I’m not sure exactly what it is, but Rapha somehow manages to throw a lot of cyclists into a trance. Last weekend at NAHBS was no different.  They thundered into Austin on Thursday night and mesmerized everyone with their dazzling Rapha Continental Movie Premier at Mellow Johnny’s.  Before anyone could snap out of their daze, they hit them again with the Mellow Johnny’s Rapha Gentlemen’s Ride.  If that wasn’t enough, they continuously knocked people out with their display at the NAHBS event itself.

Local Austin photographer, Chris Gomez, captured it all in these pictures below.  Careful now, we don’t want you falling victim to the Rapha trance as well.

Rapha Continental Movie Premier at Mellow Johnny’s

Rapha Gentlemen’s Ride

MJ’s had all the action during this year’s NAHBS in Austin

This wasn’t about Rapha, but I had to include a shot of the Gary Fisher Custom Transport at MJ’s VIP Party

The Indie Fab Rapha Bike on display at NAHBS

For more of Chris’ Rapha Event photos from last weekend’s NAHBS, click right here.  Proceeds from photos purchased at Chris Gomez Photography go to Livestrong and Pablove.

When I was checking out the North American Handmade Bike Show this past weekend, I wanted to try and only capture certain aspects of it in my blog posts. Oh, and before I forget….I apologize for the overload of NAHBS posts and tweets this past week, but it’s pretty much impossible not to get caught up with all this bikey goodness.  I’ve got a few more aspects of the show coming out in the near future, but pretty soon you won’t see the letters NAHBS pop up again…at least for a little while.

After checking out the show, I felt it would be cool to focus a post on Wood Wheels, Bamboo Frames, and how they were making it happen at this year’s show.  It was hard to ignore the fact that wood is making it’s way back into the world of cycling builds, and these companies were in full force and captured a lot of attention at NAHBS.  Boo Bicycles, Zambikes, Bamboosero, Threepenny Bikes, Panda Bicycles, and Calfee Design were all there showing off their bamboo frames.  Ric Hjertberg from Wheel Fanatyk was set up and displaying the sweet wood rims of Ghisallo as well.

After learning a whole lot more about them over the past few days…I’m convinced that bamboo is not just a gimmick or fad.  Bamboo is here to stay.  I took an incredible amount of good footage in the video interviews below, so have a listen, and see why I’m a new fan of Bamboo bikes.  There is a lot of wisdom shared by these wood experts….Enjoy.

Craig Calfee

Let me start off with my Craig Calfee interview.  Not only was he the first dude to build a bike out of bamboo….he was also the first to build one out of carbon. This guy is a bike building legend.

Ghisallo

Ever wondered how wood wheels compare to more conventional wheel building material?  Ric from Wheel Fanatyk is here to let you know.

Panda Bicycles

Yep, I just had to ask Jacob of Panda Bicycles if he’s ever done a panda shot on his panda bike.

Boo Bicycles

I became a big fan of Nick Frey over the weekend and on Friday I’ll post the interview I had with him about the transition from pro cyclist to bike manufacturer.  I invite you to further explore all the cool things happening at Boo Bicycles as well as all the Bamboo frame builders who were on hand for the show.  I’ve included some photos for y’all below as well.

• Boo Bicycles: www.boobicycles.com
• Zambikes: www.new.zambikes.org
• Bamboosero: www.bamboosero.com
• Threepenny Bikes: www.threepennybikes.com
• Panda Bicycles: www.pandabicycles.com
• Calfee Design: www.calfeedesign.com

James Wolf, Boo Bicycles Frame Builder and Designer

Panda Bicycles

One of Calfee Design’s Bamboo Bikes

A couple of the Bamboosero frames

The Threepenny Bamboo frame

@bamboocyclist’s Single Speed Zambikes ride

Your Thoughts?

So what do you think about wood frames and wheels?  Would you buy one?  What would prevent you from going the wood route?

