The Greenest Bicycle Ever Made

[Kan Win]

This is London

It is the ultimate green statement for commuters worried that even their cycling damages the planet.

For the first time eco-conscious (but wealthy) Londoners can buy an organic, biodegradable bike - made from bamboo.

The frame of the Calfee, which will set you back at least £3,000, is made from stems hand-picked in the remote mountains of Taiwan's Yushan national park, home to wildlife such as the Formosan black bear and rock monkey.

The bamboo is shipped - not flown - to California, where stems are smoked and heat-treated to prevent splitting, and assembled into a frame, the pieces connected with lugs made of hemp fibre.

They are then coated in a satin polyurethane sealant.

The finished product is transported to Chiswick, where it is being sold in the Eco Age shop owned by actor Colin Firth, his Italian wife Livia Giuggioli, and her brother Nicola.

Five have been sold in Britain so far, including two in London.

The bike - available in racing or mountain format - weighs roughly the same as its metal equivalent but has none of the environmental baggage that comes with the manufacturing process.

About 60 per cent of the finished product is made of sustainable materials.

Bamboo is stronger than mild steel and more elastic than carbon fibre - meaning it absorbs shock exceptionally well.

Rachel Hammond, founder of British distributor RAW Bamboo Bikes, said: "Because bamboo is a natural material it takes a lot of the vibration out of the ride."

The Evening Standard gave the Calfee a road-test. It is a thing of natural beauty, pared-down and sleek - although the lack of mudguards is not an advantage when biking in London.

Lightweight, durable and highly manoeuvrable, it turned on a pin. The ethical benefits are obvious. Bamboo is sustainable - the fastest growing woody plant.

The co-operatives that chop and sort it in Taiwan are involved in a social project helping local people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Company founder Craig Calfee is also involved in a project in Africa to help local entrepreneurs make bamboo bikes. But a vehicle of such political correctness comes at a price.

The basic frame costs £2,175 and customers must buy the other pieces as add-ons - meaning the finished machine costs from £3,000 to £3,500, depending on the specification.

The beauty of bamboo

Bamboo absorbs about five times as much greenhouse gas as a "conventional" tree plantation.

It does not fatigue like metal. But it does have to be coated with a waterproof sealant.

It supports a greater load than mild steel can without breaking.

In the Far East it is often used as scaffolding during skyscraper construction.

It is the fastest growing plant: some species can grow 1.5 metres a day. The bamboo used for the bikes takes four to five years to grow.

Each bike needs 2.7 metres of bamboo to make.

Each bike frame weighs only 4-5lb, but the finished product weighs 18-19lb.

*****

Reader Views

Here's a sample of the latest views published.

***

Taiwan to California by boat and then to Chiswick, presumably by air. Plus, all the components from Italy and Japan that will finish off the bike do not materialise in West London by magic. That's more air miles than I clock up in 3 months.

This has to be the least green bicycle ever made.

Put two things together that no-one has thought of and some schmuck will buy it.

- Perth, the Scottish one

***

Oh dear, what a terrible photo. She's been made to pose next to the bike in the wrong shoes, and made to wear a stupid helmet which she forgot to do up.

Despite the fact the effectiveness of helmets is questionable at best, wearing one and not actually tightening the strap is utterly pointless.

- London

***

That would make an interesting insurance claim: A panda ate my bike.

Has anyone ever noticed how people who are green are never quietly green, the always have to tell everyone how green they are?

- Watford (UK)

***

If Bamboo is so good for the environment why chop it down................

- Letchworth

***

Utterly ridiculous.

- London

***

"About 60 per cent of the finished product is made of sustainable materials."

Hold on now, in a normal Aluminium framed bike, the frame and most of the componentry is made from Aluminium, which unless I'm mistaken is recyclable and thus sustainable? You can pick up a T6 framed bike (which is probably lighter than this for around £500), so why would you buy one of these?

- Cheam

***

Fools and their money, as they say.

- Amsterdam, NL

***

Expensive gimmick for the wealthy trendies.

- Basingstoke, Hants

***

Shipped more than half way around and GREEN?

- Reading, England

***

Awesome. How come 'green' things always cost the earth?

- Durden, Milan

***

The lady's shoes don't look as though they have cleats so they wouldn't work on those pedals. Sorry to be pedalantic. Great idea, although the bar stem looks a bit clunky and wooden.

- London

***

3K! A nice little earner for a piece of wood.

- London

*****

Yours truly,

Kan Win

[mr_hippo]

What no bamboo wheels?

[lazygourmet]

That looks a bit like a couple of bongs on wheels...

[hhgz]

"owned by actor Colin Firth"

I was in a movie with Colin's brother. Small world.

[sunsamourai]

Definetely NOT "green".

At least untill they grow those bamboos in London, rather that cutting them in A NATIONAL PARK wich harbours fragile species !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so much bull sh1t

[Texpat]

Some people will stoop to any level of foolishness to appear environmentally conscious.

Why not just walk?

Holding your breath of course to reduce carbon emission.

[apetley]

A good steel frame will last years and can be 100% recyclable.

Only way to recycle the bamboo is chuck it on the fire.

It's not really that green when it's shipped from Taiwan to California and then on to the UK is it?

Taking the food right out of a Pandas mouth I say.