What on earth are you on about? he is dodgy about answering straight question like the how does it compare to steel in strength. Instead of telling the truth which is that it's far weaker he basically talked jibber jabber about wall thickness and eventually said that it is a suitable material for building bikes ultimately dodging the actual question entirely.
@@cleveland2286 Which would have been fine if the question would have been "is it strong enough" But as it was how does it compare to steel, then it's not answering the question.
As a bass guitarist, I've spent a fair chunk of cash on wood over the years and I can say from my experience in that field, that £3000ish for this frame, with that level of design detail and craftsmanship is an absolute bargain.
Is there anything more British than an engineer building a wooden bike in his shed? Excellent stuff. And I think £3k for a frame is great value for such craftsmanship.
@@doxielain2231 - Every man - except a tiny fraction who’s minds you’ll never change - know gender in this instance is irrelevant. Shouting it from the rooftops is unnecessary, boring, and makes you appear insecure.
I have had a wooden bike for the last 5 years. It's the nicest bike i have ever owned. I love cycling and wanted to get a bike i loved riding too and the Woodello (brand i have) was perfect for that. I am never going to win a tour, i hold my own with my mates and even drop them on sprints and down hill, on their carbon bikes. The bike even got me round the etape in 2017, what could of been lonely day, my bike was a great ice breaker. Its also beautiful to look at and after 5 years i am still not board with it.
It looks tree'mendous, i 'wood' love to have one. I hope his business 'branches' out. Serously though, it's looks amazing. Definitely a desirable bike and a bike for the times.
A truly outstanding video. A mature, even sophisticated examination not just of a bike material, but of what bikes and biking even are. For some, simple metrics about weight or drag or cost are the primary considerations. But for those who ride for fun and adventure and even emotional considerations, something like this is exciting. As Si noted, there is a lot more than novelty to this. Hearing the thoughts of such a knowledgeable builder, placing it in an environmental and even ethical context, noting the looks of it, and of course hearing about the ride properties all add up to a compelling subject. Would I own one? Absolutely.
We need more people like this. Absolutely beautiful craftsmanship and showing the world what's possible. I've seen wooden bikes before but this is the first one I've wanted to own and ride.
That's the thing, most other wooden bikes are made to be a gimmick, a show piece more than a bike. This man just built a really good bike that happens to be made out of wood.
About 10 years ago I was at a bicycle Co-op in DC, the frist time I seen a wooden bike...(It was just the bicycle frame)... Custom build from Africa. I would love to ride one. Great interview.
@@pineapplej7310 Not really, technically a hydrocarbon can only be made from carbon and hydrogen, like octane, methane, and benzene. Wood is mostly made of cellulose, which is a polysaccharide polymer. It doesn't work as well for the joke though
@@pineapplej7310 I wasn’t even trying to one-up you; remembering some stuff from high school Chem isn’t exactly an achievement worthy of boasting about but I thought some people might go “Huh, that’s interesting” even if it’s not exactly a earth-shattering fact. This comment thread doesn’t belong to you and not every correction is a personal attack
The opening, the two first 2 sentences... you see Si is back to making quality classic timeless GCN videos that truly inspire the matured audiences. Thanks
What a stunning Bike. I'm a Luthier and enthusiastic Road biker. Wood is such an amazing Material and its pleasure work with. This is great Craftsmanship Work. great respect for having this Vision and Building this beautiful Bike. Chapeau ......
Amazing, gorgeous workmanship! Thanks Si and GCN for spotlighting this bike. I've built and read about bamboo bikes and as I understand it, it is the glue-like material that binds the wood fibers together, called lignin, which has the vibration damping properties.
Wood is basically nature's composite. It definitely has a chance for a comeback, especially since its ecological footprint is not as abysmal as carbon. I mean they built jets in the '40s out of it!
If you are referring to the HE-162 then an emergency aircraft which experienced significant structural issues causing multiple crashes and delays to development probably isn't the best example to use.
@@Rover200Power Hm, didn't even think of the Spatz/Salamander... If I remember correctly, the Germans were having a lot of problems with the corrosive nature of their bonding agents and improperly cured wood. I was thinking about the DeHavilland Venom and Vampire, where the fuselage was built out of wood. And with 4400 Vampires and 1400 Venoms built, quite proven. They were the final step in a history of wooden aircraft at DeHavilland, that contains a lot of famous and record breaking aircraft. And people are even today building kit-aircraft with wooden spars.
@@spoeny good call, I was thinking of WW2 jet aircraft and completely forgot about anything else. My step-grandfather was a test pilot on the Vampire, he wouldn't be impressed!
Wood has complex micro cellular structure. It would be very expensive to create such material, but the nature does it for us with it's DNA engineering.
This is awesome. And well done to Si for asking all the right questions on material/construction. Anything to make bikes more sustainable is worth investigating and investing in... from an ecological standpoint.
