>>2055621Buying professionally treated bamboo is the safest option of course.
I harvested my tubes in a local bamboo garden and dried them for half a year in the workshop of my employer.
The patterns depend entirely on the variety. However chlorophyll will decompose over time and they'll always end up shades of brown.
>>2055624Properly made composites should be as sturdy as any quality carbon frame.
My first frame, which I built under supervision in a workshop, survived 12000km in Australia with front and back panniers.
It did that despite having a design flaw with the seat post shell. Would not use an aliminium reducer shell for that.
Cut out some tube from a defunct steel frame.
My first entirely home made frame I cobbled together from srcap materials in my employers workshop.
It did not hold up.
Use marine grade epoxy and fibres designed for composite work.
A lot of cycle couriers in Berlin use Bamboo frames and they abuse the shit out of them.
They hold up fine.
