: Maharashtra Couple Makes Foldable Bamboo Cycles, Built to Your Height Body Type #IndiaNEWS #Environment It was a television show that inspired a former pilot of the Indian Air Force, Shashishekhar

Maharashtra Couple Makes Foldable Bamboo Cycles, Built to Your Height Body Type #IndiaNEWS #Environment
It was a television show that inspired a former pilot of the Indian Air Force, Shashishekhar Pathak to launch ‘Bamboochi’, a firm that makes cycles from bamboo. The TV show was a tutorial on how to make cycles from bamboo.
It was around the time when Pathak was finding ways to make value-added products from bamboo grown on his farm in Bhor village, 60 kilometres from Pune, Maharashtra, that he stumbled across his innovation.
He spent the next two years building a prototype and got an overwhelming response from whoever saw the cycle, offline and on his social media handles. In 2016, Pathak along with his wife, Devika, officially launched the company to offer handmade, foldable and customised cycles from bamboo. By doing so, he also encouraged villagers to try their hand at bamboo products.

“We neither had engineering degrees nor any prior experience of product manufacturing. It took us multiple failures, time and effort to crack the code. Our engineering friends and the internet did come in handy,??? he says, adding, “Bamboo is only one part of the vehicle but ensuring other parts, like gears, brakes, sheets and tires, fit properly while accommodating bamboo was a challenge. ???
While Pathak was initially creating the cycle for his use, his friend had expressed interest in the same, and that’s how their venture took off.
Today, Bamboochi makes several cycle variants as per the customer’s usage — from a professional cycle, an eco-conscious one to one that can be maneuvered in hilly terrain. Given that Pathak and Devika carefully craft the customised cycles from high-quality bamboo and other cycle parts, the pricing starts from Rs 1,05,000.
Features of the Bamboo Cycle

Pathak and Devika wanted components such as gears and seats that could be customised as per the rider’s needs and body structure. This is one of the reasons why the venture has made only 25 frames. However, each frame is unique.
“We take the height and length of the rider’s hands and feet along with the details of the terrain they would like to cycle. A customer has to place an order two months in advance considering our detailing and quality. We purchase tires and brake systems from premium manufacturers,??? he adds.
Pathak has made several variants which include lightspeed, electric bike and tandem. For each cycle, the freshly harvested bamboo is kept for drying for weeks. Unlike bamboo used for decorations and garden stakes, Pathak’s bamboo variant is sturdy and scratch resistant.

“The bamboo is specifically selected, heat-treated and joined using extremely strong natural fibres or synthetic material combined with an epoxy resin.