The Waldmeister: a bike made of wood

One day all bikes will be made like this. Maybe. We spotted this wooden wonder, the Waldmeister, at Eurobike. It really is beautifully made and was without doubt the greenest bike at the show. There were two versions on display: one with road and the other with off-road wheels and tyres.
Made in Germany from copper beech ply, the the road bike is built up with Xentis Kappa carbon wheels (interestingly they haven't opted for wooden rims), a Chris King A-headset and singlespeed cog, Truativ bars, stem, seatpost and cranks and a Brooks Swift titanium saddle. The consensus among the bike journos present was that it should work, in theory. None of the mountain bikers were that keen on the thought of taking it down some technical trails, though.

In a typically German eco-friendly yet cutting-edge combination, Waldmeister's philosphy is to marry traditional wood-crafting skills with precision engineering and to use 21st century materials like carbon and titanium. And all this while embracing a back to basics approach - hence the bike's singlespeed build. And if that copper beech finish isn't to your taste, you can have the frame veneered in a variety of wood types including Birdseye Maple, Ash and Walnut. Just keep an eye out for woodworm.