(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
The Oregon Handmade Bike Show celebrated its 10th anniversary this past weekend. I was fortunate enough to be there on Saturday to meet a few of the exhibitors and see their latest creations.
Here’s what caught my eye…
Shoes by Venn Design
Remember the name Tyler Benner. Benner and his Portland-based Venn Design are on the cusp of unleashing a new type of shoe that could revolutionize not just cycling but many other sports as well. The key to Benner’s approach is simple yet profound: His shoes give your feet — and especially your toes — more room to work their biomechanical magic.
Benner is a believer in the direct connection between healthy feet and toes and optimal athletic performance — a philosophy promoted by Portland-based podiatrist Ray McClanahan that has led to the development of his Correct Toes system. Benner studied physics in college and is a noted archery expert who trained at the Olympic Training Center and competed internationally. But he told me Saturday his research on the connections between feet and performance came from driving. “I drive a sportscar and I noticed I couldn’t use the clutch pedal with the dexterity I wanted.”
He soon realized his narrow cycling shoes were also limiting his physical abilities on the bike. Once he started using wider shoes, he says, “It caused a chain reaction up my whole body.”
Benner’s shoes use a bamboo sole and have a generously wide footbed. A small cushion in the arch area adds to the comfort. I tried them on and loved how they felt (disclaimer: I was already a big believer in the healthy toes thing ever since local bike fitter Michael Sylvester turned me on to it). Watch for these shoes to be available for sale on Benner’s website very soon.
Fat Chance settles into Oregon
Mountain bikes from builder Chris Chance were revered in the off-road glory days of the 1990s. After a hiatus from building, Chance is back with Fat Chance Cycles and has set up shop in the southern Oregon town of Ashland (along with other noted builders like Mike DeSalvo, Jeff Jones, John Slawta (Land Shark) and Fred Cuthbert (Wolfhound Cycles)). I wasn’t able to talk to Chance as much as I wanted, but his bikes speak for themselves.
Chance is particularly jazzed about his Chris Cross model. It looks like a cyclocross bike from afar; but it was displayed with 27.5-inch wheels and big 2.1-inch tires. You can quickly swap those for 700c wheels and have a much more svelte bike. Chance told me he loves the trend toward taking drop-bar bikes on off-road adventures because it gets more people into the sport.
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Jeffrey Bock’s beauties
Bock started building Jeffrey Bock Custom Cycles in Ames, Iowa in 1975. He came to the show as a favor to his old friend Andy Newlands — a Portland-based builder and one of the founders of the Oregon Bicycle Constructors Association. Bock told me it was Oregon builders like Mark DiNucci and Newlands’ Strawberry Bicycles that led him to start building all those years ago. As we chatted, DiNucci was across the aisle at another booth and Bock said it was seeing his bikes at a shop in Ames Iowa in 1971 that inspired him to start building.
Bock specializes in lugged steel road bikes with a vintage aesthetic.
Tech from Ti Cycles
On the other end of the aesthetic and technological spectrum from Jeffrey Bock is Dave Levy of Ti Cycles Fabrication. Levy displayed a road bike with a set of very cool 3-D printed titanium dropouts. Tubing giant Reynolds is working with Levy on the design.
The other show-stopper in the Ti Cycles booth was a road bike with an intriguing suspension system. Levy built the bike with an exaggeratingly ovalized top tube. Then he ran a standard round seat tube through it and filled the space between the two tubes with polyeurathane. This gives the seat tube about a 1/2″ of play to soften road bumps. The design hasn’t been ridden or tested much; but it continue the Ti Cycles tradition of experimentation that has made him one of the industry’s most closely watched builders.
Japan-based Sim Works finds niche in Portland
Portland builders have enjoyed years of fruitful commerce with a bike shop based in Nagoya Japan. As we reported in 2012, the Circles bike shop has purchased bikes made by local brands like Pereira (now Breadwinner), Cielo, and others. That relationship has grown over the years — so much that a new company called Sim Works was spun-off of Circles and has become a force in its own right.
