Several months ago we made friends with the proprietor at Xian Cao Mi （仙草宓） an awesome chain of shops that make delicious Taiwanese treats. We chatted at length about bikes naturally. He was a big fan some of our previous projects including the beer trike we put together for Lazy Pug last summer. Being a big part of the food and beverage community here in Chengdu, he was hip to a number of other awesome little shops looking to get into vending by trike.  Read more

We like to think of our shop as the hub of community activity.  Not only is it a great place to come for bikes, service or picking up new parts, but we also take a great deal of pride in creating a space for our friends to share.  Outside of being big fans of bikes, we’re also big fans of good beer.  That’s why now we’re offering cold Asahi beer on-tap.  In the neighborhood and looking to quench your thirst?  Stop in and have a frosty brew and chat us up about bikes.  It’s a great one-two punch to round out your day. We’ll now be offering cold pints of Asahi for ¥30. Swing by for Happy Hour, Tuesday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and get a pint for only ¥20!  You couldn’t ask for a refreshing beer at a better price!  Cheers to riding!

Maybe you read the re-cap of our mountain bike race in Tibet.  You likely noticed this machine in some of the photos.  We wrote a full review of this bike.  Check it out over at the Source Cycles blog!  Photo credits, Tyler Bowa of Factory Five.

And yes.  This bike was a blast to ride.

Natooke Chengdu’s got a lot of events coming up with the start of Summer.  Best way to keep up with it all?  WeChat!  Scan the above QR code to follow all the cool stuff we’ve got going on!

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We have created a couple of limited run tshirts for you. Simple and clean with some awesome prints. We just want to see what works and what doesn’t but I think we can agree these definitly work. Check out our banana in a banana and our ride a bike tshirt

Are you wondering for a special bike? Would you like to carry everything without using a car?

Cargo Bikes are now available!

Come to our Chengdu shop to learn more about this useful bike!

In the heartlands of Asia grows one of most spectacular and versatile natural resources known to man. With over 1450 species, Bamboo is one of the worlds most recognized plants due to its unique stature and multilateral properties. It has been utilized for everything from ancient structural masterpieces to advanced weaponry, while remaining a staple food source for entire species’ and an important medicine in many cultures. The versatile, strong, and light weight properties of Bamboo have made it an abundant crop that, in many places, is essential to survival. Although we may not notice it, the exponential uses for bamboo are often hidden in plain sight! And as the guys at Natooke Chengdu have proved, bamboos is of course perfect for creating what else but strong and environmentally friendly bike frames!

How the project started

While housing a couple of friendly nomadic couch surfers not too long ago, Natooke Chengdu’s co-owner’s Jacob and Larry struck up an interesting conversation about life, bikes, and travel. It so turned out that the couch surfers were on their way to tour Southeast Asia and wanted to know if the Natooke bike mechanics were able to construct a bike out of Bamboo. Now, being the environmentally sound and globally aware guys they are, Jacob and Larry recognized the impressively unique qualities that Bamboo had and agreed to do some research and work on making a bike that was safe and effective. And thus, the Natooke Chengdu Bamboo Bike project was born!

Why the project is so cool

Besides the obvious “it’s awesome” answer, the Natooke Chengdu guys have figured out how to completely customize the bike frames from locally grown bamboo, and locally source all the materials including the epoxy resin, fiber, and metal components. The guys go out and gather the bamboo and make sure its of suitable quality, and then are able to put together a completely new customized bamboo frame. Not only does do the bamboo bikes look awesome, they have some major advantages.

Environmentally, bamboo bikes are a great alternative to normal metal based frames. Bamboo’s inherent low embodied energy reduces energy consumption during manufacturing which normally produces greenhouse gases. Bamboo bike frames also leave a significantly lower carbon footprint than that which occurs during other metal bike frame manufacturing. For those skeptic bike lovers who are concerned with durability and safety, Bamboo is known for its tensile strength compared to that of metal which makes the frame significantly crash tolerant. Also, its lightweight stature and vibration dampening quality makes it great for off road touring and adventures.

Bike Frames, the Green Natooke way

Natooke was founded as not only a way to promote bicycle culture, but also as a company dedicated to providing sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to everyday practices such as commuting that have the ability to make a true difference in air quality and reduce the harmful effects of pollution. The introduction of bamboo bike frames is a wonderfully unique way to continue our tradition of helping the environment and supporting sustainability worldwide.