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Wooden bikes
#1
what do you think about them?
one company caught my eye that manufactures wooden bicycles, and it is interesting to see how they market themselves and expand into the US high-end markets etc.
they even have a road racing bike model, but as far as I know, road cyclists are not big fans of them.

what are the best known wooden bicycles in US?
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#2
(07-07-2019, 07:14 PM)wwwalterrr Wrote:  what do you think about them?
there is one company in my home country that manufactures wooden bicycles, and it is interesting to see how they market themselves and expand into the US high-end markets etc.
they even have a road racing bike model, but as far as I know, road cyclists are not big fans of them.

what are the best known wooden bicycles in US?
I wasn't aware that any bikes were made of wood until I searched and found them. They look pretty cool, but without knowing much about them, I'd question how they would hold up under wet conditions. They're made of hardwood and presumably finished with some kind of protective coating. But it still leaves places on the frame where water could hide and do damage. I know the same thing can be said of a steel bike, though.

They come in different types, including road bikes, e-bikes, tandems. and cruisers. Prices? They seem to start from around 2,000 euros ($2,252) and go up to 5,619 euros ($6,327). Those road bikes have carbon wheelsets and a choice of groupsets. And they come with 5-year warranties.

How they compare weight for weight with steel, aluminum or carbon frames, I have no idea.

Buying one will probably set you back more for shipping to a bike shop for assembly plus the bike shop charge. Warranties often are not valid unless a bike was assembled by a pro, no matter how good we may be with mechanical work.

What do I think about them? They're nice but I'll stick with my steel hybrid and aluminum fat bike. Price is a big factor, and I'd never be able to justify the price of a wood bike to my wife.
If I knew how to ride a bike properly, I'd do it every time.
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#3
(07-10-2019, 04:13 PM)CharleyFarley Wrote:  ...

yeah, prices are off the roof!
seems that such wooden bikes are made for fancy people as standout item, they are for sure not targeted for everyone Smile
the ones that I noticed are these ones Materia, priced 5.500-8.000$ (at least on this site) https://thearsenale.com/collections/materia-bikes
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#4
(07-11-2019, 07:36 AM)wwwalterrr Wrote:  
(07-10-2019, 04:13 PM)CharleyFarley Wrote:  ...

yeah, prices are off the roof!
seems that such wooden bikes are made for fancy people as standout item, they are for sure not targeted for everyone Smile
the ones that I noticed are these ones Materia, priced 5.500-8.000$ (at least on this site) https://thearsenale.com/collections/materia-bikes
In any kind of group, there is often someone who wants to stand out from the crowd. That's the only reason I can see to have wooden bike. It gains attention to a person and the bike for a while. Unless the bike has distinct advantages over traditional bikes, it will remain a gimmick. Perhaps that's why the price is so high, because not many are sold.
If I knew how to ride a bike properly, I'd do it every time.
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#5
(07-11-2019, 07:58 AM)CharleyFarley Wrote:  In any kind of group, there is often someone who wants to stand out from the crowd. That's the only reason I can see to have wooden bike. It gains attention to a person and the bike for a while. Unless the bike has distinct advantages over traditional bikes, it will remain a gimmick. Perhaps that's why the price is so high, because not many are sold.

yeah, I see how they market them with this "posh" image.
have seen some Holywood stars biking with exactly this brand's wooden bike or at least simply advertising like ambassadors, so it's the lifestyle they emphasize or aim for.
I remember that they were pushing a lot also on wooden road bikes for racing ...
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#6
I wooden't ride them ...
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#7
(07-24-2019, 10:56 AM)bonobo Wrote:  I wooden't ride them ...

The fear of splinters in my crotch, from the top of the frame would deter me, too.
If I knew how to ride a bike properly, I'd do it every time.
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#8
@CharleyFarley found (well the other way around, it found me on instagram) another wooden bike company, this one is from from Buffalo, NY.
Normal Bicycles: https://www.normalbicycles.com/
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#9
Have you seen these Sandwichbikes?
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#10
(01-12-2020, 02:53 PM)ManBearPig Wrote:  Have you seen these Sandwichbikes?
I can't help laughing! I know I shouldn't judge it without riding it, but it's comical. It would certainly attract attention. Those straight bars look quite uncomfortable, to me. And I wouldn't pay $799 for it. The article says the weight puts it in the same class as a beach cruiser but overall it doesn't seem to be a bad bike. I don't know how much beach cruisers weigh, but some are steel and some are aluminum. I just ordered one, today, from my LBS for $300 less than the sandwich bike. Aluminum frame and cartridge BB. It will complement my Specialized fat bike.