Sim Works is a product design and distribution company that has set up a U.S. outpost at the King Cycle Group headquarters in Portland’s northwest industrial district. Sim Works is a major importer of King Cycle Group’s Chris King Precision Components (headsets and hubs) and Cielo Cycles (framesets), so the partnership makes sense.
Beyond importing high-quality U.S. products into Japan, Sim Works’ modus operandi is to partner with traditional Japanese manufacturers to create new products in their vision. They displayed Sim Works-designed tires made in collaboration with Panaracer and handlebars made with Nitto. Sim Works products are available in four Portland bike shops: Norther Cycles, Velo Cult, 21st Avenue Bicycles, and Rivelo.
Here are a few more photos and notes from the show:
Joseph Ahearne always draws a crowd…
I was impressed with work of Mark Hall of Mahall Bikworks from Tri-Cities Washington.
Ahearne has teamed with renowned builder and shop partner Christopher Igleheart on Page Street Cycles (a moniker that refers to the north Portland street where their shop is located). Their current specialty is a drop-bar adventure/touring road bike that’s ready to be loaded up and treated badly.
Display by Portland-based Framebuilder Supply, a seller of lugs, tubing, and more.
Dave Levy of Ti Cycles gave a cool brazing demonstration…
The Klatch model from Eugene-based Co-Motion Cycles has a Pinion internal gearbox, Lauf suspension fork and a belt drive. I sooo want to try this thing.
See the full photo gallery on our Facebook page.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Re: Shoes by Venn Design
If you’re having that many problems with cycling shoes, perhaps it’s time to switch to platform pedals. 😉
nope. that’s what innovative products are for! So you can have the best of both worlds and you don’t have to sacrifice. I don’t want to use platforms when I’m climbling steep roads in Forest Park or riding 100 miles or trying to go really fast to stay in a group. I like being clipped in, but the bike industry needs to wake up and start making shoes that have more space for toes.
https://www.outsideonline.com/2230411/let-yourself-go-why-you-need-bike-flat-pedals
Are you really going to try and convince me on this Adam? ;-).
we can both like something different. that’s ok.
And fwiw OutsideOnline is hardly a reliable source for bike info IMO.
Nah, I just like to make fun of the bike industry’s constant need for “innovation” to sell useless products to unsuspecting roadies with too much money to burn. 😉
You have no idea what you are writing about. You cannot purchase a proper cycling shoe without spending some money, or good ‘ol sponsorship.
When you have flat pedals, all shoes are cycling shoes 😉
I have some Fly Pedals that I can attach to my bike and every time I use them my feet slip off the pedals at some point in the ride. I feel dangerously disconnected and can instantly tell I’m missed a critical control point when riding flat pedals… I suppose this is fine for trolling around the neighborhood or to the store around the block but I wouldn’t ride in any serious capacity without some type of foot retention.
What’s more, being clipped in is critical when I am pulling my son in his trailer to provide a smooth pedal stroke, otherwise I’m yo-yoing him around behind me without a more controlled transfer of power. (Unless I ride really slow and avoid hills)
Case in point: the company working on these “innovative” shoes also sells $280 bean bag chairs. I think that’s pretty worth of ridicule.
Or maybe just don’t buy what you don’t want to buy and be glad that there’s a variety of people in this world who want to make things or buy things that you’re not interested in.
I won’t buy it but it doesn’t mean I can’t laugh at it.
It’s even worse than a bean bag chair. It’s a cheap rubber exercise ball with some upholstery. There’s a picture showing the ball and pump without upholstery and it looks exactly like every $10 chinese exercise ball and pump on amazon.
Yeah, pretty hilarious that a company would try to make money from something handmade in Portland! Don’t they know we all want to buy our stuff from China?
