Beautiful Handmade Bikes You Have to See
Garabed and I trekked down to Hartford on February 22nd to see some of the coolest handmade bikes from all over the country. The North American Handmade Bicycle Show, which began in 2005, is the largest and oldest hand-built bicycle show in the world. It was the first time the NAHBS was held in the Northeast and reportedly had one of it’s most successful shows, with over 143 exhibitors. Previous shows were mostly out West, the Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic states. Unfortunately, the NAHBS moves back west to Sacremento next year, so we had to make sure we got our fill in while we could.
We saw a lot of metal frame bikes. Whether it was titanium, lugged steel, TIG-welded aluminum, or Fillet-Brazed, each was a work of art. It was amazing to think about the amount of work that went into building each of these bikes versus the mass produced bikes you see today.
Garabed had an opportunity to catch up with Chris Chance of Fat Chance Bikes, creator of the iconic “Eastern Style” mountain bike Yo Eddy. The two reminisced about the days when Fat City operated in Somerville, MA.
We got to see some of the awards ceremonies for the show and here is a full list of the winners:
- Best Lugged Frame: J.P. Weigle
- Best Fillet-Brazed Frame: Chris Bishop
- Best TIG-Welded Frame: Brad Bingham
- Best Layup: Nick Crumpton
- Best Road Bike: J.P. Weigle
- Best Mountain Bike: Altruiste
- Best Cyclocross Bike: Triton Bikes
- Best Gravel Bike: Breismeister Bicycles
- Best Track Bike: T Red Bikes
- Best Tandem: Chapman Bicycles
- Best City/Utility Bike: SaltAir Bikes
- Best Finish: Enigma Bicycleworks
- Best Artisanal Bike: Black Sheep Bikes
- Best New Builder: Eyewater Bicycles
- President’s Award: Salt Air Bikes
- Judges’ Discretionary Award: No. 22
- Best in Show: Altruiste
Here are several shots of some of the things we saw at NAHBS
All in all, it was a fun day.