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If I knew how to ride a bike properly, I'd do it every time.
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#11
(01-12-2020, 08:01 PM)CharleyFarley Wrote:  I just ordered one, today, from my LBS for $300 less than the sandwich bike. Aluminum frame and cartridge BB. It will complement my Specialized fat bike.

cruising in Florida eh! looks like 7 speed drivetrain. how do you feel about twist shifters? i'd avoid those at any cost, but overall a sweet ride for sunny cruising. how close is the beach?

and that Sandwichbike is something out of this world ...
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#12
(01-13-2020, 06:04 AM)Papa Dom Wrote:  
(01-12-2020, 08:01 PM)CharleyFarley Wrote:  I just ordered one, today, from my LBS for $300 less than the sandwich bike. Aluminum frame and cartridge BB. It will complement my Specialized fat bike.

cruising in Florida eh! looks like 7 speed drivetrain. how do you feel about twist shifters? i'd avoid those at any cost, but overall a sweet ride for sunny cruising. how close is the beach?

and that Sandwichbike is something out of this world ...
I detest twist shifters, Papa Dom. I sold my Schwinn hybrid, yesterday, which originally came with two twist shifters, and I swapped them for levers. I'll do the same for the cruiser. I had two other cruisers before this new one, so I'm familiar with them. One was an aluminum framed bike but it had a coaster brake, so I swapped that at a LBS for a steel-framed cruiser with 7 speed and rim brakes. This new one should be a lot better than the previous two.

The beach? About seven miles away but I won't take a bike on the beach. Chains and sand don't go together well. When I was 14 we moved from the city to the coast and I used to take my Raleigh Palm Beach bike on the flat wet sand and race it up and down, then skidding the rear wheel around. The sand got into the 3 speed Sturmey Archer gears and did some damage.

I had kept the twister shifters from the Schwinn in a box of bike parts and recently used it on a Walmart mountain bike that someone had dumped. My sister-in-law found the bike and brought it to me, knowing I like to mess with bikes. I got the bike in good working order but the twist shifter was a problem. It was notorious, I learned, for difficulty in twisting. Kids can't do it but it was essentially a kid's bike with 24" wheels. So I dug out the better Shimano twister and put that on, and it was a whole lot better. That bike will go to the Salvation Army if it won't sell at an upcoming yard sale.

On another note about the Schwinn, I had a bike computer mounted which I removed to use on the cruiser. During the night I woke up and realized I hadn't removed the wheel magnet nor the sensor unit from the fork. This morning I checked to see if the parts were available. They are but would cost just a few dollars less than a whole new computer. I was mad at myself for being so forgetful. I sold the bike for $100 and was faced with $67 for a new computer, so in a way, I just about gave the bike away. I ordered a new one on Amazon, and then realized the guy who bought the bike, had sent me a private message on Facebook, inquiring about the bike. I still had his message, so I contacted him and in minutes he responded and said he'll bring the parts over. Life is good to dummies like me!
If I knew how to ride a bike properly, I'd do it every time.
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#13
(07-07-2019, 07:14 PM)wwwalterrr Wrote:  they even have a road racing bike model, but as far as I know, road cyclists are not big fans of them.

I once rode a loop with wooden road bike, owned by an acquaintance. It just somehow did not feel the same. Hard to explain the feeling. I might be biased on this one though.

Nevertheless, I am fascinated by bamboo bikes after watching a documentary few years back, about bicycle manufacturing in Africa. Companies such as Booomers (https://www.booomers.com/products) have very positive social impact.
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#14
Calfee bikes in California have bamboo bike DIY kits. Very interesting.
Merida Scultura 5000 (2015)
Merida Big Nine 400 (2019)
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#15
(01-15-2020, 09:01 AM)Zviedrs Wrote:  Calfee bikes in California have bamboo bike DIY kits. Very interesting.