I’m pretty sure you can locally hand make a ball chair for less than $300. It’s just fabric covering stuffing. ***portion of comment deleted. Adam, again I remind you to watch your tone. You are making a lot of people feel unwelcome. Please be nicer. Thanks – Jonathan***
lol all I said was that handmade ball pillows don’t need to cost $300 and that this company is just trying to capitalize on the “ultra-trendy” movement by marking up their products to people willing to shell out too much money.
Those are designed to be an alternative to an office chair… $280 seems reasonable considering the price off traditional office chairs.
The Pendleton wool covered ones are $399.
The only reliable source is experience. The “link” based research is a joke.
I know it’s a joke; that’s my whole point. 🙂
You aren’t making a joke, you’re laughing at people for how they choose to experience cycling (and laughing in public, no less). There’s a difference.
I’m mostly just laughing at the bike industry to be honest. I don’t really care how you ride your bike. You definitely don’t need $300 shoes to ride a bicycle but many companies will try to convince you otherwise. I think it’s worth pointing out when companies try to play into the “gotta have the latest product to stay trendy and competitive” game.
The way I see it Adam, no one is saying “you gotta have the latest product to stay trend.” perhaps you are just hearing it that way? People are just as passionate about product design and innovation as you are about your ideas.
Nah, there are plenty of companies that market their (always expensive) products as if they are the best thing since sliced bread and how it’s going to revolutionize the industry. Very few of them are right. I mean, if I can’t laugh as a $300 wool bean bag chair, then what can I laugh at?
My carbon-soled Shimano M315s are way better than the M086s I replaced. I used to have pain in my arches after long rides but that has all gone away. I like them so much I picked up two more pairs so that I’d have replacements when they wear out.
Do I need to have better shoes? No. I could choose to be less comfortable. It seems to be that you regularly argue for heavy bikes that don’t climb very well. Would you like a free pair of old Shimanos? Size 43.
“…Very few of them are right. I mean, if I can’t laugh as a $300 wool bean bag chair, then what can I laugh at?” adam
Yourself? You could laugh at yourself for taking so seriously, the notion some designer of bike gear, might on a whim, for fun, just throw out some crazy design for a product that hasn’t got much at all to do with biking. That no one is probably even going to buy. Something to look interesting on the website or in the showroom.
In this world where so many people go without even basic things they need, like food and shelter, it’s a strange reality that many people that wouldn’t at all be considered well fixed for cash, commonly look around for stuff to buy that’s way more expensive than what they would need to simply do the job.
All these choices of different types of bikes, some really, really expensive, are just nuts, right? Should manufacturers and designers be allowed to produce only one type of bike? How about a simple, basic, low cost folding bike? They make a lot of sense, don’t they? Seems like you have some experience with them. And only one color? No point in spending extra money for expensive paint when just one color will do?
I am in no way saying that expensive bikes or overpriced trendy stuff shouldn’t exist or that people should buy them. I honestly don’t care. Hell, I’ve purchased plenty of expensive bike stuff myself. But I do enjoy laughing at the companies trying to sell products that I think are funny. What’s the harm in that? Maybe you think Bromptons are silly. That’s fine, go ahead and laugh at me for riding a clown bike. I don’t take myself that seriously anyway.
It’s “why you need *a* bike with flat pedals.” That’s absolutely true. Some people see their bikes solely as vehicles for competition or exercise, forgetting that bikes can be used for fun and adventure, and flats spell spontaneity.
What it doesn’t mean is that you never need carbon fiber tap shoes, Lycra onesies, or drop bars. On long rides, I like that I can go dozens of uninterrupted miles without ever having to reposition my foot or have the crotch seam of my jeans dig into my pummeled underside. If it’s all so bad, why have generations of armchair Einsteins tried and failed to disrupt it?
That’s funny, I’ve found the 5-10’s to be _too_ generous in the toe box for me. Maybe you should give them a shot. 🙂
Benner’s shoe last looks v-e-e-ry familiar. Somewhat similar to that of a certain maker of sandals and clogs noted for their cork footbed. Very comfortable with excellent heel to toe support. Unlike for walking, stiff soles work well for biking, which would likely be why Benner uses bamboo instead of cork. That’s unusual though, with carbon being the thing. His shoe ideas sound interesting.
