Well, the time has come. This is our seventh and final 2023 MADE Bike Show gallery. We busted our tails to bring you the best coverage from the show. Josh and John scoured the halls of the show for bikes to document, and this last gallery is full of stunning bikes. Check out our selects below!
Thanks to 1-Up USA for sponsoring our continued 2023 MADE Bike Show coverage!
Ahearne and Igleheart Page Street Dirt Tourer
People have tried to re-write history by erasing the word “touring” from the modern zeitgeist of bicycle camping and we ain’t having it. Touring bikes carry your gear on all the terrains, and unlike a gravel bike with bikepacking bags strapped to it, a touring bike will handle correctly, ride better, and ultimately, look way better.
Joseph Ahearne and Chris Igleheart built this Page Street dirt tourer in 2014, right before the 2014 Oregon Outback, an event that created a pivotal moment in grand depart, weekend-length touring events. We remember when this bike was built and remember when Joseph and his friends toured the Outback route a week before the grand depart, offering up much-needed route intel for those of us embarking on the ride. It features custom racks, a proper stack height, an innovative locking steerer tube cotter pin, FULL FENDERS, fat tires, and more…
Wipe your drool, mates. We’re just getting started.
Blaze Bicycles Classic Road
John notes: Dammit, Pierre! We got to talking and I totally forgot to shoot a drive side or any 3/4 full bike profile photos!
Moab, Utah’s Blaze Bicycles might be known for its titanium tourers, like the one John shot for the Philly Bike Expo last year, but when it comes down to it, this is the bike Pierre, the owner of Blaze, rides the most. It’s his go-to-bike and there’s something about what a builder makes for themselves that offers unique insight into their m.o.
Classic lines, hand-sculpted lugs, a custom stem, beautiful paint, and Campagnolo Super Record components adorn this blaze orange custom road bike. While we love titanium tourers, it’s hard to beat a beaut like this. Damn.
Jeffrey Bock “Covid Sheltering in Place” Classic Randonneur
When legendary painter Joe Bell points out the “greatest unknown builder and painter in the show,” you immediately go meet that person and swiftly document their bike. Jeff Bock, who was helping out at the Reynolds booth talking tubing all weekend, has been building, painting, and offering instruction on bicycle fabrication in Ames, IA since the 1970s. And, his personal show bike, displayed next to an exquisite Strawberry, is a feast for the eyes. The thinly filed lugs, detailed paint, and long list of custom accoutrements all signify Jeff’s mastery of the craft. Let’s learn more about this stunning bike in Jeff’s own words:
“I call this my “Covid Sheltering in Place Bike” being as I built it during the lockdown in the winter of 2020. It is pretty much a classic Rando bike. I had been attracted to this style, but, living in Iowa, until Jan Heine and Bicycle Quarterly came along, I didn’t know what they were called. In my mind they are essentially relaxed road bikes with clearances for fenders and supple tires. Of course, you also want a rack and/or bag so you can carry some gear. Built in lighting is another plus. I don’t do Brevets or Randos, but this sort of configuration has always made sense to me. I mean, what more could anyone want from a bike? You’ve got beautiful handing, light weight, the ability to carry some kit and provisions along with lights. In my mind, Rando bikes are the ultimate go anywhere, do anything, at anytime sort of bicycle.
In terms of styling, [my inspirations go way back]. In the basement of Michael’s Cyclery back in 1975, Mike Bornstein was helping me build my first frame. One of the first questions he asked me was, “what is your goal for this bike?” I remember saying that I hoped it would be at least as nice as my Raleigh Pro. Mike said, “Jeff, I think you need to raise your expectations.” Then, he took me upstairs into the shop and showed me a frame built by Strawberry Racing Cycles. It was undoubtedly the most beautiful frame I had ever seen. It had the most beautifully elegant, long, thin, spearpoint lugs beautiful imaginable. In other words, my expectations had been raised. I’ve been pursuing that ideal ever since.”
MADE Edition Moots Routt 45
“Be sure to emphasize this is not a custom Routt 45; it’s just got a fancy anodizing finishing job!” yelled Billy “Souphorse” as he walked away from John and Josh’s outdoor photo studio he set aside strictly for The Radavist. Billy is the brainchild behind MADE, and with the team at Echos Communications, he brought the framebuilder and makers showcase to life. Moots is one of Echos’ clients, so the Steamboat Springs-based builders decided to do something special for the show.
His Routt 45 is indeed a stock offering from Moots, but the custom anodizing is anything but stock. There’s even custom engraving on the stem if you look closely. Oh yeah, that titanium rack? That’s custom. Nate from Moots welded up for Billy…
Thanks for the love, Billy! Right back atcha.
