The truth about wood is that it hasn’t really changed much in the last few eons, and yet it continues to be a material of choice for many products. We’ve seen many bicycles made of wood, but Connor Wood Bicycles of Denver, Colorado is doing something a little different.
The company is using Kevlar to reinforce the wood. Chris Connor, owner of the company, recently showed off his “DURT” Bike – which uses sections of steam-bent, locally-sourced reclaimed wood that is reinforced with Kevlar.
The result is a beautiful looking bike that is strong and durable. It is so much like art that some might not want to risk getting the DURT dirty. And for those who question whether wood can handle the woods, Connor likes to point out that the DURT survived the Leadville 100 Race. Video after the jump
We’ve seen a lot of wooden bicycles over the years, as well as bikes made of bamboo. Most have truly been impressive, but the concept bicycle from Yojiro Oshima, a student at Tokyo’s Musashino Art University, might be the most extraordinary wooden bike we’ve seen.
We’ve seen a few wooden bikes over the years, but the Connor Wood Bikes are ones that could really turn heads. Produced in Denver, these American made bicycles feature frames made of steam bent, hand-sculpted, Kevlar reinforced ash and walnut. The bikes are coated with marine spar varnish to protect them from the elements. Two models are now available – including the Scorcher and Cruister – and both feature 29er wheels that let riders head through the woods on wooden bikes.
While we like the innovative spirit behind most products, for the second time in recent memory we’ve seen a barebones bike rack offered as something special. The Make 001 Bike Rack does have more style than the Bike Hook – which is why that one was called out as a Kinetic(Mis)Shift and the Make 001 is not. But that said we still question whether $180 is money well spent on a few pieces of wood. Nice design but worth the cost; we don’t know.
As our bicycle editor can attest babies do something very annoying – they grow very fast and this really doesn’t stop as they age. That means replacing clothing, shoes and a whole lot of stuff. But it also means that things like bicycles can become “small” pretty quick.
We heard about Danny Hess of Hess Surfboards and like what he’s doing a lot. He saw that a lot of commercial surfboards are full of petrochemicals and carcinogens – not exactly the kind of materials that surfers probably think is good for the waves.
Wood remains a viable building material for many things. Who wouldn’t want hardwood floors for example, or a nice wood deck for a sunny afternoon? On the fitness side of things we’ve seen wooden bicycles, but F&Y Les Classiques from Montreal have taken this a step further with hardwood handlebars.
