Video: Wood you believe this business makes bikes out of… wood?

This video is part of our series on Lille’s Maker Faire. To stay up-to-date on releases (and to find out more), check out our master post here.

Have you ever looked at a bike and thought “THERE’S TOO MUCH METAL THERE?” Well, at least one person has: Edouard from Atelier Suji.

He runs a company that makes wooden vehicles – you can find out all about them in the video above. Edouard began his career by making skateboards, but eventually moved onto making two-wheelers out of wood. Specifically, French ash. Cool, right?

But, wait, you want to see a picture of this wooden bike? Don’t worry, we’ve got you:

We asked Edouard a range of questions about the wooden bike (again, video!), but the one big question mark I have is about durability. While he said that it’s varnished to withstand bad weather, I wonder how long it’d hold up with constant-use.

This is especially pertinent considering the frame by itself will set you back between €2,200 and €2,500 (roughly $2,479 and $2,817). That’s serious money. Of course, you’re paying for something that’s handmade and sustainable, so it’s bound to be expensive. But, if it doesn’t last more than a year or two, neither of those things really matter. I guess time will tell.

Despite this reservation, I genuinely believe it’s both super cool and a lovely idea. Trying to help the environment by looking at changes we can make in our everyday lives is worth respect. So shout out you, Atelier Suji.

Want to learn more about the amazing things we saw at the Maker Faire? Then head over here to see more of our videos.

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