Bamboo Bicycles Built By Riders Themselves Make Headway In Cuba
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A new way of moving around is pedaling into Cuba’s capital city of Havana.
As first reported by Reuters, bicycle shop and tour company Vélo Cuba is making bamboo bikes to offer locals a greener mode of transport, with backing by the Netherlands embassy in the nation.
The shop’s founder Nayvis Diaz says there are 28 species of bamboo in the country, and Vélo Cuba is working with two or three of them to create the two-wheeled vehicles.
Image via Vélo Cuba
Historically, bamboo has been used to build housing and scaffolding, thanks to its notable compressive strength that’s—believe it or not—greater than steel. Since the material grows rapidly, it’s also highly renewable and abundantly accessible.
Coupled with its lightweight nature, bamboo is well-suited for making bicycles.
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Vélo Cuba also holds workshops, in conjunction with eco-bike crafter Bambookoa, to teach residents how to construct bamboo bicycles and kids’ tricycles, and even repair them on their own. Not only does this give the community the tools to get around without hurting the environment, but it also guides them to be self-sufficient and, potentially, find job security.
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Learners could eventually be hired by the shop, or branch out to start their own bicycle businesses, says Diaz.
According to the report, people have been taking the sustainable bikes out to visit the city’s zoo and the beach.
[via Reuters, images via various sources]
