Although not the first to come up with the bamboo bike, two MBA students from Colorado State University are planning to start selling their bamboo bike in the fall of 2009 for a third of the price of other bamboo bikes out there.
John McKinney went on a trip last summer to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and when he got back he started brainstorming what he could do with the extremely strong and fast growing bamboo he had witnessed on his trip. In his words, “I got back home from my summer trip and I was thinking, ‘I wonder what we can do with this,’ and I looked at my bike and thought, ‘Why not make bamboo bikes?” After that he got together with his friend and fellow classmate Jacob Castillo to put together a design. Soon after, Panda Bicycles was born.
Bamboo is an incredibly sustainable material because it grows incredibly fast and it soaks up carbon dioxide. According to the Panda Bicycles website, the bamboo “offers strength like steel, a weight similar to aluminum, and a more comfortable vibration-dampening ride than carbon fiber – allowing you to live a fulfilling two wheeled existence.”
I love the look of these bicycles and I hope they start a trend that leads to all bicycles to one day be made from bamboo – can you imagine the decrease in the carbon footprint of bicycle manufacturing? Mmmm. The first Panda Bicycle, called “The One” is going to be a high quality commuter bike and it will cost $850, which is a great deal, since other bamboo bicycles range in price from $3,000 to $10,000. (Ouch!)
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Thank you for this post! Riding your bike opposed to driving your car already lowers your carbon foot print, but a BAMBOO bike is even better! I’m so excited for Panda Bicyle and what they have stored for us!
-Amanda