Sunday, February 17, 2013

Hoping For A Wooden Car...


... but I'll settle for one of these. Computer-controlled machining now allows for the sophisticated construction of a high-performance hollow wooden bicycle frame.

 curly maple, hickory, bamboo...dang! from the Renovo Bikes website:


  • Wood absorbs vibration better than steel, aluminum or carbon, producing a uniquely smooth ride. 
  • The fatigue life of wood exceeds steel or aluminum, and approaches carbon 
  • Wood is not susceptible to crack propagation from dents like the metals, nor is it notch-sensitive or damage-concealing like carbon.  
  • Wood is as stiff pound for pound as the metals, even as it’s better at absorbing road vibration. 
  • And last but not least, wood is sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable, and has a tiny carbon footprint, while the primary production of steel, aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber are incredibly polluting and unfriendly to our environment.

2 comments:

Dave said...

Highly impressive! What will they think of next? Wooden spoons?

Mike said...

It also floats. Ride the damn thing across rivers and lakes. You can also start a campfire by rubbing two bike frames together. Try that with your aluminum frames.

Dave, you may be on to something.