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Since there seems to be a lot of big-tire’d discussion here on the blog today, I thought I’d share with you one of Sizemore’s latest projects. Built for his father, David Sizemore, Taylor pulled in influences from motorcycles and cruiser bikes on this rig. There are a lot of details I’m into here, the first being the seat tube cluster. See the rest at Sizemore Bicycle’s blog. Taylor, this rules. All I can make for my dad is an egg sandwich.
Mitch from Map Bicycles‘ work was some of the nicest at the 2012 NAHBS. Every last detail on all of his bikes was well thought out and constructed with care. My favorite was his French-fendered, triple triangle, porteur city bike. I could spend all day with out outdoors, giving it lens love but unfortunately, every time I went by the booth, it was being swarmed with people. Other bikes in the booth included a full-loaded touring bike and a gorgeous road frame, complete with barcons and Mafac-brakes. It was great to finally put a face to a name and a company. Next time I see Mitch, hopefully it’ll be on his home turf. Till then, be sure to check out the gallery.
Nate Meschke and Matt Cardinal are Signal Cycles, a framebuilding company, nestled in Portland. Their booth was filled with all kinds of brightly-colored eye candy, right down to their incredible bike stand, holding a shiny red Di2 road bike. Others included a step-through city bike with racks, a fendered road bike and probably my favorite, a commuter with a Edelux lamp and robin’s egg blue paint.
Chatting with and hanging out with Nate and Matt just solidifies their company for me. It’s easy to support a company when it’s backed by two talented, humble people. Check out more from the 2012 NAHBS Signal Cycles booth below.
This year, more than any other year at NAHBS, I got to talk face to face with the builders and their assistants. I took more time listening to their process and their pains. It’s not easy building bicycles in the States and sometimes, things get a little rough financially.
Earlier this year, Bruce Gordon put out an SOS (shop on stress) and the framebuilding world responded. Now, I’m not saying their shop is slammed, but business picked up and Bruce has some new products on the way. Cantis, toe clips and even a nice, 700c gum wall touring tire, made by Panaracer in Japan. It looks like Bruce Gordon is doing a lot better. His booth’s pride was a carbon road bike with details for days.
The townie and commuting bike contingency was rather large this year. More and more people are ditching their cars for handlebars and Ahearne Cycles showed off a few recent builds. My favorite was the blue townie, complete with bamboo lock box and rotating child seat. It even has foot pegs. Other goodies included his Sheldon Brown flasks and shirts.
DiNucci Cycles‘ bikes included a raw road frame and a classic road bike with Curtis Odom tri-arm sport cranks. Sharing the same booth was Vendetta Cycles, who returned with their ever-so-popular Columbus MAX track bike. This bright green beast had everyone drooling. I always love seeing how people use MAX on track bikes and this bike’s custom pinstriping just takes it over the top!
See all this in the Gallery.
I just saw Mr. Hufnagel here in Austin yesterday and we talked about his Porteur City Bike Project rather extensively. As far as a personal branding machine is concerned, Hufnagel Cycles has delivered the total package with this roll-out. Everything is dialed and his price is more than reasonable for the complete bike. Hats off to your Jordan, these bikes are great.
With the success of their Commuter line last year, Levi’s® brought it back, just in time for spring. New to the line for 2012 is the Mobility Fleece, the Commuter Workshirt, the Commuter Hooded Trucker and various colors in the Commuter Trousers.
Ever since last year’s NAHBS, I’ve been watching Eric at Winter‘s brand grow. I’m not exagerrating when I say that his bi-lam head tubes were some of my favorite details at this year’s show. His Jack Taylor-inspired, Keith Anderson-painted and box-lined touring frame was completely stunning. Other bikes in his booth included a simple, yet elegant road frame, a charcoal and mint track machine with a seat tube cleave and a killer commuter, ready for night rides through the Portland streets. All of which you can see in the below Gallery.
The second round of the successful Levi’s® Commuter Series is kicking off soon and to ramp up their promotional material, the team commissioned Cherubim Cycles to build a commuter bike. Pretty rad.
NAHBS is upon us and framebuilders across the country are unveiling their latest creations. One of the booths I’m looking forward to visiting is Map Cycles. Mitch’s work is impeccable and any builder that will show off their fillets on a show bike deserves some lens time. Check out more of Mitch’s Disc-Ville here, at his Flickr.
