4/07/2011

Bamboo Bikes Flourish in Mexico City






Diego Cardenas is putting his own spin on eco-friendly travel.



The 25-year-old design student is peddling his bamboo bicycles to Mexico's commuters looking to combat over-crowded streets.



Cardenas insists that his model is lighter and greener than conventional bikes.



[Diego Cardenas, Industrial Designer and Partner in Bamboo Cycles]:

"It all came from a trip to Europe, specifically to a workshop in France. It was a bamboo workshop and when I came back I had a class in design trends. While investigating this material, I found bamboo bicycles and I made the first one based on what I had seen. I saw that there were lots of possibilities for improvement."



He found that bamboo created a sturdy yet flexible framework.



It can be sustainably harvested and grows fast, without needing pesticides.



[Diego Cardenas, Industrial designer and Partner in Bamboo Cycles]:

"The bike is much lighter. It is handmade. It is something that people can appreciate and it is a different design. Ultimately, the aim is the same: to transport people from one place to another with their own energy."



Cardenas and his partner Luis Cuellar formed the company Bamboo Cycles in 2010.



The bikes retail for just over $800 U.S. dollars or 10,000 Mexican pesos.

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