I’m back from NAHBS; but my notebook, camera, and brain are still full of people, bikes, and stories to share. So, without further delay, let’s take a closer look at three more interesting bikes that caught my eye…
Rick Hunter’s NAHBS centerpiece was a 29-inch wheeled adventure bike. Hunter built it for himself to tackle epic, multi-day rides in the hills near his shop in Santa Cruz County. The bike is extremely versatile (he called it a “universal bike”) and it can be built up with gears, as a singlespeed, or with an internal hub. You could even squeeze a suspension fork on if you wanted to. It’s also easy to travel with, featuring a Ritchey Break-away joint at the seat tube cluster and an S & S Coupler low on the downtube near the bottom bracket.
Other highlights include: a custom frame bag with an easy-access tool flap (made by Randi Jo Fabrications in Eugene, OR) that buttons directly to the frame; Hunter-built front and rear racks; and custom-made, two-piece bar-stem combo that Hunter devised to get the drop bars extra wide (he chopped a set of aluminum bars and then stuck the ends into his bar-stem combo); and a durable finish that consists of a base powdercoat with a matte wet clear coat over it. It all adds up to one inspiring rig…
Pryor’s “disc-Ville” kept his booth crowded all weekend long. The bike is a triumph of old and new that was inspired from an unlikely source — a set of 1950s moped fenders given to him by the bike’s owner, noted bicycle designer Bryant Bainbridge.”The fenders were the basis of this entire bike,” Pryor shared with me during a chat in his booth yesterday.
He sums up this bike as, “A modern porteur than looks like an old porteur… The lines remind me of an old, pre-war Bugatti.”
The modern bits of the bike include Paragon Machine Works dropouts, disc-brakes (which he had to use because the fenders completely cover the rims), a Shimano XTR drivetrain, a Supernova light system, and an 1-1/8″ headset.
The other thing about this bike that caught my eye was the “Hellenic” stays (the triangle formed by the seat stays) and the artful way Pryor wrapped the ends of the tubes.
Having documented the Dutch/cargo/beer bike phenomenons here in Portland, I’m not easy to impress when it comes to these categories. But Josh Boisclair’s ‘Alcohauler’ deserves attention. Six months ago, the veteran mechanic and maker (My Dutch Bike is a shop that imports Dutch bikes) came across an old, black-and-white photo of a bakfiets-style cargo bike hauling a few kegs.
That photo inspired a six month project and the result is a behemoth cargo bike that can carry three full kegs. To prove the bikes’ road-worthiness, Boisclair rode it about 100 miles from his shop in Oakland to the Sacramento Convention Center.
Highlights of the bike include a custom-made set of beefy Phil Wood hubs. Boisclair said he couldn’t find any hubs that would withstand the 500 pound load capacity he needed for this bike. He wanted to source them locally in the Bay Area, so picked up the phone and called San Jose-based Phil Wood.
Boisclair credited Portland-based Metrofiets Custom Cargo Bikes as another inspiration for this bike. Now he plans to promote it to local businesses as a truck replacement. Nice work Josh!
— This is part of BikePortland’s special coverage of NAHBS 2012. Read more stories and browse more images here.
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100 years ago, this was a common use for this style of cargo bike, in denmark and holland. good to see this particular variant of the long john reincarnated. finding someone to ride it loaded may be a bit trickier. the issues are primarily a) getting the bike up on to and down off the kickstand and b) what to do when it starts to tip while standing over the frame. believe you me, having moved 400 lbs on a long john, if it starts to go, youll be hard pressed to stop it from falling over – and pulling that kind of weight up and over a pivoting drop stand is a LOT of work. honestly, 200 lbs is more than enough for most people.
Math question: is the amount of influence a rider has on balancing her bike and load a linear ratio of Weight A: Weight B? Sounds like there are some serious limits.
There’s some V^2 in there, too, but relatively small for rider-to-bike relative velocity, so yeah, rider mass makes a difference for heavy loads. But riding a bike is about dynamic balance with steering/counter-steering input being a large factor which is relatively independent of the rider’s weight, so while a heavy rider probably has some advantage when it comes to massive loads, a smaller rider with the right skills could also pilot the Alcohauler. Some motorcycles weigh in well over 500lbs and are ridden by smaller riders, so it’s not at the limit. Pumping that load up a hill must use some serious pistons!
I wish there was an indestructible demo freight bike to try out some big-load hauling!
*riding* it with a big load isnt the issue. that parts easy. its supporting it while loaded and not moving, off the kickstand. if 500 lbs gets past a tipping point, youre not likely to be able to stop it – you just dont have the leverage. and being able to pull 500 lbs up and onto a drop stand? yikes. im not huge, but i aint small, and believe you me, pulling long john loaded with 400 lbs onto a stand was not easy.
The keg hauler bike is already rusting?
Surface rust can happen practically overnight on a raw frame.
really beautiful bikes!
As a former resident of Santa Cruz County I can see where the design of the bike by Rick Hunter comes into play. That bike would work really well along the coastal cliff side roads where it can go from an easy ride to dirt and sand and back again in an instant.
I’m particularly drawn to the silver bike by MAP Bicycles. That is a beauty!! Just looking at it makes me want to put on a tux and ride it to a five star establishment.
And well…who doesn’t love a bike that can haul kegs of beer?
Thought I saw some images of bikes from Moth Attack. Megan’s a female builder and I would certainly watch her in the coming years. She’s getting quite good indeed.
Hi Case,
You’re right! I’ve since found out that Moth Attack was at the show. Apologies. I’ve edited the caption. Cheers.
Oh yeah, no worries, she’s an old friend and I thought I’d get her a little face time on BP.com. 🙂
love the powdercoat with matte wet clearcoat over it!
btw, the bike cant tip over, it will rest on the perimeter frame rails of the cargo bay. you cannot scrape the frame in turns, but also do not have o lift a keg completely, AND the low height an width prevent tipping over