Lovebikes Philippines
by: Jar Concengco
When visual artist Eng Chan attended a bamboo bike making workshop by famed custom bike frame builder Craig Calfee back in 2009, he immediately was inspired to create. While the other attendees of the workshop were satisfied just by learning how to make a bike out of bamboo, Chan wanted something more.
“I was more concerned about the look and the aesthetics of the bike,” Chan explains. He was more interested in creating art or something sculptural.
With that, Lovebikesphilippines was born shortly after in 2010 in Chan’s backyard (where he also grows bamboo). By using mature bamboo that’s been grown for 3-5 years, one can make a strong bike frame with very simple hand tools. “It’s all in the reinforcement,” Chan reitirates what Calfee taught him during the workshop. Calfee championed sustainability by not only using a fast growing material in bamboo but also taught his students to use “available technology” for building the bikes. Chan mentions that he’s used ordinary PVC water pipes as jigs and locally available bindings.
Chan naturally treats his own bamboo. “I don’t put any chemicals in the bamboo that I use. I air dry it for 4 months.”
Do bamboo bikes deserve a second look from serious riders? Chan can assure those considering a bamboo bike that it can offer you smoother rides especially when riding long distances. “Bamboo has a lot of fibers. So those absorb a lot of shock. The thicker the wall of the bamboo the more shock it will absorb. Aluminum and steel are so dense that vibration is felt more. You’ll notice it when you do long rides - like an hour or more. The rides are more forgiving if you ride bamboo.”
This is reinforced on Calfee’s website: “Bamboo has the best vibration damping for the smoothest ride.”
One drawback of Chan’s bamboo bikes is that they can be a bit heavy. “They can be built lighter but they won’t be as sturdy.”
Chan’s creations aren’t afraid of a pop of color. One bike using a Buddha’s Belly Bamboo (known for its bulging internodes) for its frame is set on top of bright yellow tires, a sky blue front fork and a bright green crank arm. One characteristic of his newer builds are the attachment of traditional, woven baskets.
Chan has utilized 5 species of bamboo already: bayog, kawayang tinik, Buddha’s Belly, black bamboo and wamin. His dream is to be able to use as many different species of bamboo out there to build a bicycle (there are about a thousand). One particular bamboo specie he has an eye on is the tortoise shell bamboo which can be found in Kyoto, Japan.
A growing interest in bike riding has risen in the recent years. This growth was even more accelerated by the country’s halt of mass transport because of the pandemic. More people relied on using a bicycle to make the simple trip to the grocery or to work.
With bamboo’s sustainability and sturdiness and the low carbon footprint of bamboo bikes, Lovebikesphilippines definitely needs a second look as a serious option for casual riders.
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