Thankyou GCN! Currently building a wood recumbent in Australia using Tasmanian Oak laminated sections with a balsa core. It's amazing how light and beautiful wooden bikes can be. Hope to see more of them
Eventually I plan on making some composites out of a combo of bamboo, S-glass fiberglass, bio based epoxy, and carboninzed cellulose nanocrystals (made at home). Not sure I'm going to do a bicycle though. First build is going to be an E-scooter powered by home made batteries and/or homemade super caps with solar panel on a super light weight trailer.
As someone who cares about the planet we all live on I would welcome the opportunity to not only ride one, but be an advocate to see more sustainable materials in the sports, and activities we love. Love this bike, I'll be watching this company.
No barking up the wrong tree on that bike, it looks absolutely perfect for gravel riding and competing. And no goofing here but couldn't the frame be sold unfinished so the owner could stain and poly it? I don't know but the whole everything with this is fantastic--the design and craftsmanship and price and damping/characteristics and look and O wow factor. Perfect bike for a ride through the woods and for the Stateside market, he should call one the Slugger for gravel tough guys and gals.
One of the reasons engineers have steered clear of wood in structural application is that it is a variable material. However, lamination is a tried and tested strategy for averaging out that variability, as was proved by the wooden Mosquito aircraft during WW2; Stunning performance and made by cabinet makers. So yes, no basis for any unthinking stigma ( 'a wooden performance' etc) against nature's solution to demanding and dynamic structural applications, or 'trees' as we usually call them.
The thing is a B-E-A-U-T-Y. My father was a carpenter whole life, I can appreciate a good woodwork. Definetely would gift this bike to my dad, he’d definetely appreciate it. Unfortunately cancer got in front of me a few years ago. 😢 But I think I will get one, one day as a tribute.
As a gravel rider, this interests me in so many ways. Its green aspects, engineering and ride feel all seem to be the perfect package in this machine. Not to mention, the thing is stunning to admire.
This most interesting thing, other then a completely wooden frame, is how the designer didn’t denounce other manufacturers for using carbon in their wooden frames. On a side note aircraft have been and some are still made from wood, most famously the De Havilland Mosquito.
It's interesting though, my brain has no problem working out why the high-volume ribbed box structure of an aircraft wing or fuselage is immensely strong, but still has trouble looking at the seatstays on this bike. And that's after having owned a Bamboo one for 4 years!
I agree. I loved that when he was talking about builders who do a combo carbon and wood he said “well, every way of building a bike is legitimate.” It really shows he has a passion, a vision, but not an axe to grind. Very cool.
nice video.. just have a fairy tail feeling about it. Nice weather, the location, the temperature, lighting, amazing background musics, there are just something unique about this review. Very nice.
I’ve actually wanted to build a wood bike for a long time. After watching the video, I see why I haven’t! To do it right like this, you obviously need the proper tooling and engineering knowledge. I felt you did an honest run down and comparison in regard to materials, etc. Beautiful work....would love to own and ride one!!
Bamboo is like wood, and much easier to make frames from. I think the strength to weight ratio might beat ash out by at least a bit, as well. Also, if you combine bamboo with S-glass fiberglass (stronger tensile and Young modulus strengths than regular E glass fiberglass; about 25% more for both I think!), high quality epoxy, and carbonized cellulose nanocrystals (fairly easy to make at home), you can up the strengths and lower the weight as compared to an all bamboo bike. You can start to approach carbon fiber in strength to weight ratio but at a much lower cost. And if you harvest your own bamboo, definitely way cheaper. You would only need to add like 2 wraps of 4 oz/yd2 S-glass fiberglass cloth, and 2% by weight to the epoxy of the carbonized CNC's to really reinforce the bamboo core.
beautiful . Classic design , craftsmanship ,would ride anytime if I had a chance, would be the envy of the other riders , it is a bike just made with natural wood .Hats off to the Gentleman who made the bike . Kudo,s
so he makes 90k a year. Means he probably works alone or maybe has 1 Employee. So its a small start up. Wait a few years and the prices will drop with the economie of scale.
I don’t think I have ever seen you look so happy! Very impressed. Beautifully designed and put together, isn’t it? Really special. And for a top quality, low volume bike (even if not top performance), 3k is reasonable, given the quality of all the fittings (assuming they are part of the price). Amazing thing. Fantastic thing!
Thanks for your comments, although I would argue that our bikes are 'top performance' in the gravel/allroad category that they sit in. Price for the frame is £2350 (less costly than most handbuilt frames) and sadly, the components alone cost me more than 3k!
So glad someone else started making wood bikes. The Renovo bike co. went out of business a few years back and they made beautiful wood bikes, both road and mtn. Wood is back!
That's absolutely amazing. When you do a very long ride, you have a lot of empathy with your bike. You feel it, you read it. I think it would make a nice difference on a trek out. It was once a tree. It was once alive. I bet it's a fantastic ride experience in a natural environment setting. I love it!