]]> http://lovingthebike.com/uncategorized/wood-wheels-and-frames-making-it-happen-at-nahbs/feed 5 http://lovingthebike.com/uncategorized/for-the-love-of-the-bike http://lovingthebike.com/uncategorized/for-the-love-of-the-bike#comments Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:01:58 +0000 Darryl http://lovingthebike.com/?p=3323 Share/Bookmark

Just got home from day two of NAHBS and the best way for me to sum things up is that today was a gathering of people who are in it “For the Love of the Bike”.  There really isn’t any other way to describe it.  So many different kinds of cyclists, people, and backgrounds….all coming together because they are Loving the Bike.  What a day, I am so thankful I was able to be a part of all this.

I won’t be going back to the show tomorrow, but I have some more pictures for all you bike porn junkies out there.  Oh, and the photos from today and yesterday are just my amateur shots.  I’ll be posting Chris Gomez’s professional photos in the coming days.  I also have enough video footage and interviews to keep you entertained for days…and will be laying those out in various posts very soon as well.  Watch for the first set coming out on “Make it Happen Monday“.

The front hub of my Wife’s favorite bike at the show: Naked Bicycles

Another shot of this stripped down beauty made by Naked Bicycles

Even when they are dirty….bikes are just so beautiful to look at

If you thought the flask holder on the Watson bike was cool….you’ll like this as well

It’s hard to single out just one of the builders with all the incredible bikes and displays at the NAHBS…but for some reason Watson Cycles caught my eye. They had a super fat tire bike on display that was very sweet, along with a bunch of other custom frames.  The company does an incredible job at blending simplicity and unique personality in each bike and I really dig what they’re doing over there.

I talked to Andrew Watson, the company’s owner and craftsman about how things are going with his company.  I’ve also got a couple shots of his “Fat Tire” as well.

I don’t make many predictions, but in my opinion Watson Cycles is going to be the next big thing in the bike building business.  Keep an eye on them.  For more information, check them out at www.watsoncycles.com.

I’m still in awe of all the bicycle goodness seen at this year’s NAHBS….here are a few pictures to show you what the day was like through my eyes.  More posts, pictures, and video coming over the next few days.

One of the few crazy concept bikes

Hot Pink is a popular color at this year’s show

Super cool…and super fat tire bike by Watson bikes

This Crumpton Mountainbike weights just over 16 pounds….and made right here in Austin

Indie Fab

I’ll be having a bunch of posts and updates from the 2011 North American Handmade Bicycle Show happening in Austin this weekend, but here is your first look at all the goodness.  I was lucky enough to hang out during yesterday’s set up of the show and get a behind the scenes look at the whole thing coming together. Check out the “Sneak Peek” video and some quick shots of the action.  It’s already a given that this is going to be the best NAHBS ever.  It’s on….watch for updates today and over the weekend.

The Rapha display going up……this will be one of Chris‘ favorite places this weekend.

The Italian Cinelli crew unboxing all the goodness

Boo Bicycles designer and master craftsman, James Wolf getting things set up for the show

Uncrating the bikes at NAHBS

Priority Cycles is a Family Affair: The Madsen’s and Baby Reyna

It’s ON….see you at NAHBS 2011

The 2011 North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) is only two days away, and you can already feel the anticipation in the Austin air.  This year’s show will be a record breaker for number of exhibitors…and with Austin being such a bike friendly city, I’ll bet we break some attendance records as well.

I thought it would be cool to get a response from one of the exhibitors a couple days out from the show and see how their last minute preparations are going and what they expect from this weekends event, so I contacted Nick Frey.  Nick is the owner of Boo Bicycles, a handmade frame building company based out of Fort Collins, CO and specializing in high-performance bamboo-carbon bikes.

LTB: Are you guys all set for this year’s NAHBS?

Nick: Almost!  I’m building up a Boo road bike with Dura Ace and Enve Composites 1.45 carbon clincher wheels, it’s coming together very nicely.  It is a customer’s bike, a stock geometry Road model, and he’s very excited to have it on display at NAHBS.

We prefer using customers’ bikes for shows–they are not trailer queens, they are ridden and raced and proven.  One of the biggest obstacles we’ve had to confront is the notion that bamboo bikes are a novelty.  It may be true that most bamboo bikes on the market are targeted at the green market or for those who simply like the idea and want a relatively low-cost bike that stands out from the crowd.  However, I am a professional cyclist and Boo Bicycles produces professional level racing bicycles.

LTB: What is the number one thing you hope to achieve at the show?

