The SplinterBike, as its called, is a bicycle that’s made completely from wood. Others have done similar ‘all wood’ bicycles before but this one is supposed to be the fastest – it can hit 50km/h.
There’s a lot of different wood in this bike!
The axles are made of the hardwood ekki; the cogs, wheels and frame are birch ply; and oily ironwood was used in place of metal bearings where moving parts met. The pedals and handlebars were made from an old broom handle.
The most complicated part to make from wood was the drivetrain, since making a wooden chain is pretty tough. So instead, they “replaced [the chain]with a huge 128-tooth cog that links the chainring and the gear on the rear wheel. In fact there are six cogs, as the drivetrain is replicated on both sides of the frame to add strength.”
The makers of the SplinterBike are pretty confident in their bike. They think it can hit 50km/h and break the speed record (for wooden bikes which doesn’t have a record, to be fair). Note: they think all this without ever having actually ridden the bike as there is no surface smooth enough for it. Well, uh, good luck with that boys! I think it looks like a cow, to be honest. [SplinterBike via Guardian]
