The incredible bamboo hulk.

Head tube

The green machine is basically done and I'm waiting for the go-ahead from Ian on the color scheme before applying the clearcoat and sending it off.  Ian was thinking of the natural bamboo color as the theme for the bike, and I have actually been thinking of that exact color theme for a looong time.  The emerald green of growing bamboo just looks fantastic and I hope that the tint I found does it justice.  Hopefully it will look even deeper in color once the clearcoat is applied.  The green on green on green is a little unusual for me, since I've always done some sort of contrast colors before, but I think it works here.  The other color I was thinking of for the text is a pearlescent orange, but that would probably just end up looking like Michaelangelo, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.  Mikey-angelo was always Ian's favorite from childhood, so maybe that's what I should have gone with.
 


If he OK's it today, I can get it clearcoated tonight, polished tomorrow and boxed up and shipped out by Thursday.  That would be just super. I think I had initially told Ian i'd have the bike done in the spring, but hey, time flies when you're in the basement.

Downtube View

Head tube/Top tube joint

Seat cluster

The whole shebang. Bamboo bike number 11. 

Brotherly Bike

I've been working on a bike for my brother Ian for the past few weeks.  It's actually a centaur of sorts--the front end is brand-new but the rear is the rear end from my attempt last spring at a new road bike.  While that bike was a flop due to some incorrect tubing spec, this should be a winner.  I've done some new stuff and really like how it's turned out so far.

Here's my idea for a head tube badge.  It's a nice reproduction of a ukiyo-e print from a calendar I had last year.  The scene was from the February month, and given that Ian was born then, I thought it fitting.  There are 11 other versions that might fit the bill too though, so I'll let him pick.

Ian's Bike

 Looks like I'm almost ready for test riders!  Really too bad that I'm not in riding shape right now, as I've got a feeling this is going to be my best bike yet.

Another view

A view of the brake bridge and seat cluster of Ian's bike. Notice the black line running along the top tube.  That's the seam where I split the tube and lined it with carbon fiber.  Stiffness should be pretty good and it should be more resistant to the ever popular handlebar smash in the unlikely event of a crash.