Often I come back from industry events like the 2011 Sea Otter Classic and people ask me what the coolest thing I saw was. I try to highlight all of those things on Bike Shop Girl and keep the fluff to the rest of the internet. One of these things were hardwood bicycles from Renovo Hardwood Bicycles.
From Renovo
Why Wood? We chose wood not because it’s different, not because it’s sustainable, but simply because we believe its engineering properties suit the requirements of most bicycle applications better than any other material. The performance of wood in applications more structurally demanding than bicycles has been well proven over many years. The most successful fighter bomber of WWII was the all-wood 400 mph British Mosquito, of which some 7500 were built.
Details in Photos
The frames were beautiful and it would be very cool to have one as a cafe cruiser. Clean, sleek and thought out. The drop outs worry me, as they are simply bolted into the wood.
A Frame Cut in Half
Amazing.
An incredible-looking bike, as it would be in almost any material. I don’t know, however, if the design is as replicable or as indelible in the mind of potential investors–yes, they would have to be–in wood as it would be in sometthing more long-lasting. I am very familiar with the surfboard industry, where balsa moved into fiberglass, then into polystyrene, then into…and then back into a little bit of balsa for “wall-hanger” trophy boards. That bike looks like one of those; beautiful, and a perfect design–if only in aluminum. Or even carbon. Too bad they’ve decided that banking on wood–putting the artistic ahead of the functional, instead of a balance of both–is more important than having their beautiful vehicles on the roads… Absolutely beautiful. But only for wall-hanging.
I’m pretty sure the dropouts are bonded in as well as being bolted.
Loved those bikes! A wood built Mtn Bike at 27lbs made of Oak, Walnut, and Hickory. Awesome!
I’m a 225-pound, 5,000 mile-a-year rider with a Renovo R3 among several high-end bikes. I ride lots of centuries and fundraisers and lead an annual guys’ group ride in Tuscany.
The Renovo is as superior technically as it is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Read rhe new website for specifics. When I pass some dude on a Cervelo or Colago I often joke with them about their sentimental attachment to old technology …
Rick L.
Cape Cod FOG Club Ciclismo
And George – ride a Renovo before you pronounce upon “putting the artistic ahead of the functional.”