Definitely not a novelty item. My late uncle raced semi-pro many years ago, and I recall him telling me of a bike he raced with that had wooden rims. I wonder how successful it would be if went into larger production? I'd buy one in a heart beat. You are absolutely right, owning a bike, for the majority of us, is not all about performance, it's about emotion. I would much rather have a copy of this bike than that of Tour de France winner Chris Froome's bike, for example. Interesting video. Much mahalo!!
gorgeous is still not a strong enough word, i love the ethos and "sustainability" of the frame, would i buy one...no, because i dont have 3 grand, but if i did have that kind of cash to burn (no pun intended), i would not begrudge a single penny. this is why engineers are awesome (yes im a design engineer too)
The difference between wood and other materials is that it is still a luxury. It offers great performance and a stunning look, but even carbon has come down to the masses. You know, a hundred years ago wood was a popular material for bicycles. It is making a comeback, especially with the new glue techniques. Glulam is the future. When someone figures out a way to produce a wooden frame for under $500, it's going to gain a lot of cyclists. I think it may actually be easier to automate than welding together metal tubes or wrapping carbon... so interesting time to be a cyclist! I'm already a fan, just can't afford a $3k frame!
Got to love this one. I am happy to own a carbon MTB, a Titanium commuter, but this wooden beauty would fit in just perfectly. I love wood projects, and this is done so clever.
Awesome bike! Not the first wooden bike, but definitely the most beautiful. Would really like this to go into slightly higher production capacity so it would compete more with carbon in terms of pricing! Great video GCN!
I would ride the hell out of this. Funny that you put this video out now. I did a search on wooden bikes just yesterday. Do you read my mind? Finally a quality video!
Excellent work! Huge perseverance on the builders part. I designed a wooden track bike but it only exists in Solidworks. GR1.0 has got me motivated again. I am going to finish my wooden laminate track bike.
If I had the money to buy this, I would in a heartbeat! Not only is the wood an environmentally conscious choice, but it looks awesome and I can always get behind a more comfortable ride.
Outstanding piece of cinematography this. I would've loved to see even more routing and joining of the wood. Those joints are impressive. Likewise would i enjoy seeing them stick this in a carbon frame bending machine to test its rigidity. I'm also thinking that this will require some more maintenance in the form of checking for chips in the lacquer, since bare wood wouldn't fare well if it became too wet.
I would suggest that the manufacturer call this bike the "Mosquito" the name of the wooden RAF fighter that was one of the fastest and most successful planes during WW2. It too was built by British woodworkers and cabinet makers and out of the need to avoid the use of war scarce aluminum.
I would certainly ride a wooden bike like that one - obviously well engineered and thought out - the designer obviously knows what he's on about and all power to his elbow. An excellent video; very enjoyable and informative.
HOT! Absolutely would be proud to own one. “Wood” love to see him present a painted one on a blind test to a test rider who doesn’t know the material...could be intriguing.
Piece of art! If I get one that would go on the wall - just feels wrong riding it, yet how cool this would be smash through the local woods!!! (and catch those looks)
Looks great, definately seems like a lot of effort went into the engineering. If I did want a bespoked bike, I wood get this frame. Im into steel & aluminum, but this DEFINATELY would be my choice over carbon, any day. Seems like there is a good value in this product.
This is probably the first serious effort I've seen in making a wooden bicycle. I hope the production ramps up as it will definitely bring down the price - wood is cheap and renewable. There is no reason why it shouldn't! I hope more people show a serious interest in buying one so that it comes down sooner than later. I hope the next version comes out with wooden rims - in fact, I can't understand why this one hasn't as they can be ordered. While at it, a wooden seat might be nice too - after all wooden seats are still one of the most common wooden products!
Awesome review of this unique piece of art and dedication. I completely agree that the bike is not just a bike, it is part of us and there value to our personalities and hearts. It does not matter if it is 500 grams heavier than other frames, if you like and love it, nothing can change this fact.
First off this is an expensive frame,but there is a lot of work and engineering in it's creation and the finished product is beautiful.The same weight as my 24 yr old Bianchi steel frame (Columbus Genius). The ash frame is a gravel bike so is a bit more sturdy than a road bike needs to be. Morgan made car frames out of ash for a long time. Also my Water Rower is north american ash which looks nice also.It would be an interesting ride,going through the forest with this blonde !
I ride a bamboo, Calfee road bike. The ride qualities / damping characteristics are likely similar. However, in the case of bamboo straight sections are joined with (massive) hemp and epoxy lugs. The ride is sublime although the weight is closer to six pounds. No matter, it's worth it. Thanks for sharing an excellent wooden bike - hoping that the business works out.
This looks great! Also really appreciate that there was actually some engineering-talk in this video! Sadly those bikes are a bit out of budgget at the moment...
Wow, simply an amazing frame that makes me envious of anyone lucky enough to own one. I am no engineering expert and wonder why the forks are not also wooden? Anyone with knowhow advise if this could, or could not, happen? Once again, gorgeous bike. Thank you gcn for the great insight into the background/ethos behind the end product as well as the superbly produced and thoroughly enjoyable video.
Forks are a lot more stressed in various directions, while frame tubes are mainly stressed in compression or tension. Wooden fork engineered to withstand such stress would be huge and heavy due to unidirectional strength of wood (think very directional carbon).
