Local Focus: Building a better mountain bike

Freddy Salgado has spent his entire life working with bikes - first in the US, before he moved to New Zealand, where he founded Bikeys Bicycle Shop in Gisborne.

He now works as a bike mechanic in Rotorua, but it was in Gisborne where his passion for riding turned into an obsession for designing and building bikes.

“I’ve always had the bug and wanted to start building out of the garage, but using traditional methods isn’t economically feasible,” he said.

Salgado builds bikes out of bamboo, using flax and epoxy to hold them together. He said having a frame made of bamboo makes it easier to tweak the design.

“With bamboo, it’s very easy to repair, so I’ve taken those lessons and made the bike much stronger. I’ve added a little bit of carbon fibre here and there where I needed.”

He’s also working on a double rear suspension bike, which he first saw when he was racing downhill in the US.

Double rear suspension designs first originated with motorcycles, and Salgado developed his first design in 1996.

“It’s the same idea that two brains are better than one. What’s really unique is that it gives me a lot more tuning options.”

His goal is to make one of the fastest bikes in the world.

“I’ve been doing all the test riding myself and [am] pretty much ... putting things together and trying to get things to work. I’ve had a little help with some engineering here and there with small bits and pieces and linkages that I just can’t manufacture on my own.”

Salgado said there are still things to explore in terms of bike designs.

“I think two shock bikes are still in their infancy. This is the fifth bike that I have engineered with two shocks, and I’ve got number six on the board.

“I’m just chipping away at it,” he said.