(Photos © J. Maus)
Among all the crazy, costumed ‘cross racing this past weekend in Bend was also the annual Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show. The show is put on by the Oregon Bicycle Constructors Association, which is a bike building trade organization based here in Portland.
In Bend, the event felt like it had a bit less energy than it’s had in Portland; but it also wasn’t full of the builders’ friends just hanging out and drinking beer. The people that showed up, came to talk about buying a bike. I overheard several builders talking price and fit with prospective customers, which really is the point of these shows isn’t it?
Below are a few more of my images and notes from the show…
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Can you believe there is only one handmade bike builder in Moab, Utah? His name is Pierra Chastain and he works under the Blaze Bicycles banner. He showed this classic and stoutly built mixte. I like how he matched the bike’s finish to the old leather saddle…
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Eric Estlund of Winter Bicycles (Eugene) had an interesting request from a customer. Someone had him build a knife sharpening bike. Eric told me the design was based on a photo from Rome in the 1940s that was given to him by the customer. The bike is fully rideable with a quick swap of the chains and all the parts are fully serviceable even though it was purpose-built to sharpen knives. The bike is very sturdy (as Eric demonstrates below) thanks to a rear rack that swoops down and becomes a stand. There’s also a very nice box in the front to store different grinder bits and, of course, knives…
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The next thing that caught my eye was the gorgeous paint job on an old bike made by Keith Anderson from Grants Pass, Oregon. Anderson builds bikes but he’s known in the industry as a master painter (many of the finest builders are his clients). The road bike below is one he built for a customer in 1988 that came back to him “through the grapevine.” It just so happened to fit him so he decided to give it a new paintjob. The result is amazing: a pleasing mix of pearl-white, pink, dark blue, and a bit of gold metallic thrown in to top it all off. The bike includes what might possibly be the most detailed and labor-intensive set of fenders I’ve seen…
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Always pushing the design boundaries is Joseph Ahearne of Ahearne Cycles (Portland). Ahearne brought a few new bikes I haven’t seen before, including this awesome 29’er off-road touring bike. Check the integrated racks (with U-lock holster) and nice use of a Jeff Jones handlebar…
Joseph also unveiled a very interesting longtail. I didn’t get a chance to chat with him about it, but it’s basically a step through with an extended rear-end for carrying a person. How do I know it’s designed for a person and not just cargo? Joseph has welded on foot pegs…
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And one last photo from the show… A nicely done city bike by Edwin Brown of Sprout Cycles (Portland).
Congrats to all the builders and to the folks at the OBCA for bringing the art and industry of handmade bicycles to Central Oregon.