The bikes is lovely and I am now dreaming of one as part of my riding pantry...omigoodness...how beautiful. Thank you guys for telling this story...keep showing them!!!
As a woodworker I now want to make a wood bike. Ash is the perfect choice for something like this. It’s strong and can flex a great deal without breaking. The Maker put a ton of time into designing the joints and his skill is obvious. Also technically this is a carbon fiber bike.
1800g for a disc brake gravel bike frame is in my opinion very light and I think it's much more stable than the steel tubes of my steel frame with a wall thickness of 0.4mm :D
WOOD you ride this bike? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Absolutely
I wood have to leaf that one alone. But I'd root for whoever rode it!
Yes I wood and what a great review again
yes cause i have no road bike and broke af
Sure
I love that the owner is an engineer not a salesman, this comes though in his honesty in his interview!
Don't be so stupid of course he's a salesman
What on earth are you on about? he is dodgy about answering straight question like the how does it compare to steel in strength. Instead of telling the truth which is that it's far weaker he basically talked jibber jabber about wall thickness and eventually said that it is a suitable material for building bikes ultimately dodging the actual question entirely.
@@Sirpesari amateurs don't realise the difference between salesmen and GOOD salesmen
@@Sirpesari the answer is "strong enough"
@@cleveland2286 Which would have been fine if the question would have been "is it strong enough" But as it was how does it compare to steel, then it's not answering the question.
The bike is a total looker. Absolutely stunning! Beautiful craftsmanship.
awesome
As a bass guitarist, I've spent a fair chunk of cash on wood over the years and I can say from my experience in that field, that £3000ish for this frame, with that level of design detail and craftsmanship is an absolute bargain.
I wouldn't call it a bargain, but I don't think it's overpriced. Boutique bass guitars isn't really an accurate benchmark.
@@TheEchelon it is at the very least a reasonable benchmark for the price of fine woodworking.
right there with you, sucks when both your hobbies are expensive. Helps that basses don't get broken like bike parts do, at least mtb parts.
Agree. My custom bass in the picture did cost 2.400 € and it doesn't even have a single wheel and wants to be carried around instead of carrying me 🤭.
i was expecting 5 or 6...was sure of this. 3 seems like a steal. no pun.
That bike is absolutely gorgeous. The joins are beautiful, in comparison to the normal welds. I would love to get one,
"cant wait to find out what it's like to ride!"
20 minutes later: "Feels like a bike"
ah yes, the bike is made out of bike
@@daz3434b loll
Sad
Is there anything more British than an engineer building a wooden bike in his shed? Excellent stuff. And I think £3k for a frame is great value for such craftsmanship.
😂 when you put it that way...
Craftmanship probably 90% done by the CNC 🌚
@@Schumeyyy As an engineer who has built and operates a CNC, I can assure you, the craftsmanship still belongs to the man.
@@swolebro As a woman who runs a cnc, I can attest that having a penis has nothing to do with it.
@@doxielain2231 - Every man - except a tiny fraction who’s minds you’ll never change - know gender in this instance is irrelevant. Shouting it from the rooftops is unnecessary, boring, and makes you appear insecure.
Technically, this is a carbon bike
Carbon, hydrogen, oxigen...
Best comment! A million thumb’s up to you.
This gave me a good chuckle
As a scientist cyclist, I appreciate this hot take
now it's 96 instead
I thought of the same thing (engineer)
Bikes should be functional and beautiful, that looks like it's both.
That IS the secret to a great bike, imo.
I prefer functional and ugly, so my bike doesn't get stolen
@@imnothere202 lol
I actually don't think it looks beautiful. Better than many junks but can't beat any vintage bike.
I have had a wooden bike for the last 5 years. It's the nicest bike i have ever owned. I love cycling and wanted to get a bike i loved riding too and the Woodello (brand i have) was perfect for that. I am never going to win a tour, i hold my own with my mates and even drop them on sprints and down hill, on their carbon bikes. The bike even got me round the etape in 2017, what could of been lonely day, my bike was a great ice breaker. Its also beautiful to look at and after 5 years i am still not board with it.
A thing of absolute beauty. Love the fact that Si just basically wants to know "Can you make it Aero?"
I am a guita builder and the process of made it aero its possible. even you could build the handlebar and the bicycle fork aero to...
It looks tree'mendous, i 'wood' love to have one.
I hope his business 'branches' out.
Serously though, it's looks amazing.
Definitely a desirable bike and a bike for the times.
Tree'mendous, that's a good one, lol.
The factory has branch offices all over
I mean... the bike looks Oak-kay to me. I wouldn’t birch-chase it personally.
Shut up
@@jsal7666 I'm rooting for you
A truly outstanding video. A mature, even sophisticated examination not just of a bike material, but of what bikes and biking even are. For some, simple metrics about weight or drag or cost are the primary considerations. But for those who ride for fun and adventure and even emotional considerations, something like this is exciting. As Si noted, there is a lot more than novelty to this. Hearing the thoughts of such a knowledgeable builder, placing it in an environmental and even ethical context, noting the looks of it, and of course hearing about the ride properties all add up to a compelling subject. Would I own one? Absolutely.
