Panda Bicycles.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: [small biz] COLORADO COOL STUFF - Brief article

In late 2008, CSU grad students Jacob Castillo, John McKinney and Marck Schlink were brainstorming over beers after McKinney met a sustainable bamboo farmer in Mexico. Knowing bamboo was too small for construction, the trio realized its 4-inch diameter--not to mention its tensile strength--was perfect for a bicycle frame.

"It's light and it's strong and it has ideal frame construction character," Castillo says. They launched Panda Bicycles early last year and have...