2023 MADE Bike Show Coverage Part 6: Digit, Framework, Monē, Moots, Page Street, PAUL, Scarab, Scharen, Sycip, and Watts – Josh Weinberg & John Watson | The Radavist | A group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors.

We’re here in Portland, covering the 2023 MADE Bike Show, looking for bikes that we thought you, the readers of The Radavist would appreciate. Josh and John have been scouring the halls of the show for bikes to document, and we’ve got Part 6 of our coverage for you to enjoy…

Thanks to 1-Up USA for sponsoring our continued 2023 MADE Bike Show coverage!

Digit Datum with Old Man Mountain Racks and Bags

The Digit Datum is a 140mm rear travel full suspension aluminum bike that is designed and manufactured in California, USA. Utilizing an Analog suspension system that is contained within the top tube of the bike, the Datum provides a clean look while removing the need for a traditional shock. For rear-wheel travel, it uses a four-bar suspension system. Plus all that extra room for standover and a large framebag thanks to the kink in the downtube. The Datum is a 27.5″ rear and 29″ front wheel bike.

Old Man Mountain brought this unique bike, complete with Axle Packs, cargo cages, and bags on the front with a Divide rack on the rear, loaded with Ponderosa panniers. Don’t ya wanna throw a leg over this beaut? This was our first time checking out the new items from OMM, and we’re stoked to try them out on our trail bikes. Well done, everyone involved!

Framework Bicycles Gravel Bike

After our first look at Framework Bicycles last week, we had a Pavlovian response to see the Framework gravel bike Jonathan had been working on. Well, it did not disappoint, and we were very moved by Jonathan’s homage to his mother, who recently passed away. His mother loved hummingbirds, so Jonathan engraved a repeated design on the head tube.

The repeated hummingbirds are stunning and yet they do not distract from the other details found throughout this frame. For starters, the chainstays are square, drastically reducing rear triangle flex. Then there’s a little notch in the drive side chainstay for chainring clearance. The flat mount brake axle end features the message “flashy isn’t fast, soft isn’t slow.” We can get behind that…

It was great meeting you, Jonathan. Thanks for the love. xo

Moots Routt CRD”d” 750 Gravel Bike

Originally spotted at this year’s Steamboat Gravel event (SBT GRVL), this Moots/WTB prototype generated a lot of buzz in cycling media due to its new wheel and tire size dubbed “750d.” Measuring approximately 30″ around, wheel+tire diameter is similar to a 29er mtb wheel. With the potential to serve larger riders on big bikes – and roll over rough roads more efficiently than 650b or 700c alternatives – this new size option could either prove beneficial for certain riders and applications or a cumbersome new standard for brands and fabricators to work around. Granted this Routt CRD was built specifically to accommodate 750d, it’s probably a bit small for the wheels due to potential toe overlap, but no doubt an interesting use case.

We reached out to WTB for a statement on this 750d “sneak peak” and this was their response:

“Innovated and driven by Mark Slate, WTB has developed a large diameter 750d tire and rim that currently only fits custom-built-to-spec bikes. WTB is constantly prototyping to determine the next advancement in bike technology, but there is currently no production timeline for 750d. Our plans to move forward are dictated by brands interests in this new wheel size. If brands begin manufacturing and spec-ing bikes that accomodate 750d tires, then we will have the opportunity to move forward with the project. There are no plans to offer 750d products aftermarket until there is OEM spec. We’ll be ready if that moment comes. Until then, enjoy this sneak peek behind the curtain and we’ll continue to roll with the diameters currently in the market!”

Do you think there’s a need for another wheel/tire standard? Let us know in the comments.

Mone “Full Enjoy” Suspension Bike

Silver City’s Mone Bikes brought the right kind of spice with them to Portland for the MADE Bike Show. I’m not talking red or green chile, Hatch or Escondido, but rather a stunning fillet brazed full suspension bike, complete with a trail-ready riding kit and carbon Light Bars. Dubbed the “Full Enjoy,” this bike is the latest permutation of Cjell’s obsession with crafting unique trail bikes.

While the design, stance, and exposed fillets are enough to drool over, we really just wanted to note that Cjell has done a stellar job with Mone Bikes, creating a look and feel so unique in the framebuilding world. Cjell is undecided whether or not this bike will ever go to production but he did hint at future full suspension projects on the horizon, so stay tuned.

Page Street “Viajero” Travel Bike

Page Street is resident Portlander Joseph Ahearne’s adjacent project to his established Ahearne Cycles brand, which debuted the Viajero Travel/Mini-velo at MADE and will be available for preorder soon. According to Joseph:

“The Viajero is a 20” wheel packable bike that rides and feels like any full-sized bike. It has a coupler and a seat tube split so that it can break down and fit into a suitcase, and it has a larger head tube and heat-treated main tubes and chain stays for stiffness, even for taller riders. It’s not to be confused with a folding bike — the process of packing the bike may take 20 minutes or so, less once you have practiced. But the sweet spot for this bike is for someone who’s traveling to a new city for a few days and wants a solid, fun, quick-handling bike to get around on. I’ve been doing my cross-town commute on one for the past week and it’s been a blast. It’s surprisingly nimble and fast. As someone who test rode it said, “Unless you look down you forget that you’re not riding a regular bicycle. Keep an eye on pagestreetcycles.com or sign up for notifications. We’ll be taking pre-orders very soon — should be in the next week or two.”