We need more people like this. Absolutely beautiful craftsmanship and showing the world what's possible. I've seen wooden bikes before but this is the first one I've wanted to own and ride.
That's the thing, most other wooden bikes are made to be a gimmick, a show piece more than a bike. This man just built a really good bike that happens to be made out of wood.
About 10 years ago I was at a bicycle Co-op in DC, the frist time I seen a wooden bike...(It was just the bicycle frame)... Custom build from Africa. I would love to ride one. Great interview.
Screw carbon fiber, it's time for hydrocarbon fiber.
Fiberglass? 😂
@@pineapplej7310 Not really, technically a hydrocarbon can only be made from carbon and hydrogen, like octane, methane, and benzene. Wood is mostly made of cellulose, which is a polysaccharide polymer. It doesn't work as well for the joke though
@@pineapplej7310 Nice, glad to know I'm talking with a real intellectual here
@@pineapplej7310 I wasn’t even trying to one-up you; remembering some stuff from high school Chem isn’t exactly an achievement worthy of boasting about but I thought some people might go “Huh, that’s interesting” even if it’s not exactly a earth-shattering fact. This comment thread doesn’t belong to you and not every correction is a personal attack
@@pineapplej7310 stop crying because you didn't know what you were talking about
The opening, the two first 2 sentences... you see Si is back to making quality classic timeless GCN videos that truly inspire the matured audiences. Thanks
That's a lovely bike. And I truly appreciate the engineer-designer going deep into the details and a coherent way. His passion and knowledge is clear.
What a stunning Bike. I'm a Luthier and enthusiastic Road biker. Wood is such an amazing Material and its pleasure work with.
This is great Craftsmanship Work. great respect for having this Vision and Building this beautiful Bike.
Chapeau ......
Amazing, gorgeous workmanship! Thanks Si and GCN for spotlighting this bike. I've built and read about bamboo bikes and as I understand it, it is the glue-like material that binds the wood fibers together, called lignin, which has the vibration damping properties.
Wood is basically nature's composite. It definitely has a chance for a comeback, especially since its ecological footprint is not as abysmal as carbon. I mean they built jets in the '40s out of it!
If you are referring to the HE-162 then an emergency aircraft which experienced significant structural issues causing multiple crashes and delays to development probably isn't the best example to use.
@@Rover200Power he didn’t say he162?
@@Rover200Power Hm, didn't even think of the Spatz/Salamander... If I remember correctly, the Germans were having a lot of problems with the corrosive nature of their bonding agents and improperly cured wood.
I was thinking about the DeHavilland Venom and Vampire, where the fuselage was built out of wood. And with 4400 Vampires and 1400 Venoms built, quite proven. They were the final step in a history of wooden aircraft at DeHavilland, that contains a lot of famous and record breaking aircraft. And people are even today building kit-aircraft with wooden spars.
Unfortunately carbon is the choice material of making the quickest and biggest profit.There are some rare exceptions.
@@spoeny good call, I was thinking of WW2 jet aircraft and completely forgot about anything else. My step-grandfather was a test pilot on the Vampire, he wouldn't be impressed!
Sometimes its not about the weight of the bike but how the bike makes you feel when riding it. 👍
Absolutely!
Nailed it!
oh i disagree
@@sawyerramos3113 bike snoooob
@@karlovuja lol well, the weight of the bike impacts the way it makes you feel. simple physics.
Wow, such a statement to ride a wooden gravel bike - using nature as a tool to explore off the man-made path. Outstanding!
Wood has complex micro cellular structure. It would be very expensive to create such material, but the nature does it for us with it's DNA engineering.
This is awesome. And well done to Si for asking all the right questions on material/construction. Anything to make bikes more sustainable is worth investigating and investing in... from an ecological standpoint.
Honestly the nicest thing about the bike is the look
Well all you can do on youtube is look at it
Paint a carbon frame to look like wood! Best of both 👍🏻
And the vibration dampening.
This looks like a perfect mix of top engineering and art!
i actually want one.. that would be quite the talking point and a bit of a flex rolling up to the lads on one of these badboys
It's gorgeous !! i'd love to own one, that jigsaw joinery on the tubes WOW!!
Damn didn't know I needed a wooden bike until just now 😍
Thankyou GCN! Currently building a wood recumbent in Australia using Tasmanian Oak laminated sections with a balsa core. It's amazing how light and beautiful wooden bikes can be. Hope to see more of them
Nice. Will you do a video on it when you are done?
Eventually I plan on making some composites out of a combo of bamboo, S-glass fiberglass, bio based epoxy, and carboninzed cellulose nanocrystals (made at home). Not sure I'm going to do a bicycle though. First build is going to be an E-scooter powered by home made batteries and/or homemade super caps with solar panel on a super light weight trailer.
All the way through that video I was thinking, I wonder if he would make recumbents as well
Man those Chris King bourbon parts look so trick on that frame. That is one beautiful machine. 100% Hot (but don’t get it too hot hey..?)
