Ugandan entrepreneur Noordin Kasoma is building a niche business around two materials rooted in Uganda’s natural and cultural heritage, using bamboo to make bicycle frames and traditional bark cloth to reinforce their joints.
Through Boogaali Bikes, Kasoma produces handcrafted frames for his bamboo bicycles designed for different riding needs, including road cycling, mountain biking, gravel riding and touring. The business combines bamboo, a fast-growing grass, with bark cloth made from the inner bark of the Mutuba tree, a material traditionally used in Uganda for clothing and cultural ceremonies.
The manufacturing process requires careful preparation. The bamboo is dried for several months and treated to protect it against insects before being shaped into a frame. Kasoma wraps the joints with bark cloth coated in epoxy resin, then finishes the surfaces to produce a durable structure. Standard bicycle components are fitted to complete the bicycles.
Kasoma developed his skills after training with American bicycle frame designer and manufacturer Craig Calfee, alongside learning through online tutorials. He established Boogaali Bikes Uganda Limited in 2013, turning his interest in cycling and bicycle construction into a business.
Bamboo’s flexibility is one reason Kasoma favours it for bicycle frames. He has said the material helps absorb vibrations, particularly when riding on rough terrain. The approach also gives the bicycles a distinctive appearance in a market where conventional frames are commonly made from steel, aluminium or carbon fibre. The bicycles have been reported to sell for between $350 and $450, depending on their size and design.
Boogaali has attracted customers for its bamboo bicycles beyond Uganda, with previous reporting documenting sales to other parts of East Africa, Europe and the United States. The company’s frames are made to customer specifications, taking into account the intended use and rider requirements.
The business has also created opportunities to transfer specialist manufacturing skills. Reports from 2019 described a workforce of about 20 people and young apprentices learning the production process. However, those figures should not be treated as a verified measure of the company’s current staffing.
Kasoma has also discussed expanding production and developing bicycle-related training. Boogaali’s approach sits within a broader effort to develop products using locally available materials and specialised craftsmanship.
Bamboo bicycle frames are not new globally, but the use of Ugandan bark cloth at the joints gives Kasoma’s designs a distinct local identity. The business also illustrates a practical challenge for African manufacturing. Turning renewable materials into a commercially viable product requires more than access to raw materials. It depends on technical knowledge, consistent production, quality control and customers willing to pay for a handcrafted alternative.
For Kasoma, the opportunity of expanding his bamboo bicycles business lies in taking materials associated with Uganda’s natural environment and cultural traditions into a specialised international market, while building local expertise in a form of manufacturing that is unusual but established within the global cycling industry.
Africa Global News publication.