Handmade Bicycle Show 2009

[ocscully]

The Annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show took place in Indianapolis last weekend. For anyone interested in seeing Handmade bicycles at their absolute best follow the link below and peruse the photos found there. In years past there have been some bikes with HT motors but non that I saw this year. http://www.handmadebicycleshow.com/index_01.htm

ocscully

 

[mabman]

I guess you can call filing lugs handwork. We almost went but opted to work on our bikes instead with machines. Here is at least one HT bike that was shown there by the Sycip bros. a few years ago.

And this electric cargo bike also shown a few years ago.

I have seen work on this board that rivals the integrity of the NAHBS bikes. 1800 for a booth and all the expenses of getting bikes together and to and from the show plus your per diem and booth parts adds up to a significant part of your marketing budget for the year. If you have a marketing budget that is.

The cost of these bikes is pretty well up there also as you might imagine. Pedal "Commuter" bikes for $1500 and up are all over as well as trick hipster fixed gears. The bike of show was a copy of a Major Taylor track bike, nice bike but in reality pretty simple to execute. Looks like it would take a 4 stroke kit easily though.

I especially liked how Eriksen said that Ti was green because you don't have to paint it. Unfortunately 80% of the rather high cost of Ti is in the manufacturing process which is way less efficient than steel which costs less and what is wrong with paint anyway?

 

[Happy Valley]

I went, spent two days at the NAHBS, and now just getting over bicycle sensory overload.
The show is getting good play and attendance was at an all time high, considering the economy, not a bad sign.

There was something like 115 exhibitors with about 65 or so frame makers there, the balance being suppliers of tubing, construction materials, component groups, accessories, clothing.

Some amazing work being produced with an incredible level of detail. In fact, for me, it was all about discerning those details. I poked around through the show the first day and found I had missed so much I started all over the second day from the beginning with a more focused eye toward those details.

If one is interested in frame building you'll find no better concentration under one roof in one venue of a great group of people who will discuss all you want the merits of fillet brazing, lug frame joining, TIG welding or carbon fiber construction.

This is a show heavy on track, road and cycle cross bikes catering to the custom-made racing crowd, the bread and butter of the handmade maker. Yet almost all the builders had at least one commuter, city or utility bike in their repertoire, also a good sign and one of the main reason I went.
I picked up just a ton of ideas, people happy to share and help.

All in all, a great time, and you'd be hard pressed to find a friendlier group of folks dedicated to the sport of cycling.

 

[Mountainman]

how sweet -- those custom cut out lugs on some of those frames

be nice to have some frame builders -- build a few models just for motor bikes
there's a new guy here on site -- got an interesting frame -- name -- crowcycleco

sure like those bikes !! ride the motor bike thing

 

[-CON-]

Road bikes are my favorite !!