As someone who cares about the planet we all live on I would welcome the opportunity to not only ride one, but be an advocate to see more sustainable materials in the sports, and activities we love. Love this bike, I'll be watching this company.
Unfortunately the most sustainable, least toxic bike is welded steel. It degrades into rust which is harmless
No barking up the wrong tree on that bike, it looks absolutely perfect for gravel riding and competing. And no goofing here but couldn't the frame be sold unfinished so the owner could stain and poly it? I don't know but the whole everything with this is fantastic--the design and craftsmanship and price and damping/characteristics and look and O wow factor. Perfect bike for a ride through the woods and for the Stateside market, he should call one the Slugger for gravel tough guys and gals.
One of the reasons engineers have steered clear of wood in structural application is that it is a variable material. However, lamination is a tried and tested strategy for averaging out that variability, as was proved by the wooden Mosquito aircraft during WW2; Stunning performance and made by cabinet makers. So yes, no basis for any unthinking stigma ( 'a wooden performance' etc) against nature's solution to demanding and dynamic structural applications, or 'trees' as we usually call them.
The thing is a B-E-A-U-T-Y. My father was a carpenter whole life, I can appreciate a good woodwork. Definetely would gift this bike to my dad, he’d definetely appreciate it. Unfortunately cancer got in front of me a few years ago. 😢 But I think I will get one, one day as a tribute.
you had us in the first half ... you still have our hearts in the second :) RIP
Ayo dude condonlences to u
As a gravel rider, this interests me in so many ways. Its green aspects, engineering and ride feel all seem to be the perfect package in this machine. Not to mention, the thing is stunning to admire.
Si did a fantastic job presenting too. Geeking out. Love it
This most interesting thing, other then a completely wooden frame, is how the designer didn’t denounce other manufacturers for using carbon in their wooden frames. On a side note aircraft have been and some are still made from wood, most famously the De Havilland Mosquito.
It's interesting though, my brain has no problem working out why the high-volume ribbed box structure of an aircraft wing or fuselage is immensely strong, but still has trouble looking at the seatstays on this bike. And that's after having owned a Bamboo one for 4 years!
He's using a carbon fork for the wood bike. Right?
I agree. I loved that when he was talking about builders who do a combo carbon and wood he said “well, every way of building a bike is legitimate.” It really shows he has a passion, a vision, but not an axe to grind. Very cool.
nice video.. just have a fairy tail feeling about it. Nice weather, the location, the temperature, lighting, amazing background musics, there are just something unique about this review. Very nice.
I would LOVE to own a bike that. Such a good looking bike and having the ride quality of a steel bike while being light.
Appears to me that advancements in manufacturing technology, plus this guy's passion, are the real keys to this.
Thanks Chris. You're right that digital design and manufacturing are the key
Very interesting and beautiful bike. My only concern would be how the wood reacts to changes in temperature and humidity.
I thought the same things. How would it fare across weather and seasons?
If treated with epoxy it'll hold up perfectly. We build boats from cedar strips and epoxy. Parts of the hulls are permanently submerged, no problem.
it'll last forever
We have been working with wood for centuries. Humidity and wood is a solved problem.
@@videotosse you know wooden boats are hideously expensive to maintain then.
Wow! Beautiful. I nearly fell off my chair when he said they were tubes! I thought it would be mostly solid! WANT!
I would absolutely love to have a wooden bike like this one. GCN should put this bike on different challenges: climbing, descent, sprinting, etc
Absolutely, bring it on
What a beautiful piece of engineering 👏 😍 Well done that man !!
I’ve actually wanted to build a wood bike for a long time. After watching the video, I see why I haven’t! To do it right like this, you obviously need the proper tooling and engineering knowledge. I felt you did an honest run down and comparison in regard to materials, etc. Beautiful work....would love to own and ride one!!
Bamboo is like wood, and much easier to make frames from. I think the strength to weight ratio might beat ash out by at least a bit, as well.
Also, if you combine bamboo with S-glass fiberglass (stronger tensile and Young modulus strengths than regular E glass fiberglass; about 25% more for both I think!), high quality epoxy, and carbonized cellulose nanocrystals (fairly easy to make at home), you can up the strengths and lower the weight as compared to an all bamboo bike. You can start to approach carbon fiber in strength to weight ratio but at a much lower cost. And if you harvest your own bamboo, definitely way cheaper. You would only need to add like 2 wraps of 4 oz/yd2 S-glass fiberglass cloth, and 2% by weight to the epoxy of the carbonized CNC's to really reinforce the bamboo core.
Simply gorgeous, and friendly to the planet, too?! Would love to own one, park it on the wall for those special occasions.
