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I’m not a big exerciser. I don’t like to lift weights, jog in the dark or ride bicycles for enjoyment. And, if you’ve had the opportunity to meet me at one of the woodworking shows in which I’ve participated, or if you’ve scrutinized the photos in my articles, you’re probably thinking, “it’s obvious he’s not into exercise.” Maybe that’s why I’m on the larger side of average.
What’s all this have to do with a woodworking blog entry? In the past few days I had a web site brought to my attention , that of a builder who uses computer numerical control (CNC) machines to create bikes. 
Normally, you would have to promise me a slice of homemade pie to get me to look at a site dealing with bikes. But this is a bit different. Founded by Ken Wheeler, Renovo Hardwood Bicycles of Portland, Ore., makes the frames out of wood. 
Renovo’s information-rich web site mentions ash, Brazilian cherry and purpleheart as a few hardwoods that are great for bike frames. I also found a mention of vertical-grained fir being used. Why wood? The company expounds wood’s ability to dampen vibrations and stand up to abuse better than more typical bike-building materials. And bikes built from wood are lightweight , weighing in at 16 , 19.5 pounds, depending on the size.
These bikes are so light due to the fact they’re hollow (you have to love CNC machining). The Renovo frame is computer designed and machined, then the frame components are assembled, waterproofed and finished with paint and environmentally responsible polyurethane.
This past weekend Renovo Hardwood Bicycles exhibited at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS). In perusing the many web sites connected with the show (I started at this archived blog at bikeportland.org), I haven’t found much mention of Renovo. Maybe the unveiling was less than stellar, but dig around and you’ll see the competition was tremendous.
One interesting tidbit I did find is that the fifth anniversary of the NAHBS (2009), is being held in Indianapolis. That’s a short drive from us here in Cincinnati. I’ll plan to make the show , but only to see where woodworking and bike building cohabit. Not because I’ll be into exercise.
If you were in attendance in Portland this year and you have further information on Renovo or the show, please add your comment below.
Since the posting of this entry, I received this message from Mr. Wheeler in response to a couple questions. Below is his message:
“The Hand built show was our first public exposure, and the bikes were well received. We’ve been profiled on most bike web sites and are swamped with interest and orders. People like the wood concept, as well as the sustainability,” writes Wheeler.
“Frame prices start at $2000 and depend on the type of rear end, wood, configuration, etc. We use select hardwoods whose mechanical properties meet our stiffness and hardness criteria.Typically Jatoba, Ash, Maple, Hickory, Black Walnut, Brazilian Walnut and others.We have used Douglas Fir which is stiff enough, but which also dents easily because it is so soft. The machining process is complex, requiring 6 separate operations, and the hand finishing and bonding is considerable. It takes up to a week to complete a frame.”
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A little convergence here: I love bikes. These are far from the only wood bicycles available. The most well known are made of Bamboo by http://www.calfeedesign.com. Again, handmade, one at a time, high end bikes. Calfee bamboo frames start at $2695.00. When you spend that much on a frame you can count on the rest of the bikes parts being that much or more. Calfee like Renovo says the vibration damping is excellent. Who knows, maybe wooden bikes are the next big thing?
Yep! That’s the one! Thanks Steve!
The wooden bike was made by a 16 year old & was in the Lee Valley
newsletter. URL is below. He did an excellent job.
Steve
http://www.leevalley.com/newsletters/Woodworking/2/3/article1.htm
Some time back, I saw a write up on a kid who built a wooden bike. Everything was wood. The frame, the handle bars, the sprocket, even the chain!
After that, a guy who uses CNC machines to build bikes just seems like cheating 🙂
Hi Glen,
This is off topic, but you mentioned vibration dampening (the wood having good vibration dampening properties). Today in your quiz for the granite top table saw vibration dampening was also mentioned (the granite with the good vibration dampening properties). I know that both of those are marketing blurbs, but wood does have vibration dampening properties. Granite not so much… Granite is massive and will not vibrate much because it is too heavy to move but will not dampen vibration. It will block the vibration from leaving the metal parts of the saw and so may cause more vibration at the blade. I’m sure they have nicely balanced and tuned everything so that there isn’t that much vibration to dampen.
Ad copy that touts the wrong reasons for a feature seem to disregard the intelligence of the customers. And then you made me answer a question and give the wrong answer about the vibration properties so that I could have a shot at winning a granite top table saw that is so massive that the top will vibrate very little.
Bryce
p.s. That is a nice looking bike frame, but I’d be worried that you would get some splits along the grain before too much use.
Glen, the NAHBS here in Portland was a big show of very small companies. There are a great many exhibitors, each with a small space. The fact that Renovo got mentioned at all on BikePortland indicates how impressed Jonathon Maus, the blog owner was! I’d say BikePortland only showcased 8-10% of the exhibitors at most. Renovo definitely impressed.
A long time ago, I saw an article/plan for a wooden bike that was built from standard lumber – oak I think. No fancy molded veneers or anything like that. Does anyone know when or where this was? I’m guessing more than 30 years ago in some handyman book or magazine and I’ve been looking for it ever since. Thanks for any help you can give me.