Bambeautiful

I want to build a bike.

I have wanted to do so for some time, ever since I made my bucket list in fact. I am also aware I haven’t done anything about it, just like my desire to learn a new language, visit Japan and film an epic adventure. Tomorrow is always more appealing.

Procrastination is a devilish trait but delightfully so when faced with something taxing. No more I cry… well at least not for my bike. After all there’s nothing stopping me but me myself. In general terms all I need is time, money, space and the ability to pick up and control a selection of tools. I have the time, nights and weekends should suffice. The money, I can earn or borrow, perhaps I will stumble across a wealthy philanthropist who loves dishing out dollars to those with a passion, perhaps not. The space, the spare room will become my workshop of wonders. Finally I can pick up and hopefully control the tools required for the job albeit with all the finesse of a wet mountain gorilla.

Gorillas and all, I have omitted something. It needs to be incredible. I don’t anticipate doing this again in my lifetime so I want it to be special. I also want to show that having put myself out there that when I hopefully complete it the risk of public humiliation was worth it and a new way to get things done.

Less babble about doing something and more chatter about what it will be like. Well it may surprise you that I don’t own a bike and as much as I understand why people hugely adore cycling as a sport it is not something I consider an interest just now. For that reason I don’t need it to be race weight, with Shimano gears and a fully carbon fibre frame. I want it to be a functional work of art.

I love Bamboo, it’s so versatile that the very word should translate to mean versatility. You can make t-shirts out of the stuff, lighter and stronger than cotton it is hypo-allergenic and soft to the skin, in Hong Kong they use it as scaffolding, men even make ukuleles from it and after all that they boil it in a bowl to make a broth. Now I want to make a bicycle from this magnificent panda nurishment.

Sure, I could do it the easy way, buy an excellent Calfee Bamboo frame and piece together the seat, wheels and all or I could attend the new Bamboo Bicycle Club that designs you a frame and includes a weeks course on building your very special Bamboo Bike. I’d rather piece it together bit by bit.  The bamboobike blog is a great resource I’m sure i’ll tap into and so should you if I’ve managed to sell any of this onto you.

When you set yourself a challenge it’s interesting to imagine what might grow from that original idea. What if it became more than me against the bike. How about it was me against the bike against someone else and their bike if you can forgive that as a statement. What if it became something greater than that, me against my bike against someone and their bike against someone else and their bike in an almighty bicycle race to the finish. If you’re still with my train of thought I applaud you, you can have the first shot when it’s finished.

The aim of this post is to set myself a goal but I also hope it might help other people to visualise a dream they’ve had for some time or even compete in that bike race I was talking about earlier. Whatever you decide you want, make it real and pursue it until it’s done. Inspirez out.