Friendly, how? That tree could absorb carbon dioxide and now cyclist will breathe more deeply and often, polluting air)
This is my new favourite bike. It's an absolute work of art, the best looking bike I've seen
beautiful . Classic design , craftsmanship ,would ride anytime if I had a chance, would be the envy of the other riders , it is a bike just made with natural wood .Hats off to the Gentleman who made the bike . Kudo,s
I’d like to have one of these in my lifetime, for sure. Beautiful celebration of wood as a material combined with the joy of cycling-count me in
3k for the frame? That's actually not as bad as I thought, especially as they only produce 30 a year
I bet you buy one if you've a 3k for a bike, you'd probably go for titanium.
I bet after this video they bump it up the production to 100 or even more due to publicity. And may cost more due to low supply
so he makes 90k a year.
Means he probably works alone or maybe has 1 Employee.
So its a small start up.
Wait a few years and the prices will drop with the economie of scale.
Half what I paid for my Renovo Aerowood!
@@GabrieLight Great titanium bikes are more than 3k for the frame. Moots make premium titanium bikes and they're double that price
Si has now officially crossed over to a full fledge “tree hugger”. Gorgeous bike!
I disagree, because a tree was harmed in the making of this bike.
I don’t think I have ever seen you look so happy! Very impressed. Beautifully designed and put together, isn’t it? Really special. And for a top quality, low volume bike (even if not top performance), 3k is reasonable, given the quality of all the fittings (assuming they are part of the price). Amazing thing. Fantastic thing!
Thanks for your comments, although I would argue that our bikes are 'top performance' in the gravel/allroad category that they sit in.
Price for the frame is £2350 (less costly than most handbuilt frames) and sadly, the components alone cost me more than 3k!
So glad someone else started making wood bikes. The Renovo bike co.
went out of business a few years back and they made beautiful wood bikes, both road and mtn. Wood is back!
That's absolutely amazing. When you do a very long ride, you have a lot of empathy with your bike. You feel it, you read it. I think it would make a nice difference on a trek out. It was once a tree. It was once alive. I bet it's a fantastic ride experience in a natural environment setting. I love it!
Stoked for you Si, and super jealous. Wood, and bamboo are the two bikes I really really want to take for a ride.
The man he is talking about is Rob Penn :) Its all about the bike is written by Rob Penn. A great guy
Stunning bike and a great article could not stop watching,well done
Definitely not a novelty item. My late uncle raced semi-pro many years ago, and I recall him telling me of a bike he raced with that had wooden rims. I wonder how successful it would be if went into larger production? I'd buy one in a heart beat. You are absolutely right, owning a bike, for the majority of us, is not all about performance, it's about emotion. I would much rather have a copy of this bike than that of Tour de France winner Chris Froome's bike, for example. Interesting video. Much mahalo!!
gorgeous is still not a strong enough word, i love the ethos and "sustainability" of the frame, would i buy one...no, because i dont have 3 grand, but if i did have that kind of cash to burn (no pun intended), i would not begrudge a single penny. this is why engineers are awesome (yes im a design engineer too)
The contrast of brown wood color against the black fork, wheels and seat post is aesthetically amazing
This looks like just the bike james may would want...
We gotta share this video to him
Actually Hammond is the guy who has a morgan, which is the car famous for still having a wooden frame
@@Finnspin_unicycles Hammond and Morgan are local to Twmpa Cycles and this bike featured in Top Gear's Morgan Plus 4 review on their Top Gear website
He has an Orbea Orca and a Giant TCR. Yes, it's a bit weird that I know this.
@@murphytoonz I know that too lol
The difference between wood and other materials is that it is still a luxury. It offers great performance and a stunning look, but even carbon has come down to the masses. You know, a hundred years ago wood was a popular material for bicycles. It is making a comeback, especially with the new glue techniques. Glulam is the future.
When someone figures out a way to produce a wooden frame for under $500, it's going to gain a lot of cyclists. I think it may actually be easier to automate than welding together metal tubes or wrapping carbon... so interesting time to be a cyclist! I'm already a fan, just can't afford a $3k frame!
Got to love this one. I am happy to own a carbon MTB, a Titanium commuter, but this wooden beauty would fit in just perfectly. I love wood projects, and this is done so clever.
Absolutely f... great. An absolute masterpiece. Would love to ride one, to own one. Na, two. One for the road, one for my living room wall.
This is beautiful, the passion and craftsmanship are both the past and future of cycling.
would totally go for an aero one, internal cables, rim brake. I hope these bike will conquer the market soon! Totally worth the price!
I love the idea of this product. I love the ethos of it as well. Well done.
Stunning... made by a true artists with passion for both the material and the machine... I want one !
Awesome bike! Not the first wooden bike, but definitely the most beautiful. Would really like this to go into slightly higher production capacity so it would compete more with carbon in terms of pricing! Great video GCN!
The bike you end up loving and being the one possession you save in the event of a fire.
I would ride the hell out of this. Funny that you put this video out now. I did a search on wooden bikes just yesterday. Do you read my mind? Finally a quality video!
Just happened to me with the bike painting vid lol
I work for the fbi and I decided to make him do a video on it
Excellent work! Huge perseverance on the builders part. I designed a wooden track bike but it only exists in Solidworks. GR1.0 has got me motivated again. I am going to finish my wooden laminate track bike.