Thanks for the link share!
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#16
(01-13-2020, 09:19 AM)CharleyFarley Wrote:  On another note about the Schwinn, I had a bike computer mounted which I removed to use on the cruiser. During the night I woke up and realized I hadn't removed the wheel magnet nor the sensor unit from the fork. This morning I checked to see if the parts were available. They are but would cost just a few dollars less than a whole new computer. I was mad at myself for being so forgetful. I sold the bike for $100 and was faced with $67 for a new computer, so in a way, I just about gave the bike away. I ordered a new one on Amazon, and then realized the guy who bought the bike, had sent me a private message on Facebook, inquiring about the bike. I still had his message, so I contacted him and in minutes he responded and said he'll bring the parts over. Life is good to dummies like me!

oh, Charley. this one is funny because the same exact thing happened to me, light years ago. luckily the buyer (or happy free wheel receiver) was a friend of mine and I got the wheel magnet back within two week. would have been much faster, but I did not go biking for few days and he even did not notice that there is something small and black on his wheel spoke.

good job on saving Walmart's mountain bike. someone will make a use of it! and twist shifters for kids is a no-no for me, too much space for problems. there are many posts about this subject such as this one https://forums.bikeride.com/thread-801.html
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#17
(01-24-2020, 07:33 PM)Papa Dom Wrote:  [quote='CharleyFarley' pid='37216' dateline='1578921561']
...During the night I woke up and realized I hadn't removed the wheel magnet nor the sensor unit from the fork. ... so I contacted him and in minutes he responded and said he'll bring the parts over. Life is good to dummies like me!

Quote:oh, Charley. this one is funny because the same exact thing happened to me, light years ago. luckily the buyer (or happy free wheel receiver) was a friend of mine and I got the wheel magnet back within two week. would have been much faster, but I did not go biking for few days and he even did not notice that there is something small and black on his wheel spoke.

It's easily done, Papa Dom, as we both now know. A new magnet was around $6 but the sender unit on the fork was around $41. I'm happy as a pig in spite of the weather!

Quote:good job on saving Walmart's mountain bike. someone will make a use of it! and twist shifters for kids is a no-no for me, too much space for problems. there are many posts about this subject such as this one https://forums.bikeride.com/thread-801.html

Yes, I had seen the other post. That's what make me wonder if the Walmart bike had the badly designed one. Apparently, it did. It works as it ought to work, now, but I agree with you, it's not good on a kid's bike.

I took delivery of a new Electra cruiser, last Saturday, from my LBS. It's a great cruiser but the bars were 28" wide, way too wide for me. And the 7-speed shifter was the twist job. I knew that would have to go. So I bought narrower bars - 24" - and a lever shifter. I just now came in from putting them on. I don't know why bike makers put twist shifters on because they cost about the same as the lever type, in Shimano, that is.

It's all fun and games until you get on to try it out and find the shifter doesn't work. I knew, beforehand, that a cruiser gear cable is longer than a standard one. It meant taking the cable out of the twist shifter and putting it in the lever shifter. I've done them, before, but somehow, I missed a tiny hole inside the new shifter. The cable went in but it didn't hook onto the right part inside. So back into the porch to do the job right, and hoping the mosquitoes didn't find me. It's a mild, humid night, 70º just right for skeeters wanting blood. Anyway, it's all good, now. Tomorrow I'll give the bike a coat of wax polish. Probably polish the fatty, too.

And I shortened the front brake cable while I had it torn down. The guy from the bike shop, when he delivered it, pointed out that the brake cable was sticking way out into space. I would have thought the maker might have had ready made shorter outer cables, but perhaps not, so they just stuck on what they had.

All I need, now, is a means of attaching the tire pump to the frame. I ordered a pair of mounting blocks that fasten to the frame with Velcro. I called the dealer to see if it would affect the integrity of the frame by drilling and inserting the threaded doo-dads for mounting a water bottle or pump. He said it shouldn't be done. I don't ride very far with the cruiser but I still don't want to have to walk the bike home with a flat tire even for one mile.
If I knew how to ride a bike properly, I'd do it every time.
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