Why Bamboo?

Engineering Analysis

1. Compressive Properties: Bamboo can withstand up to 52,000 psi's of compressive force which is greater than that of concrete. For perspective, a short, straight column of bamboo with radius equal to that of a Sol Cycles seat tube could support an 11,000-pound elephant.

2. Tensile Properties: Bamboo is able to resist even more tensile than compressive stress (enough said, see #1)

3. Shear Properties: Bamboo is said to weather shear stress exceptionally well. Growing to tens of feet tall, nature has forced the grass to evolve this way in order to protect itself from the force of extremely high winds. It is said that bamboo handles shear stress considerably better than other building materials for this reason.

Cycling Analysis

1. Weight: Despite its great strength, bamboo is an extremely light material, allowing Sol Cycles to make racing frames with weights in the area of only 3 pounds.

2. Vibration Dampening: Vibration dampening is where bamboo truly outperforms carbon fiber. Any serious rider knows the feeling of muscle fatigue from a long ride or race. Bamboo dampens the high-frequency vibrations caused by the road surface so the cyclist's body is less fatigued, allowing you to have a more comfortable ride and keeping your legs fresher and stronger at the end of your ride.

Environmental Analysis

1. Bamboo is evergreen: it flourishes year-round and some species grow at a rate of 48 inches in one day!
   
   
2. Cutting down a hardwood tree kills it. Cutting down bamboo just causes it to grow more, like the grass in your lawn. Thus, there are no issues with soil erosion because the bamboo's extensive rhizome root system holds the soil in place and simply continues to spread and produce new shoots.
   
   
3. Only simple hacksaws are used in cutting down the bamboo, as opposed to dirty and dangerous chainsaws and logging vehicles. Therefore Sol Cycles' frames are truly a green product from the Earth to your garage!