We asked him about the bamboo. He wanted something that was stiff and not too technically challenging for prototyping and early production. I infer that carbon has lots of ramp-up costs that make it unsuitable for early development, whereas sheets of bamboo ply can be had for comparative pennies. I didn’t see much in his shoe design that was “innovative”. Keen has already done something quite similar in terms of wider toe boxes:
https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=58685
Granted they aren’t flat, but I’m not sure I buy Benner’s claims regarding the superiority of a flat sole over a slightly curved sole.
Stph
Thanks! Room for toes makes sense to me. Flat soles? Don’t know if you’re meaning outsole or insole. I think one of my feet needs support, so I’ve been playing around, trying to improvise. There are orthopedic insoles, but a biking shoe with a contoured insole might be interesting. Bamboo, considered a renewable resource, can be made to any shape, and contoured, so it might work well as a sole for cycling shoes.
I rode for decades before I switched to clipless. I personally consider them a significant safety improvement and don’t like riding without them. I think they provide other benefits I won’t go into.
That aside, even if there is no quantifiable benefit, people will ride more if they simply like what they have and find comfortable. You spend (or should spend) too much time on your bike to use anything you don’t care for if you have a choice.
That’s funny, I rode clipless for years and now I mainly run flats on every bike that isn’t a dedicated road bike. I consider them to be safer as they teach you to ride a bike properly. They also have other benefits – such as being able to ditch the bike mid-air, not scorpioning when you go otb and being able to put a foot out in the corners more easily.
There’s some risk compared to no clips, of not being able to clip out of clipless in the event of an emergency. For me, road riding, that risk is worth it for the more continuous power transfer through the cranks’ revolution. I like clipless much better for city riding too. Helps me be quicker in traffic. I don’t have to worry about a foot slipping off the pedals when it’s time to hammer to catch a break in traffic.
Ironically, I have had my foot slip off worse in clipless than I have on flats. Also, the benefits to power are marginal at best.
I went on the Grant Peterson ride and cookout during pedalpalooza this year and not suprisingly , Grant Peterson is the arch bike curmudgeon who argues against special cycling clothing and cycling shoes, only one person arrived with clipless pedals and shoes. He had one of Grants Bikes ( Rivendale) but must not have read Grants Book. He sheepishly stayed at the back of the ride and tried to stay in the shadows when we made stops. I am not weighing in on this debate, but it was interesting to see the cycling peer pressure work opposite from normal.
Grant Peterson…that guy is a character. Some of his ideas, like really wide drop bars, don’t appeal to me. Gearing either. But he’s like a cult figure. Some people are just nuts about his bike philosophy…they love him, borderline worship him. Whatever makes you happy.
Yeah, I mean going 100% the other way is a bit much too. I’m not about to go off and buy hemp bar tape any time soon.
For grins I tried on those shoes. They were comfy enough just standing there, but absent a n extended ride there’s no way to judge them. At $300 a pair, I’d want a lot more history behind them before leaping in.
Bont has been making wide toe shoes for cycling for several years. So while I see these as innovative, they aren’t blazing the wide toe cycling shoe path before others. For me, this makes total sense. It has already happened in the running world and cycling is no different. Having toes splayed out is simply logical.
I know Chris King is dropping the Cielo brand. Maybe Sim Works is picking it up?
More accurately, CKPC is suspending production of Cielo to “[focus] attention and resources on… core product families (headsets, bottom brackets, and hubs).”
I hadn’t heard that Champs. Will have to find out more.
I am not surprised that Chris is “bored” with Cielo. Wonder if he made any money on ’em?
