Bamboo bicycles

By Ajarn Helen Jandamit
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post

University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams and tests that are coming your way. It gives you practise answering questions similar to those you may have at school and also on the University Entrance Examination.

Read the following story by Pongpet Mekloy from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.

Aluminum and steel alloys are the most popular materials for making bicycle frames. Carbon fibre and titanium make more expensive, high quality bikes. But if you’re looking for something really unique, consider grass.

I’m talking about the world’s tallest grass, bamboo. For millennia, bamboo has been used in many parts of the world to make houses, bridges, rafts, and many other things. It is strong and durable, and the cylindrical shape of the woody stems is good for building bike frames.

This may raise some eyebrows, since not many people have ridden a bamboo bicycle. However, I have. In Thailand, there are at least two manufacturers of bamboo bikes.

FLAWLESS FRAMES

One manufacturer is in Chiang Rai. Founded and managed by American expat Phil Webb, Webbworks has been exporting bamboo bicycles to at least 10 countries since 2010. The company creates jobs and teaches the art of bike building to locals, who have formed a nine-man team at the company’s workshop.

Webbworks produces four models of bike frames for different purposes, from commuting and touring to track, cross country and cyclo-cross riding.

Thanks to the large wheels and the ability of the bamboo to absorb small vibrations, the bikes perform well. The frames are not light though, weighing on average 2.3 to 2.4 kilogrammes. On the other hand, having a bicycle made of wood is impressively cool.

TAILOR-MADE DESIGNS

The other bamboo bike maker is based in downtown Chiang Mai. Brown Bike is a one-man operation run by Thongchai Chansamak, a young Thai architect who builds bamboo bike frames in his own time after work.

Thongchai makes his frames to order, so he doesn’t have pre-designed models. Customers tell Thongchai the type of bike that they want, together with information about their height and inseam length, and he will present them with customised designs for their approval.

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Exercises

Section 1

Read the story. Then, answer the following reading comprehension questions.

1. What is the story about?

a. The growing popularity of bikes made from aluminum and steel alloys.
b. Grass frames for houses.
c. Bicycles made of bamboo.

2. According to the author, what is the most popular material for making bicycle frames?

a. Aluminium and steels alloys.
b. Carbon fibre and titanium.
c. Bamboo.

3. What kinds of bicycles does Webbworks manufacture?

a. Commuting and touring bikes.
b. Cross country and cyclo-cross bikes.
c. Both a and b are correct.

4. Who founded Webbworks?

a. Phil Webb.
b. Thongchai Chansamak.
c. Pongpet Mekloy.

5. What kind of bicycles does Brown Bike make?

a. Electric bikes.
b. Customised bamboo bikes.
c. Three-wheel bikes.

Section 2

Read through the story again. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.

6. Bamboo is the tallest grass in the world.

…………………………………..

7. Webbworks is located in Chiang Mai.

…………………………………..

8. The founder of Webbworks is Thongchai Chansamak.

…………………………………..

9. Thongchai asks his customers about their height and inseam length.

…………………………………..

10. Bamboo has been used to make houses, bridges, rafts and other things for a very long time.

…………………………………..

Section 3

Rearrange the following groups of words to form grammatically correct sentences.

11. titanium quality bikes have Higher frames made of.

………………………………………………………………………..

12. least There are two make places that bikes bamboo at.
………………………………………………………………………..

13. The bamboo are frames heavy quite.

………………………………………………………………………..

14. You you can the type of bike order that want.

………………………………………………………………………..

Section 4

Match each of the following words with the correct synonyms from the choices given.

15. many ………	a. metropolitan
16. durable ………	b. sturdy
17. expensive ………	c. innumerable
18. downtown ………	d. pricey

Section 5

Read through the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.

Stand with your back against a …..19….. . Spread your feet about 16 centimetres apart on a hard, smooth surface. …..20….. a book between your legs and up against …..21….. wall, spine up; raise it until it is snug against your crotch. …..22….. is like your bike seat. Have another person measure …..23…..the top of the book down to the …..24….. .

19.

a. wall
b. walls
c. walled

20.

a. To place
b. Placing
c. Place

21.

a. those
b. these
c. the

22.

a. This
b. These
c. Those

23.

a. from
b. at
c. for

24.

a. flooring
b. floor
c. floored

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