Amid the dizzying array of bike bling and pure craftsmanship here at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, sometimes it’s the little things you remember at the end of the day.
Here are a few snapshots I’ve been collecting in my head…
Day: February 9, 2008
Bolt cutters used to solve bike parking snafu
No metal was safe from bikes at the NAHBS today.
(Photo © J. Maus)
(Photo © J. Maus)
No more room: Fire Marshall says NAHBS at capacity
Bummer.
The crowds here at the Oregon Convention Center have been thick all morning. So thick in fact that City of Portland Fire Marshall Michelle Coefield just told me that they can’t let anyone else in until people begin to leave.
Just after 1:30 or so today Coefield said she was worried that the size of the crowd was getting out of hand. “When we can’t get through the aisles,” she said, “we are forced to close the doors.”
Fire Marshall Coefield estimated that the capacity of the venue was just over 3000 people and that the crowd at around 2:30 was “well over” that figure.
Chris King rekindles an old flame
Chris King, the man who redefined headsets and has not compromised the quality of his Chris King Precision Components in over thirty years, has rekindled his love for making bicycle frames.
In typical Chris King style, he has quietly re-launched his Cielo Cycles brand name.
According Chris King Components marketing guy Chris Distefano, King began making frames in 1978, just two years after he created the headset that would make him a household name to bike geeks around the world. He built bikes primarily for road racing teams that would be labeled under a variety of nationally-known brand names.
‘Naked’ bike draws attention
There’s more than meets the eye
in Sam Whittingham’s booth.
(Photos © Jonathan Maus)
in Sam Whittingham’s booth.
(Photos © Jonathan Maus)
35 year-old builder Sam Whittingham of British Columbia-based Naked Bicycles, exhibited at NAHBS last year. He displayed several of his Naked Bicycles, got a few orders, but he failed to wow the crowds.
This year, he thought he would do something different. He brought only one bike — but he made it count.
Bike show puts builders in the media spotlight
Mike Flanigan in the CS Monitor.
One of the most important keys to the success of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) is the media coverage it generates.
Local and national news outlets from both the cycling and mainstream media are covering all the action. And this year, with the show in Portland, the stories often feature Portland builders.
Here’s a little rundown of some of the recent coverage.
