This bamboo and carbon fiber fat bike was built by Drew Diller as a hobby project inspired by the folks at Boo and Bamboo Bike Studio.
The frame uses the same type of bamboo as those companies, Dendrocalamus strictus” or “iron bamboo”, which Diller says is quite strong and surprisingly crash resistant. The carbon wrap is what he calls “garage quality” that comes on a spool of carbon fiber strands that’s wrapped around the joints. Diller says he’s looking for something stiffer and to learn to use more high-tech construction methods.
To get the Lefty fork to hold the fat tires, he ordered 17.5mm offset custom clamps from Mendon Cyclesmith and built the front wheel up with Large Marge rims and a standard Lefty hub. The rim offset is flip-flopped front to back to keep the tire from rubbing.
The clamps only work on the older Lefty’s with clamped-on crowns, not the newer one-piece designs. Braking is handled by STI Versa shift/brake levers mated to Avid mechanical brakes, and he’s rigged it to an Alfine 8 internally geared hub to make the going a bit easier.
Gates Belt Drive with the requisite frame brake on the seatstay.
This is Version 2. The original, shown below, was a fully rigid model. Now that Salsa’s put the idea of a full suspension fat bike out there, Version 3 will see Diller taking a stab at a dual bonier. Ultimately, he’s looking to start a business building bamboo bikes full time. Good luck, Drew, looks like you’re off to a solid start!
