Godrej launches Bambusa range of bicycles made of bamboo !
Godrej and Boyce, the company which holds the Godrej group has launched a unique and premium range of bicycles in India built from bamboo. Yes, you heard it right. We are not kidding. The bicycle range has been christened “Bambusa” and can be bought exclusively via the popular crowdfunding platform Fueladream.
The entire frame of the Bambusa range of bicycles have been made out of bamboo. The usage of bamboo, available naturally, has helped Godrej and Boyce achieve durability and lightness that can never be matched by conventional steel and aluminium framed cycles.All the more important is the fact that these cycles can be made with perfect sustainability as bamboo is a fast growing grass and very sustainable. Also, since manufacturing of the frames does not require any electricity from coal burning power plants, the economic benefits of the manufacturing these bicycles can be spread across every step of the process, from sourcing to sale.
Commenting on the launch, Vijay Crishna, Executive Director, Godrej Lawkim said, “At Godrej & Boyce, we are constantly striving to come out with ever more innovative products that our customers find useful for their needs. But innovation, married to sustainability. The launch of the Bambusa bicycle marks a major leap in this direction for us as we seek to push the boundaries of what’s possible in an environmentally and economically sound manner. Bamboo has a greater tensile strength (or resistance to be pulled apart) than steel, while its attribute of being 4 times as absorbent as carbon fibre gives a smoother ride even on bad roads. Bamboo’s strength is its ability to bend – that’s its miracle! We selected a special bamboo species called ‘Pseudo-Oxytenanthera Stocksii’ which grows near our factory site and is particularly well-suited for building bamboo-frame bikes. No two bamboo stalks grow the same way, so each special, organically aesthetic frame is unique to your bike!
Our Bamboo bike-frames are beautifully hand-crafted, each frame being “one of a kind”! We have a carefully laid-out process to identify suitable bamboo stems, select these to use on our frames, treat them appropriately to protect them from insects and the environment – only after which do we build the frame. The entire capability has been developed in-house at our factory located outside Pune.
Having travelled 4400kms across the length of India during the monsoons, the bike has proved its strength and sturdiness on the road under the toughest conditions”
The Godrej Bambusa bicycles can be had with two saddle color options – brown and white.
