A trip to Africa inspires an American bike builder to create self sustaining businesses in the developing world

Craig Calfee went from focusing on building ultra-light custom bicycle frames out of carbon fiber to teaching African entrepreneurs to build their own bikes from locally sourced bamboo, giving them a chance at economic independence.

Calfee is the owner of Calfee Design, which has manufactured its own line of bamboo bicycles since 2005. He set up his bamboo bike initiative, called Bamboosero, in 2008, with two groups in Ghana - one in Abompe, and the other in the capital, Accra. Those two manufacturing groups now build several types of bamboo bike frames, which they ship to Calfee’s bike shop in order to add the hardware and wheels before sale.



Why bikes?

1. Bicycles are in great demand as a major labor saving device, and transporting water, people, food and other items is six times more efficient on a bike.

2. Bikes are reliable and efficient, capable of bringing a better life within reach through access to safer drinking water, improved medical care, and more nutritious food.

3. Bikes can make jobs, markets, and schools more accessible.

4. Bikes are easier to maintain than cars, so the positive improvements they create in people’s lives can be counted on day after day, season after season.

5. Bicycles enable villages to build their own economies and have access to resources beyond their own immediate area.



Why bamboo bicycles?

1. Bamboo bikes cost less than inferior imported steel bikes.

2. Bamboo is plentiful and does not need to be imported as a raw material. Bamboo is easy to grow and can be cultivated in dry areas with minimal irrigation.

3. Bamboo bikes require a significant amount of labor to produce, providing skilled employment and an apprenticeship model that helps youth find opportunity.

4. Bamboo bicycle production is not easily done in large factories. This keeps large industrialized countries from getting into the business and competing on an unfair level.

5. Making Bamboo bikes does not require electricity or a large investment in equipment.



Sourcing the bamboo locally is a key component of Bamboosero, as bamboo is native to the areas they are working in, and the cost is extremely low.



The bamboo is first smoked and treated with heat over the course of four months to prevent splitting, and then the pieces are joined together using a natural fiber, usually hemp fiber. Making the frames doesn’t require access to power or power tools, and each frame they build is worth about $150 US to them.



Bamboo is a sturdy, long lasting material that allows for a super-smooth ride, due to its natural vibration-damping qualities. The combination of strength and flexibility inherent in bamboo make it an excellent choice for frames, and because it doesn’t need heavy tooling, it’s a great option for places without access to high-tech manufacturing tools.



Skeptical of the sturdiness of bamboo for bike frames? Check out this video of a bamboo cargo bike carrying over 600 pounds: Bamboosero currently offers frames for road bikes, mountain bikes, and cargo bikes, and a large portion of the cost of one is then reinvested in setting up other manufacturing locations. Shops have also been set up now in Zambia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Uganda.



On top of getting an ultra-cool bicycle made from a sustainable material, buyers are also investing in entrepreneurs in the developing world, enabling them to work to support their families. The project also helps to bring foreign currency (US $) into economies desperately needing a boost, and it builds a local capacity for producing an extremely efficient form of transportation. People, planet, profits. Bamboosero meets the triple bottom line in style.