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NAHBS: Form and function
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Among all the builders and the wide selections of material, color, construction and size at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, one common theme that I’ve noticed is a distinct respect for all-purpose, utilitarian bikes.
Perhaps it’s a reaction to fuel prices during the summer, or simply an expression of the small builders’ ethic, but at least 70 percent of the builders on display are showing some variant of an urban town bike, a cargo bike or an all-purpose touring road bike.
The latter, the “Brevet” (as builder Vincent Dominguez dubbed it) has a practical, sturdy frame construction and is meant for dawn to dusk (if not longer) rides. Most bikes of this style have at least a front rack, comfortable geometry, fenders and often a front hub generator and light combination. The bikes on display here at the NAHBS have all the subtle touches you would expect, including internal light wire routing, clean and purpose-built rack mounts and, of course, beautiful hand-hammered fenders, painted to match.
Here’s a quick sampling of some of the finer all-purpose road bikes seen so far.
Signal Cycles
Signal Cycles of Portland celebrates its first birthday this weekend. Co-founders Nate Meschke and Matt Cardinal decided last year when the show came to Portland to finally act on their impulse to start a frame shop, and the past year was their first in operation. Both work part-time with their new company, as the workload and financial return is not quite enough to justify taking it full-time.
The touring bike they brought for display actually belongs to a customer. “He commutes every day in Portland, and he’s had it for six months,” said Meschke. “We asked if we could bring it for display, but when he brought it in, the whole bottom half was covered in grime!” Evidently they had no problem cleaning it up for display, and it looks brand new. A generator front hub powers the headlamp, and the wire is routed internally.
Signal Cycles also displayed the front portion of a bike and fork rack being built for a customer. The rack has a dual wine bottle holder.
Yipsan
Richard Yip of Fort Collins has also been in business for just a few years. But he’s already turned out several custom bikes, including a customer-specific road bike built for commuting. As with many of the Brevet bikes, a generator powers a front and rear light, and the wires are routed internally. Fenders are painted to match, and Yipsan had the Dura-Ace crankset polished to match the chrome and polish finish on other parts of the bike.
Vincent Dominguez Cycles
Builder Vincent Dominguez brought his own personal Brevet bike to the show from St. Paul, Minnesota, but obviously had no problems cleaning it up for display.Internal routing for computer wires, headlamp wires, and shifter cables gives the bike a very clean look, and also protects the parts from damage or breakage.
He’s even painted the stem, crankset and brake levers to match the frame and front rack.
Ahearne Cycles
Joseph Ahearne of Portland, Oregon, displayed a retro-themed touring bike. A compact square-taper crank from Specialties TA looks a lot like what would have been cutting edge componentry 30 years ago. Another nice touch is three bottle cage mounts — however one of them was sporting a flask.
Hufnagel Cycles
Jordan Hufnagel, also from Portland, displayed a classic-looking touring bike. Front and rear panniers, as well as a flatbed, wood-slat front rack, were all painted to match the frame. Stem-mounted downtube shifters completed the retro-styling on this lugged and brazed frame.Related