That is probably a good idea. I like the King hubs I own but they have fallen behind when it comes to one of the key metrics when it comes to wheels: weight. You used to be able to count on great reliability, service and weight from King. Now if you really want to build the lightest wheels there are significantly lighter options from mainstream companies. I know not everyone cares about how light their bike is but all things being equal it is a lot better to drag a lighter bike over the west hills on a ride. When I’m spending a lot of money to put together a set of wheels it is tough to choose heavier.
I thought the Jeffrey Bock bikes were the coolest, but Chris Chance had the best mountain bikes.
Thanks for the photos. Good job in what was a difficult lighting environment.
I liked the HiFi wheels but that could be because I’m looking into new wheels and their hub design appealed to me.
Okay. Great show. Now, why can’t someone come up with a truly lightweight and puncture proof bicycle tire?
I’ve had good luck with Conti GP 4000 S II. Only time I’ve had a puncture over the lifespan of 4 tires was when I ran over a contractor’s razor blade they left in the street.
Gatorskins are decent – I ran them though Chicago winters. They don’t last long though.
Those are brutal. Heavy, high rolling resistance, and abysmal wet grip. Good resistance to regular and side cuts though. It’s a very popular tire though. Specialized Armadillos are also popular, but it’s the worst riding and gripping tire I’ve tried. Good flat and cut protection though
The closest to punctureproof that I’ve tried is the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Excellent durability and broken glass resistance but super heavy and like riding in sand.
Portland streets are pretty decent so you don’t need tires for goathead country. There are a number of training tires that do a good job of balancing performance, reliability, and durability. The Contis Dan likes are decent.
Rather than trying to avoid all flats, it’s much more fun to ride tires you like and expect to change/repair a tube once in awhile.
Yeah the Marathon Pluses are great. I run a pair in my folder and have only gotten one flat and that was when I rode over a two-inch nail. I won’t buy any other tire at this point.
The other catch with the MP is that while flats are rare, they’re especially hard to mount — quality levers are a must.
Traction and ride are decent for a flat resistant tire. I use them on my trike in the winter, but have Stelvios on at the moment.
They are a pain to mount, but luckily you don’t have to do that very often.
The beauty of the MP’s is, they force you to learn the correct way to mount a tire, thus making it much easier to mount all tires. Not to brag, 🙂 but If I can’t change a rear flat on any of my bikes in less than 4 minutes from dismount to clipped back in, then something went sideways.
Hah! Usually takes me about 45 minutes. 😛
Completely agree on all points.
I really like the maxxis re-fuse and haven’t had any flats but they roll way easier than marathon plus.
I’ve used lots of Gatorskins, but didn’t like the sidewall issues, and the GPs feel a lot nicer on the road.
Yeah I didn’t love how quickly the sidewalls broke down. I’d say that they are (probably) faster than marathons, but I’m probably not the best person to ask about speed. 😛
I’ve had good experiences with the GP 4000s. While sidewalls are not an area of strength, they seemed adequate.
Out of curiosity, what pressures/sizes do you run? Wondering if underinflation might be a factor.
I usually just inflate to halfway between whatever range is printed on the sidewall. Not really sure how wide the folding bike tires are, maybe 37?
If you’re running relatively wide tires in the middle of he range, it’s not a pressure. Maybe a bit of rim damage that’s not obvious? Or you could have received defective tires.
I only used them in Chicago and the winters tend to be pretty harsh on bikes. However, I didn’t seem to have any problems with Marathon Pluses in Chicago winters on the same bike, so I’m chalking it up to a tire-specific problem. Sidewall breakdown is a well-documented issue with the Gatorskins, but since they’re intended to be winter training tires, it doesn’t seem to be a huge deal for most people who switch out for summer tires.
Because physics.
This year’s show felt a bit weak but there were a few highlights. Davy Levy’s brazing demo was excellent. Jeffrey Bock’s workmanship is exceptional.
Lake make wider sizes. In my current pair of Bontrager ($60 on sale at Bike Gallery) I find that if I don’t tight strap the shoes, I have plenty of room to move. I am way too mean to pay $300 for a pair of shoes.