Good luck!
If I had the money to buy this, I would in a heartbeat! Not only is the wood an environmentally conscious choice, but it looks awesome and I can always get behind a more comfortable ride.
Genius engineering, truly a masterpiece
Outstanding piece of cinematography this. I would've loved to see even more routing and joining of the wood. Those joints are impressive. Likewise would i enjoy seeing them stick this in a carbon frame bending machine to test its rigidity. I'm also thinking that this will require some more maintenance in the form of checking for chips in the lacquer, since bare wood wouldn't fare well if it became too wet.
I would suggest that the manufacturer call this bike the "Mosquito" the name of the wooden RAF fighter that was one of the fastest and most successful planes during WW2. It too was built by British woodworkers and cabinet makers and out of the need to avoid the use of war scarce aluminum.
I would certainly ride a wooden bike like that one - obviously well engineered and thought out - the designer obviously knows what he's on about and all power to his elbow. An excellent video; very enjoyable and informative.
It's a work of art. Beautiful build, especially the joinery. And quite functional and up to par with a high end steel bike. I'd ride it for sure.
HOT! Absolutely would be proud to own one. “Wood” love to see him present a painted one on a blind test to a test rider who doesn’t know the material...could be intriguing.
Piece of art! If I get one that would go on the wall - just feels wrong riding it, yet how cool this would be smash through the local woods!!! (and catch those looks)
Looks great, definately seems like a lot of effort went into the engineering. If I did want a bespoked bike, I wood get this frame. Im into steel & aluminum, but this DEFINATELY would be my choice over carbon, any day. Seems like there is a good value in this product.
This is probably the first serious effort I've seen in making a wooden bicycle.
I hope the production ramps up as it will definitely bring down the price - wood is cheap and renewable. There is no reason why it shouldn't! I hope more people show a serious interest in buying one so that it comes down sooner than later.
I hope the next version comes out with wooden rims - in fact, I can't understand why this one hasn't as they can be ordered.
While at it, a wooden seat might be nice too - after all wooden seats are still one of the most common wooden products!
Awesome review of this unique piece of art and dedication.
I completely agree that the bike is not just a bike, it is part of us and there value to our personalities and hearts. It does not matter if it is 500 grams heavier than other frames, if you like and love it, nothing can change this fact.
This is the first bike on gcn that I've gone away, before the video ends to look at their website...I want one 🥺
A truly beautiful and elegant bicycle...I would love to own and ride one.
Work of art
Stunning, isn't it!
First off this is an expensive frame,but there is a lot of work and engineering in it's creation and the finished product is beautiful.The same weight as my 24 yr old Bianchi steel frame (Columbus Genius). The ash frame is a gravel bike so is a bit more sturdy than a road bike needs to be. Morgan made car frames out of ash for a long time. Also my Water Rower is north american ash which looks nice also.It would be an interesting ride,going through the forest with this blonde !
The present Morgan still uses a wooden Ash frame
I ride a bamboo, Calfee road bike. The ride qualities / damping characteristics are likely similar. However, in the case of bamboo straight sections are joined with (massive) hemp and epoxy lugs. The ride is sublime although the weight is closer to six pounds. No matter, it's worth it. Thanks for sharing an excellent wooden bike - hoping that the business works out.
Great job uncle Andy, glad all your work is getting some love!
Nice one Barney, thanks for the support
This looks great! Also really appreciate that there was actually some engineering-talk in this video!
Sadly those bikes are a bit out of budgget at the moment...
Wow, simply an amazing frame that makes me envious of anyone lucky enough to own one. I am no engineering expert and wonder why the forks are not also wooden? Anyone with knowhow advise if this could, or could not, happen?
Once again, gorgeous bike. Thank you gcn for the great insight into the background/ethos behind the end product as well as the superbly produced and thoroughly enjoyable video.
Forks are a lot more stressed in various directions, while frame tubes are mainly stressed in compression or tension. Wooden fork engineered to withstand such stress would be huge and heavy due to unidirectional strength of wood (think very directional carbon).
The bikes is lovely and I am now dreaming of one as part of my riding pantry...omigoodness...how beautiful. Thank you guys for telling this story...keep showing them!!!
As a woodworker I now want to make a wood bike. Ash is the perfect choice for something like this. It’s strong and can flex a great deal without breaking.
The Maker put a ton of time into designing the joints and his skill is obvious.
Also technically this is a carbon fiber bike.
If you can smash 6's with a cricket bat then I cant see why wood couldn't be strong resilient material choice for bikes.
I would love to see one of these dyed like a Paul Reed Smith guitar. It's not flame maple wood, but it might look amazing.
Chuck some bird inlays on the top tube for a laff
I've been thinking along similar lines, watch this space...
Yes I would totally ride that bike it is beautiful and unique.
It is amazing that some of the materials with the best balance of properties are provided to us by nature!
1800g for a disc brake gravel bike frame is in my opinion very light and I think it's much more stable than the steel tubes of my steel frame with a wall thickness of 0.4mm :D