These babies look nice and should catch on if manufacturer Woodelo can sell the idea to Ireland
By Brian Canty
Frames made out of pure wood might be the next thing to hit the peloton in Ireland after a Tipperary-based frame builder developed what he believes is a better alternative to the carbon bikes that have become the norm for riders.
Not only are they as stiff as their carbon equivalent, but they’re just as light, can be custom-made more easily, absorb vibration better and also have the added bonus of being made from products sourced in this country.
Liam Murray, founder of Woodelo, spotted a niche in the market, left his day-job as a land surveyor as work was becoming scarce and now runs one of a growing number of wooden frame factories in Ireland.
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It’s a one-man show he runs; “not like the Trek headquarters”.
But such has been the upsurge in interest shown in the frames that he may not stay like that way for long, given the bikes should be on the market by February.
Already he’s been featured at the Irish Cycling Show at the RDS and the Cork Cycling Festival where word first got out.
And with the growth of cycling in this country, he knew it was now or never if he ever wanted to follow his passion.
“I’m not a racer so I don’t have the racing background but I used to be big into the mountain biking,” explains Murray.
“I was big into the carbon and aluminium frames and always wondered is this as good as it gets.
"Then I’d heard about bamboo bikes and I thought it’d be very nice to make one myself from timber. I didn’t want to use bamboo though; I wanted to use Irish timber.”
“So I started out trying to make them by hollowing out ash for tubes but it didn’t really work out because it’s quite difficult to do, but I just developed it from there.
"We made the first one over a year ago and it worked really well.
"Then we said it’d be a lot better for the road because the characteristics of the timber mean the vibration isn’t as bad as other frame materials and it’s also remarkably stiff,” he added.
For now, Murray says he’ll focus on racing bikes and 'fixies' but should cash become more readily available, mountain bikes and hybrids are all part of what he hopes to be a long-term project.
The bikes themselves can be made to the customers’ specific size.
It should be noted that only the frame will be made of wood, with all other components such as the groupset and wheels being the rider’s own individual preference.
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The bikes are all finished with varnishes to prevent any issues with rot or moisture.
This new frame is just about ready to be fitted with a conventional group set
This one has wooden rims, but only because its new owner requested the feature
Woodelo have had plenty of orders so far, and will officially launch onto the market in February
Nice close up of how the conventional rear mech area marries up with the wooden frame
Visually, the wooden frame looks great with the conventional parts
Being taken for a test run on the open up
If all goes well with the road bikes, MTB and BMX frames will be produced commercially
Boom, boom!
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