Nick: We are looking for PRESS to get the word out.  From that press, we are looking to line up magazine test reviews, grow our exclusive dealer network, and sell some custom bikes direct.  But all that comes from the incredible publicity of being at the show and getting the word out through the web.

LTB: What is the coolest bike you’ll be brining to the show?

Nick: That’s a trick question: every one!  To be honest, if I had to choose, it would be Kirk Hartshorn’s Boo Singlespeed.  It is fitted with a belt drive from Gates, the new CenterTrack version, and features a custom Boo Barstem with carbon fiber and rattan inlays.  It’s one of the cleanest, sexiest bikes we have ever built.

LTB: Bamboo bikes are sort of becoming the rage right now. Do you think we’ll see more Bamboo bike manufactures being started?

Nick: Absolutely, it’s already happening.  The obstacles are serious:

1. There is no knowledge base for bamboo construction.  It’s a new material and new builders keep the construction methods to themselves.
2. Bamboo is a finicky material.  The rewards are an incredible blend of lively, supple ride quality, stiff and efficient power transfer, and relatively light weight. But bamboo must be treated properly, only a few species are the best for use in a frame, and the quality of the bamboo is of utmost importance.  There is not a consistent supply of ultra-high quality bamboo and this is why we’ve taken absolutely everything in-house.  We know the level of standards because we control every step.
3. Consistent quality is very difficult.  We’ve gone through more prototypes and learning experiences with various details of our different frame models over the last three years than I’d like to count. The devil is in the details, and we are building custom frames that cost close to $3000 each.  We have had to invest a great deal of time, effort, and ingenuity to ensure every single frame is perfect. After what we’ve been through in the last three years, I’m guessing that there will be few builders at our price level in the market any time soon.

LTB: Have you been to Austin before? What would you like to see or do while you’re here?

Nick: I traveled through Austin briefly on the way to a training camp in the Hill Country west of town, but I have not experienced the city.  Its reputation as a very progressive, hip town is perfect for NAHBS, and I’m very excited to be so close to Mellow Johnny’s, the only Boo Bicycles dealer in Texas.  They have a trick custom Boo belt drive Rohloff-geared flat-bar road bike, Bart Knagg’s personal steed, and it will be great to have their support at the show. James Wolf, the genuis craftsman behind every Boo frame, has flown in from Vietnam for the show, and I’m sure we will enjoy the experience and partake in the nightlife if there is any energy left after the show!

Boo Bicycles was created in 2009 by Nick Frey, a multiple national champion, professional cyclist, and a mechanical engineer.  Over 18 months of research and development at Princeton University has resulted in high performance, expertly-engineered bamboo bicycles.

If you’ll be at NAHBS, drop by the Boo display and say hello to Nick.

It’s still four weeks away, but I’m totally stoked to be attending my first ever NAHBS (North American Handmade Bicycle Show) held right here in Austin, Texas this year. This is the 7th year for the NAHBS and it’s taking place in the ATX from February 25 to 27.

The show began as, and remains, the largest and most important gathering of custom bicycle builders anywhere in the world.  It features all conceivable types of bicycle: Some dazzlingly beautiful, some you thought might have been impossible to build, some very fuctional and utilitarian, and others that are simply classics of their genres.

Whatever types of bike they are, they’re all of the highest quality at NAHBS. All of our booth holders have completed at least 50 frames and spent at least two years as a professional builder. Each of them carries product liability insurance and is a highly reputable and respected member of the industry.

I’ll be blogging from the show when I attend in February, but I wanted to post about it now because I’m amazed at how many people have still never heard of the NAHBS.  If you’ve been thinking about attending, here’s four reasons why I think you should make it happen:

1. This year they’ve broken the exhibitor record, so you know the show will be packed full of great manufacturers and bikey type displays.
2. Thousands of the most beautiful bikes you’ve ever seen, all together in one room. (Check out the Exhibitor List)
3. Intense and extremely educational NAHBS Seminars.
4. It’s in Austin, Baby….Enough Said.

If you’re coming….and I really hope you are, be sure to purchase your tickets to the show online, in advance.  Doing so, you’ll save yourself some cash on the entrance fee.  Oh, and if you’re coming…be sure to let me know so we can make some meet up plans.

For more information on the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, head over to www.2011.handmadebicycleshow.com.