The North American Handmade Bicycle show was in Sacramento this year. I knew I would be kicking myself if I didn’t make the 90 mile drive to Sac to check it out. Friday, March 2nd was the first day of the show. I was there that day waiting in line at 11 am, when the doors opened to the general public. Here are some highlights from the show. Stay tuned for part 2 (and possibly part 3).
Shamrock Cycles is headed up by Tim O’Donnell. He made the journey from Indianapolis to display some finely detailed rigs. Check out this interview of Tim by bikerumor.com for some greater insight into the Shamrock way!
(Click on any photo to see a larger version)
Next up is DEAN Titanium Bicycles. DEAN is legendary for their titanium frames. They have over 20 years of experience in the game of frame building and it shows. They had a full carbon prototype road frame on display as well which might make an appearance in part 2 or 3. DEAN’s craftmanship was top-notch. The welds were beautiful and the designs were classic. If I were in the market for a ti frame, DEAN would be on my shortlist.
DEAN (and several others) had some carbon/ti tubing on some of their frames. As explained to me, a thinner than normal titanium tube can be custom laser cut with company logos/graphics (this part is optional), and then placed over a carbon tube. A bladder is inserted into the carbon tube and expanded. The end result is a combination ti/carbon tube that is stiffer than titanium and very light. The bond between the 2 elements is extremely strong. Quite a few of the other ti builders had similar tubing on display, which you will see further down the page. Check out Vyatek for further info. They are the company which supplies most of the specialty tubes. Also, roadcyclinguk.com has a pretty concise and clear explanation of the process.
Paul Price has been making components in Chico, CA for over 20 years. “Nice parts since 1989, made in the USA.” Check out his website for more info by clicking on the logo. He had a table set up at the show displaying his latest adventures in machining. Need some thumbies? Beautiful stuff!!
Check out this interview linked here, where Paul describes his passion for what he does with his own two hands.
The show was filled with a ton of hand crafted frames. To my surprise, there was also a strong presence of companies there that support the frame building process. Below is just one of these companies. You’ll be seeing more of the same in upcoming posts.
The legendary Tom Ritchey was there showing off his new P-29, as well as one of his first mountain bikes from the late 70’s, and a road bike he built for his father around 1973. Tom Ritchey is one of the pioneers and is a class act. It is unfortunate that Specialized stole his design and had them shipped overseas for mass production – but that’s a rant for another time! Ritchey is celebrating 40 years of frame building this year. 1972-2012.
Kent Eriksen’s booth was the one I was most excited about seeing this year. I have seen pictures of his work before, but have never been able to see a frame in person. One of the quests I was on while at the show this year was to find the sexiest welds from any builder. There was some incredible competition, but Eriksen Cycles takes the prize. Their lead welder, Chris Moore is a master at his craft. For close up pics of what I am talking about, scroll to the bottom of this post and enjoy! Eriksen Cycles won 2 awards this year at the NAHBS for Best Titanium Bike and Best Tandem. That’s 2 years in a row for Best Tandem. In 2011, Eriksen Cycles won the category for the mountain tandem bike that he brought along with him again this year again (pictured below). If I were going to buy a titanium mountain or road bike, it would hands down come from the shop of Eriksen Cycles in Steamboat Springs, CO.
