Thought I'd delurk to add my 2 penn'orth to the pike debate:
Having spent 5 years re-enacting as a Pikeman, I would say that passing pikes down as heirlooms or using "repair" to fix them are both unfeasable - pikes *break* in combat; often shattering beyond physical repair, which results in them being shortened to staves, clubs or shafts for shorter pole-arms. This is a result of the nature of their use in combat.
A phalanx would need a large back-up supply of pikes in order to maintain combat readiness. Pikes were made of specially grown trees (mostly ash, IIRC) which were COPPICED, a method which seems to have been overlooked so far in this thread. I can see retired Templars supplying the SDT with coppiced pike shafts, and maybe the Agimori trade for theirs. Perhaps the Morocanth south of Raus Fort or the Newtlings have riverside coppices?
One more thing - bamboo shafts would be far to flimsy to be used as a pike. They would be great for javelins or shortspears though. And of course, bamboo is great for traps (see "Southern Comfort" or any vietnam/japanese war film)
Cheers
Arf
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