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.