We pedaled the Viajero around Zidell Yards and can confirm that it rides like a much larger bike and is certainly something to consider if you want a less cumbersome method of traveling with a personal bike. Thanks for the ride, Joseph!

Paul from PAUL Component Engineering‘s BTCHN Bikes Drop Bar MTB

Over the years, John has documented several of Paul from Paul Component Engineering’s bikes, but this might be the biggest one yet. Leaning on Chico’s own BTCHN Bikes, Paul commissioned Tyler to build him a drop bar mountain bike with clearance for 29×3″ tires, a stunning drop drive-side chainstay, and a front triangle big enough for the largest framebag of the show.

While Paul usually rolls around on a suspension fork, for MADE, he brought along his rigid Mone Bikes tri-plane fork to celebrate US manufacturing. The drop bars, longer reach, slack front end, touring mounts, and proper clearances had us fascinated with this bike. Plus, that color. Wow.

Good to see you, Paul. Thanks for the hangs!

Scarab Cycles Darien Hardtail

The Darien is the first mountain bike offered by our friends at Scarab Cycles who, other than the Onguza and Simworks teams, might have traveled the furthest to join us in Portland. Handmade in Scarab’s Medellin, Colombia workshop, the Darien is fine-tuned to lead the pack on cross-country rides and long forays into the backcountry with agile handling modern spec. Every Darien is custom-built and optimized for 100-130mm travel forks, depending on rider preference. With clearance for 29” x 2.6 tires, it is an ideal companion for tackling technical terrain and navigating through diverse landscapes.

The Darien will be built with UDH dropout system compatible with SRAM’s T-Type Transmissions, equipped with a T47 bottom bracket allowing for multiple crankset options, and internal dropper routing. Like all of Scarab’s builds, paint/finish work is all custom and based around a collection of design options, which relate to their home country and region within Colombia. This Darien show bike is finished in an Arlequin design, meant to resemble the bright and colorful markings of poisonous Dendrobates frogs that, while nearly extinct in many areas, were at one time found throughout Colombia. This color combo also provided the perfect complementary canvas to feature Wolf Tooth’s new Olive colored components.

Scharen Cycles Touring Bike

Out of Ashland, Oregon, Scharen Cycles’ touring bike really strummed our heartstrings with a custom polished build kit and custom tweed bags (which are made from an old tweed jacket) by Bend, Oregon maker Take a Trip Bags. the Garbaruk rear cage matches the complete silver kit while offering a massive gear range, while the new, polished Astral and White Industries Outback wheels nearly blinded us in the early morning sun.

Yet the stand-out detail on the bike was the 3D-printed stainless steel fork crown that blends perfectly with the head tube and headset while tapering to the 1″ fork blades. We can feel this bike’s fork flex over the washboard roads just by looking at it!

Sycip Rigid MTB

Jeremy Sycip’s bikes are always a treat to document, with his “$.2 refund” seat stay penny caps, segmented seat stay, and immaculate construction. Seriously, you’ll never spot a hiccup in a weld on a Sycip bike! They are impeccable. Yet, we were not prepared for the story behind this rigid MTB he brought to the MADE Bike Show.

This bike is Micky Dymond’s first mountain bike. Known for his moto career, Micky has been helping Jeremy Sycip in the shop and this is his bike. Designed around a 140mm suspension fork, the bike can be run as a hardtail or a rigid bike in touring mode as displayed. When Micky completed the Race Across America, he was sponsored by Shimano, and the brand reunited with Micky to help kit out his new mountain bike, which really moved us!

Thanks to Jeremy for the chats and Shimano MTB for supporting Micky’s new bike!

Watts Frameworks Aero-Rando Bike

Spaces like MADE provide a platform for new framebuilders to display their projects, even if they’re a work in progress. Henrietta from Watts Frameworks brought along her latest creation in a raw, “rolling chassis” form. The unique forms here were inspired by Hope and Lotus’ 2019 concept track bike. Henrietta asked, “what would that look like built from steel?” and viola…

This bike is an instrumental form and was by far the most creative exercise in constructeur techniques, pushing both the envelope in a multi-material construction technique and questioning aero and lightweight possibilities. The seat tube is carbon and features a WZRD Bikes topper–we missed you, Em!–and a tube spec focused on lightweight, small-diameter tubing profiles since the buttressing of the rear triangle and fork would act as additional bracing.

For those curious, Henrietta sent along the profiles of the tubing.