Wooden Frames

[bad company]

I came across these being offered to rent in Greece. I’m no engineer but wood doesn’t seem like a great material for a bicycle frame to me.

[gazza285]

Good enough for car chassis, but not good enough for a push iron. Or should that be push wood? Although that doesn’t sound transport related.

[MajorMantra]

That looks like it would twist like mad, but probably doesn't matter for that style of bike.

I've ridden a couple of wooden bikes (Renovo, Guapa) and they were 'fine', but it's very much a novelty, there are clearly better materials for the purpose available.

[BOR]

Wood has a surprisingly good stiffness-to-weight ratio in comparison with alu.

I will bet that you could bend an alu frame easier than that wood frame.

[addey]

Have you seen the guy who's just ridden the length on the UK on a homemade wooden bike - it makes those above look hi-tech in comparison! Look up itskius on instagram or tiktok

[Tim Cognito]

They look like they would ride with all the compliance of an RSJ.

[Mikebentley]

I purchased a Kirk magnesium framed bike new early 1990s. I think it was a moulded frame from memory. That thing twisted and flexed quite badly. I imagine this wooden bike pictured would depend on how the grain runs.

[OutInTheShed]

Tim Cognito said:

They look like they would ride with all the compliance of an RSJ.

That's the thing isn't it?
Bike frames don't want to be infinitely stiff, but people quickly get vague about how and how much they should flex.
Most ali and carbon bikes seem to be iterative designs, drawing on years of experience.

You can design all sorts of stuff with wood to be stiff or bendy.


There are bamboo bikes too.
ISTR you could do a 'build your own bamboo bike' course?


As others have said wood is good enough for cars. And aircraft!
Definitely boats too.

I think it's easy to lose the eco-halo with plywood glues, epoxy and the like.

[oddman]

Calfee make bamboo bikes and kits. Pretty cool but not cheap