MikeLigalig.com

Manila Bulletin – Sat, Mar 24, 2012





MANILA, Philippines - Bike frames have come a long way from steel and aluminum to exotic alloys and carbon fibers. Now, in the Philippines, they're going all the way back to bamboo.

The "bamboo bike" is turning into the latest hot item for environmentalists here, with its low carbon footprint. Bamboo is also tough and light: Bamboo bike frames weigh about seven to ten pounds.

The bikes are made by KawayanTech (Kawayan is a Filipino term for bamboo), a company whose objectives are to develop "indigenous forms of bikes and other alternative means of transport," including bamboo bikes and bamboo skateboards as "social entrepreneurship," according to its mission statement.



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Despite the enthusiasm from some serious bikers, the eco-friendly bikes have yet to crack the mainstream market. Joni Bonifacio, an organizer of biking tours in Catbalogan, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines, does not believe in the durability of the bamboo bike frames.

"The bike fames are not available in our province. Bamboo frames are not good for rugged terrain. If I go to the mountains and the bike experiences jumps and bumps, the frame might break," he said.

Some other bikers -- like Lalaine Agarma Barroga, an organizer of Bikexplore Philippines who works at the Milo Caca Bike shop -- say the bamboo bikes are just too expensive for what they provide. Such bikes are "not durable compared to alloy or carbon," she said. "This type of frame is for recreational use only."



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okay lang seguro ni nga gamiton kung purok to purok lang ang adtuan.

i seriously doubt whether this bamboo bike could survive the rugged terrain of tagbilaran city roads.

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