BAMBOOBIKER

I am a custom bike painter, atop building custom frames, so I typically have in supply, House of Kolor Kandy concentrates to color their UC35 Kosmic Clear. Tape off the bamboo and paint the lugs. The Kandy is transparent and so you see the carbon through the color. There's alot to it? And the paint isn't cheap. You'll
Easily spend as much on paint or more, if you do this, than you spent on the parts to build your frame... A quart of UC35, small can of reducer and hardner, and the kandy concentrate will run you about $135... Assuming you have an air compressor and gun (spray guns can be bought at Harbor Freight for about $20).

The cost of carbon, bamboo, and resin, and whatever tools you don't have? Figure about $60 for a good resin system (west system 105), $45 for carbon tow, $25-$35 if you elect to use hemp, and your cost for bamboo really depends on your access to bamboo - from free to $40 or so. You'll need a torch if you don't have one, and other tools, sand paper etc. You'll have to assess your ability, and tool situation. You really should be able to build one of these for under $200, if you're resourceful...?

No problem, have fun with the build!

Top tube and seat tube are 1 3/8" (ish) and down tube is 1 5/8" on the road bikes with the seat stays being 5/8". The mountain bikes are closer to 1 1/2" on the top and seat tubes and 1 3/4" on the down tube with stays at 3/4".

I've done both. The first frame, after I heat treated the bamboo, it sat for a good 30 or so days in very low humidity @ 100 degrees plus prior to the build up. The second bike, was built from the same bamboo as the first, plus some newly cured bamboo. There was no real difference other than the new pieces were noticibly heavier initially. Since I've been building with realitively freshly treated bamboo, with no problems. They do "loose weight" throughout the build though. I am confident that they won't have any problems down the line. Each bike I've built has been problem free to date!

So, maybe I do have an idea...  I was at the park today and saw a bunch of people with easy ups - those pop up tents with just a top and no sides.  They have poles that slip into one another with these holes and push buttons that pop into the holes as it slides into position, others have cotterpins.  You could do something very similar with a bike.  Cut the tubes about 3 inches behind the head tube,and again about 4 inches in front of the seat tube.  You could find an aluminum or steel tube that fits snugly inside the tubes you've cut.  Drill holes in all tubes and cotter pin them together.  This would allow the bike to break down into a very, very small package.