Christian Rustige, Sales Manager in Germany, with his Luntian 2.0 all terrain bike.
Sales manager cycling sustainably on winning prize
In December 2020 we held an online Christmas event called JacoBingo, a virtual bingo game for our employees with various prizes. The top prize was a Bambike (bambike.com), a bike made of bamboo, and the lucky winner was Christian Rustige our Sales Manager in Germany. Bambike is a socio-ecological enterprise based in the Philippines that produces handmade bamboo bicycles with fair-trade labour and sustainable building practices. Building a Bambike takes approximately 50 working hours.
Bambikes head mechanic Paul, building up the hybrid model Laguna 2.0.
The hands of mechanic Romel, building up a Luntian 2.0 MTB.
Hi Christian, you’ve had your bike for a while now; how does it feel?
I was used to riding a 20-year-old trekking bike, so the comparison might be a bit unfair, but seriously yes, it is a bit different. Also, without suspension, it feels like the frame would absorb more minor shocks without bouncing.
How do people react when they see it?
It is an eye-catcher for sure, and people ask me if it is real bamboo. When I gave it for inspection in our local bicycle shop, I forgot the receipt to pick it up. When they realised it was the “guy with the bamboo bike”, I did not need to show it. Probably that would not have happened with any other bike.
Would you recommend a bamboo bike to others?
Yes, I had only scarcely seen bamboo bikes before, but already found it very exciting. For us as a family, it actually vitalised the interest in cycling this summer. Our five-year-old twin girls were probably more excited to go on a ride with daddy and his new bike.
If you’re interested in a Bambike, you can read more at bambike.com. As well as making bikes, they also sponsor a preschool teacher, a weekly feeding programme for children, and a bamboo nursery for reforestation.