Montenegro Manufacturing Custom Carbon Road Bike
This custom built and finished super sparkly Montenegro Manufacturing road bike caught everyone’s eye inside the show, but that was nothing compared to seeing it outside in direct sunlight. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Hernan Montenegro has been building custom carbon fiber bikes under the Montenegro Manufacturing mark since 2013. Rather than machining his molds like other carbon builders do, Hern’s molds are 3D printed. This allows for a cost-effective method of customization. Montenegro does everything in house starting with fit, through all of the carbon layup and construction, and even paint and finishing. They back all of their builds with a lifetime warranty, including crash repair.
All Montenegro bikes are 1 of 1; there are no model names or limitations. Want a tall bike built of carbon fiber? Hern can do it. A gravel bike with wide tire clearances? He’ll do that, too. This sparkle show bike can clear a 700 x 35mm tire and has a tight enough geometry for road riding but is also optimized for some off-road use – the perfect LA bike. The paint was a multi-step process consisting of a solid color base, then silver flake, iridescent flake, gold leaf, and painted outlines, with lots of clear coating in between steps. Sheesh…. It’s a beaut, Hern!
Pine Cycles Rasa Classic Randonneur-Inspired 650b Light Tourer
Offering a base platform for its customers to then build around a number of brake types, fork specs, or configurations is Pine’s whole thing. Be it disc brakes, rim brakes, center pull, side pull, carbon fork, steel fork, geared, or singlespeed; the Rasa is a platform upon which you can build a bike to suit your needs.
This Rasa was built using classique randonneuring components. Silver components, Rene Herse parts, a 650b wheelset, and other components delivered a vintage silhoutte with a modern chassis made in the US of A. What’s unique about this bike is it dons a Sycip fork, upping the ante even more. This is a prime example of how a unique build can set a bike apart…
Simple Bicycle Co 27.5″ Dirt Jumper
“That bike right there has more time in it than the other three bikes I brought to the show combined.”
“I’ve got 14 bikes I built on display here.”
This man is the realest you can get in the bike industry. He’s a real hustler and exceptionally talented. His work has shaped the US-made frame industry, allowing brands to export their production frames to Simple Bicycle Co to catch up on orders and reduce wait times. He’s touched countless brands over the years, putting his expert fabrication skills to work. Real respect here. Oscar is a fucking god with a 250 amp welder.
Onto his bike, though! This is his 27.5″ wheeled DJ, made in his home workshop and designed around a modified RockShox fork, which he machined down and converted from a 160mm fork to a 190mm. Then, the icing on top is a Chris King Dirt Jumper hub with a Chris King 13t driver.
This might not be the flashiest bike at MADE, but the human who made it is one of the best in the world.
Love you, Oscar.
Singular Cycles Custom Painted Swift Mk5 Rigid MTB
Our buddy Stefano is the US representative for Ingrid Components and a few other brands including Singular Cycles. He used the MADE show to create a special Swift Mk5 with some of his favorite parts and a custom finish. Stefano and Sam from Singular first met back in 2006 at Single Speed Worlds Sweden when Sam rolled up on the first version of the Swift. At the time, it was one of the only platforms that could accommodate a 29+ tire. Now in its fifth incarnation, the Swift has been modernized with geo tweaks, internal dropper routing, and more. It still clears large tires and, at 29×2.6, these Pirelli Scorpions are chonky!
This particular bike was a pre-production frameset Stefano received and then handed it over to Chet Malinow, a local Portland artist, for a custom finish. It’s not clear coated, so when it starts to get dinged up from riding, the under-layers of paint will become visible; like the bottom of a skateboard after lots of use. Stefano calls this his “rock crawler” build, which we think is just Italian for “klunker.” He’s featuring Ingrid’s recently released 30T chainring, “gravity” crankset, and their ultra fresh 10-52 cassette. He also wanted to show off the versatility of Ingrid’s shifting with the MicroSHIFT indexed thumb shifter. The build is finished with complementary colored Paul Klampers and some Avid Ultimate levers Stefano has had stashed away in his parts bin. Ottimo lavoro, Stefano!
Well. That’s a wrap! This was by far our most ambitious framebuilder event Reportage and we know there’s a lot to process over this past week, but please, let us know your favorite from the MADE Bike Show in the comments!
Thanks to 1-Up USA for supporting our continued coverage of the 2023 MADE Bike Show. Check out 1-UP’s made in the USA bike racks.