Some Advice on Bamboo

Selecting bamboo: For most of the stuff that I've found around here, the best pieces are the sections closest to the ground to about 6 feet up. These have the thickest walls. Go for wall thickness at least 5 mm for main tubes, 3.5 to 4 for things like seatstays etc. The major issue with bamboo is not so much the actual break strength, but the flexibility. It's not so stiff, which is why I've done most of my bikes with carbon bits. The other issue for you will likely be finding exterior diameters that are appropriately sized. The outside fibers of the culm are the strongest, and so it's not a great idea to whittle those away too much to fit it inside of a lug. The other thing, is that there aren't any dead straight pieces of bamboo in the world, they all have some deviation to them, making it a bit more interesting to find the right size/shape. This works fine with my construction methods, but I am guessing that you're planning on taking a stab at a bike somewhat similar to the Panda Cycles model.

As far as the treatment goes, I followed a process somewhat like that in the bamboo forums website: heat treat with a blowtorch when green, then air dry for several months, or torch first and then 2 hours in the oven at about 200 degrees. Some pieces will crack for sure with this process, but that's just part of the game, better crack in the oven than on your bike.

When torching, you'll see the color of the outside change, it'll look like it's fading in sudden increments. Oil will also rise to the surface at this point, so you should wipe this off with a rag. Once cooled and dried, i take a razor blade and scrape off the outside of the bamboo, mostly for aesthetics, but also because epoxy doesn't stick to the waxy skin.

For bonding bamboo to other stuff, make sure to sand the joint and wipe down with some acetone or similar to remove excess oil. I use the West Systems Six10 glue because it's cheap (ish) and strong as shit. 3M DP 420 is supposed to be the best, but it's super expensive, and for my purposes not so necessary.