Atomic Zombie Extreme Machines!

Added 14 new additions to the Builders Gallery this week, too. More choppers, recumbents, a tallbike, SpinCycle, and trikes. Some are featured below:

Mike of Pennsylvania sent in a photo of his old skool chopper with lots of chrome and black accents.

The talented gang at Crank It Up Cycling for All in UK sent in another amazing build. This one is modeled after the Atomic Zombie OverKill chopper.

Mike from Illinois sent in this one based on the HighRoller short wheel base recumbent design.

This trike beauty from Jon in Maryland is made of carbon fibre and maple seat and accessories. A true work of art!

There are many more cool bikes in the Builders Gallery, so be sure to check them out and log on to the forum if you have any questions or comments about these and other projects.

The July issue of the Atomic Zombie newsletter is now online here: http://www.atomiczombie.com/newsletter/july-2009.pdf.

This month's features include:

• Recumbent bike project is a labor of love
• Garage News
• Crazy Canadian Trivia
• Cranking out an extreme chopper
• Ottawa-Gatineau shared bike project
• Bike Builders Tips
• Pedalpalooza wraps up
• World class skateboard/BMX park
• Bicycle Film Festival
• E-bike technology leader
• Builders Gallery new additions
• Builder feedback
• Events and recipes

Previous newsletters dating back to 2006 can be found here: http://www.atomiczombie.com/newsletters.htm

As for current bike projects, the Terminator Chopper is almost done, in addition to the E-Style BMX and the trike/quad cycle, tentatively called Quadzilla, but the name is probably going to change, as well as the final design. Looks like it will be a trike now. Some issues about the braking and cabling system, so the trike may be more feasible and less complicated than the quad design. Stay tuned to the forum for updates and announcements. We're already in July and anxious to get at least a couple of new projects online this month.

Have a safe Independence Day long weekend to our friends and family in the USA.

Cheers, friends.

More gallery entries were uploaded yesterday. Twelve new submissions: choppers, trikes, quad, crazy bike, tall bike and a long wheel base recumbent. Below are a few highlights of some of the awesome projects created by Atomic Zombie krew members:

This chopper is called the Easy Moe created by Maurice Cormier of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

This sleek long wheel base recumbent with underseat steering was built by Earl Randolph of Oregon.

And, this is the second quadcycle by Jim Brown of North Carolina. Be sure to check out all of the cool rides in the Builders Gallery. There are now over 600 submissions and more to be added every couple of weeks. Keep up the great work, everybody!

I found an interesting article recently about bamboo bicycles to be exported from Uganda to California. It's an interesting project  and may be the next wave of future bike designs.

Bicycles made of bamboo heading to California

A new project in northern Uganda will soon start exporting bicycles made out of bamboo to California. The African Ellipsi Project, a church based organization, is finalizing plans to build a factory in Gulu town to make the bicycles known as Bamboosero.

“One frame of these bicycles goes for $500 in California,” Sally Baynton, the executive director of the project told journalists on Wednesday at the Gulu Bible Centre where a sample of the bicycles are being made.

She said six sample bicycles would be ready by the end of next week.

“These bicycles are in Ghana and Zambia. We shall make the bicycles in large quantities and ship them to California where there is ready market,” she said, adding that the bicycles would be sold cheaply to the locals.

Baynton said the bicycles would assist the farmers to transport their agricultural produce to the markets for sale. According to Baynton, the bamboos are cut into small pieces and then treated for five months to make them strong and water proof before being joined with sisal threads and gum.

“They are cheaper, stronger and more environmentally friendly than the ordinary bicycles,” she said.

Baynton is being assisted on the project by her husband, Barr and a colleague, Deo Chate. She added that they also plan to start bamboo farms in the north to ensure that there is constant supply of raw material.

According to her, the Bamboosero bicycles will be made under the Gulu Hope Project and the proceeds from the sales would be used to drill boreholes, support education and other development activities in the region. Baynton said the pupils of Antonia school in Texas have partnered with Palyec village in Patiko sub-county in Gulu district where they are building a school and drilling boreholes.

The district speaker, Martin Ojara, pledged that the district authorities would provide land for the bamboo farm.

“This is just the beginning. We want to prove to the world that Gulu can be the heart of creativity despite the suffering we faced during the LRA insurgency.”

Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/16/683920

Work on the Terminator Chopper is progressing very well, with the front forks welded and ground, waiting for the main body work to begin. Brad's been putting alot of time into this project, but the results will be well worth the effort. He expects to have it finished in the next couple of weeks. Looking pretty awesome so far!

The June 2009 Atomic Zombie newsletter is now online, and it's growing every month. This month's features include:

* Family bike build
* Garage news
* Arcturus Camper Motorhome
* Gallery profiles
* Crank It Up
* Bicycle friendly states
* Montreal public bicycle system
* Portland's Pedalpalooza
* Western Australia's Munda Biddi Trail
* Builder feedback
* Events and recipes

http://www.atomiczombie.com/newsletter/june-2009.pdf

Submit your story ideas, events, recipes, and bike builders tips to KoolKat by the 20th of each month. Log onto the Builders Forum to contact KK.