Lusaka, Zambia, next year's crop of bicycles is being watered by Benjamin Banda. "We planted this bamboo last year," he says, "and now the stems are taller than me. When it's ready we'll cut it, cure it and then turn it into frames."

A bamboo bicycle can take over a week to make by hand.

Mr Banda, is the caretaker for Zambikes, a company set up by two Californians and two Zambians which aimed to build bikes tough enough to handle the local terrain. Co-founder Vaughn Spethmann, 24, recalls how it all started with a game of football.

"We were here on a university field trip and we organized a match against some locals. Afterwards we asked them what they did, and they said: 'Nothing'. They didn't have jobs. "So we decided to come up with a business which would be a source of employment and provide a useful product." That product was the rugged, bright yellow Zambike, assembled at the firm's smart red-brick workshop set in sun-browned farmland.

Other projects followed as the mechanics' skills improved: a sturdy cargo bike, a bike trailer and a bike-drawn "zambulance", now in use at 10 clinics around Lusaka.

The bicycles are being targeted at the American market.

Meanwhile Santa Cruz-based bike designer Craig Calfee was experimenting with bamboo as a material for bike frames. His prototypes proved that the strength and lightness of the plant made it a great substitute for metal. As a bonus it had excellent vibration-dampening properties, making it comfortable for riding over long distances.

The bicycle-making process has little impact on the environment.

Operations co-ordinator Divilance Machilika, watches company cook Fabian Mumba taking a finished bamboo bike for a spin around the yard. "I can see these selling well in America. They'll like them because they're natural," he says. Mr Machilika lived in a tent on the site for a year while the workshop was being built. A quick learner, he soon mastered construction skills and bike mechanics. Now he oversees day-to-day running of the workshop.

Benefit to the community
One of the founders, Mwewa Chikamba, says Mr Machilika is an example of what Zambikes wanted to achieve. "It was never just about bikes. We wanted to give our workers practical skills and reward their dedication. We want to change lives," he says.