BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (BRAIN) — Bamboobee is launching its second kit allowing anyone to build their own bamboo-tubed bike frame. This kit cuts the estimated time for the framebuild to about 5 hours instead of the three days required by the company's first kit. The company is promoting its kit on Kickstarter and has already raised more than $15,000 of its $18,000 goal, with 21 days of the campaign left.
The kit includes a frame jig, a mobile app and pre-cut bamboo tubes. The jig allows construction of several types and sizes of frames, including a mountain bike, kids bike and cargo bike. The app includes a social function that allows users to upload specifications for frames and bikes they have built so that others can emulate their designs.
The company's first frame kit, called BIY required longer curing and finishing time, making the frame build a three-day project. The company has sold more than 1,000 of those kits. The new BIY 2 kit on Kickstarter includes a fiber roll that has been premixed with epoxy. Once applied, the builder does not need to sand down the joint, which took the most time with the previous kit. The new kit does not require additional epoxy that took up to a day to cure.
The BIY 2 jig and app will sell for $89. A frame kit including tubes and other frame parts is $160. The bikes can be built up with standard forks and components.
More information: Kickstarter page | Bamboobee page.
