NAHBS 2016 – Bikes We Likes, part 1
Originally posted on March 1, 2016 at 13:27 pmAt this point most everyone knows the who, what, where and why of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. I haven’t been since 2009, and the increase in quality for both bikes and booths was easy to notice. Here is a selection of some of my favorite bikes from the show.
Rick Hunter – Hunter Cycles
“Most likely to play Buddy in a re-make of “Six String Samurai” award
Lots of fine details on this bike, including Hunter handlebars made by Nitto, minimalist thru-axle dropouts and a sweet chainstay yoke. More info: Hunter Cycles
Brad Hodges – W.H. Bradford Custom Bikes
“Bike most likely to get featured on the Radavist” award
Brad has been building bikes under the Nemesis Project name for years. NemPro focuses on fixed-gear freestytle bikes, The W.H. Bradford brand will be for a bikes with wider uses than rail grinds and bar spins.
Dr. Klunkinstein was built for Ty Hataway (@tytantium on the Instagrams). The details are pretty amazing. Check out the rear coaster brake with a custom torque attached to the ISO disc mounts. The fork is almost to obvious to mention. The Moonmen Ti cruiser bars are the perfect finishing touch. More info: W.H. Bradford Cycles
David Folch – DirtySixer
“Tallest Drink of Water” award
A few years ago at Sea Otter, this guy showed up with a bike that made even Maurice look small. 36″ wheels, sizes that start for riders at 6′ and go up to 7′ 3″. While previous versions of this bike were made of titanium, these production frames, built by Ventanta and funded via Kickstarter, are made from aluminum. Complete bikes will start around $3,400, this Rolhoff/MRP dual-crown build would be much more than that.
This bike took me longer than any other to get outside, so many people had questions, and/or witty (or not-so-witty) comments about its size. More info: Dirty Sixer
Todd Ingermanson – Black Cat Bicycles
“I am a patient boy. I wait and wait and wait” award
A different Black Cat won best in show. I liked this one better. It took at least sessions of cutting and masking for the seven colors of paint on this thing. The head tube/down tube/lug area in the third picture is probably my favorite square foot of the show. More info: Black Cat Bicycles
Sean Burns – Oddity Bicycles
“More bends than the Stelvio” award
Oddity had a 10×10 booth crammed full of bikes, many of them still dirty from recent rides. I was drawn to this tiny bike, which happens to belong to one Shanna Powell, owner of Endless Bike Co., maker of anodized cogs and rings.
This thing has been on some travels and had the dirt and dead bugs to prove it. More info: Oddity Cycles
Continue reading with part two of our NAHBS coverage.