What I want to know is where Dave Levy got those cool steampunk brazing glasses?
those are clip-ons on top of some safety glasses
LOVED the show this year and hope the attendance numbers got much higher than what I saw Saturday morning. In general, I was thumbs-up on the venue, although the lighting was a bit dim.
I was also concerned at the low attendance. I have an idea of why that happened. Hopefully next year BP can work with the organizers on a strong promotional campaign — something that was unfortunately missing this year.
As a supporter of the show, and someone who exhibited the last three years, but not this year due to a family event conflict, I blame the switch away from the craft beer and bike show format that was so successfull the previous three years. I realize this might have been due to circumstances of the venue, but it is something to think about in the future.
Columbia really needs to lose the space shuttle promotion. Am I the only one that finds that horribly inappropriate and tasteless?
That garage is full of Columbia ads that are probably close to 20 years old, the building used to be Columbia’s headquarters, but has not been for about 15 years. It;s almost a museum at this point. So I will send your comment back in time and I hope they get it.
How embarrassing for all these people that none of their bikes have been covered in cobra and alligator skin.
Tyler is a friend of mine and let me try out this latest iteration of his shoe design last week. When you really mash with them, you can feel your toes just naturally spread out, which really reduces fatigue and stress compared to my narrow-toe-box Specialized cycling shoes, and far more comfortable. I can’t wait to get hold of some of these things. Just need them in all black.
Thanks to Bike Portland for the excellent coverage and for all those who attended the 2017 Oregon Handmade Bike Show!
The Bike+Beer setup was great during our years partnering with Hopworks Urban Brewery at their location, but that space/facility is unfortunately no longer part of the brewery grounds and as such not an option. 🙁
We are very excited about our new relationship with Cathedral Park Place, where the show will be hosted going forward, and we continue to have support from our friends in the craft brewing industry. Attendance numbers this year were great on Sunday and solid for much of the day Saturday.
The new venue at CPP will allow the show to retain the laid back, more intimate atmosphere the OHBS is known for and have room to grow and expand as necessary without increasing costs for vendors or attendees. Exhibiting at or attending the OHBS is less than half the cost of similar, convention center based shows, and we would like to maintain that as long as possible. 🙂
Thanks again to Cathedral Park Place, Point West Credit Union, Velo Cult, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Barelic Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Community Cycling Center, Bike Index, PDXTI, Venn Design, Klum House and all the vendors and volunteers who helped make this year’s event a success.
Thank you!
Wasn’t billed as a Bike and Beer show last year ( 2016) when it was at the North Warehouse? , after it was no longer at Hopworks.
Yes that show was with the Brewers Guild and was in the spirit of continuing the great tradition started at Hopworks.
We will always have breweries involved with the show as many of them are owned and operated by great people and business leaders who are also avid cyclists.
But in general the bike show is a bike show and the bike industry will be the primary focus going forward.
Hope to see you at Cathedral Park Place next year — there WILL be beer!!
🙂
Any word on which bike/builder won best of show?
Since the idea of “best” in a group of builders like that is absurd, we have a People’s Choice Award voted on by attendees… and this year’s winner was Jeffrey Bock and his beautiful, classic bikes.
your insufferable intolerance.
I think “intolerance” is a bit harsh. Since when is it intolerant to think overpriced niche products are silly?
Did you prove that something is overpriced? Maybe I missed it.
Those shoes have definitely caught my interest. I’ve got Keens (rode a 600k wearing them), but now they are too soft. I’ve killed any number of PI MTB shoes. Can’t wear Sidis, toe box is too narrow and the instep too tight. My Shimano sandals are too soft. Currently wearing Lakes (both the not-quite-winter boot and the shoes); still get hotfoot, and my cleats are shoved back as far as they’ll go. I HATE having my toes and ball of my foot squashed; the majority of cycling shoe manufacturers just don’t go there, especially for women’s sized shoes.