Godrej & Boyce, the holding company of the Godrej Group, launched Bambusa, its premium range of bicycles built from bamboo. The frames of the Bambusa bicycles are entirely bamboo, giving them a durability and lightness unmatched even by conventional steel and aluminum-frame cycles.
Moreover, they are more sustainable to make as bamboo is a fast-growing grass and therefore very sustainable. Their manufacturing process is not reliant on electricity from coal-burning power plants, and the economic benefits of their manufacture are spread along 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-framed 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” Godrej Bambusa Bicycles are currently available in white and brown saddle options.
The Bambusa Bicycles can be exclusively bought via the crowdfunding platform www.fueladream.com
