SPEEDWAY, Indiana–According to industry experts the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), presented by Don Walker, sheduled for February 8-10 at the Oregon Convention Center, Portland Oregon, is the main reason for the flourishing high-end niche market for handmade bicycles in North America.

This is good for the whole cycling industry, because as in Formula One car racing, some of the cutting-edge ideas on the industry’s top shelf seep down into the mass market models over the years.

The show, which has grown in the space of four years from 23 exhibitors to a sell-out of 187 booth spaces, with 150 exhibitors, has become the world’s largest trade/consumer show for custom-built bicycles.

Frame builders say this concentration of activity and the media attention surrounding it has helped them take back a share of the high end bicycle market from mass manufacturers. But the effect of the NAHBS is not only to swell the order books of the frame builders exhibiting at the show. Those in and around the handmade frame industry credit the show with focusing public attention on the most desirable machines in the bicycling world, and at the same time raising the quality of work across the board.

“Forty years ago, South London was the center of the made-to-measure frame building universe. Forty years on, the axis has shifted to the USA. Why? Forget the economics, dynamics, mathematics and polemics, the short and simple answer is NAHBS,” says Neil Hassan, who runs www.frameforum.org , the most popular forum for frame building worldwide.

One of the keys to the success of the NAHBS is the industry seminars, in which leaders in several areas of the field give master classes on subjects as diverse as working with carbon fiber and titanium, frame geometry for special purposes, bike fit, and paint choices. Thus the younger builders learn quickly from those more experienced. On the show floor, too, builders can see the work of their peers, often gaining inspiration and motivatin from that. “These are essential parts of the show, in fact, this was one of the main reasons we started the show,” says its founder and chief sponsor, Don Walker–who is also a well-known builder specializing in track bicycles.

Richard Sachs, who is widely regarded as the one of the leading frame builders in the world, says: “Not since the 1970s has there been such an interest in the handmade bicycle frame. There was a time that framebuilders were at the vanguard, and industry often looked to them as the trendsetters and laboratories for all things innovative. The NAHBS weekend is a way for consumers, media, and framebuilders too, to judge for themselves whether the 21st century iteration of this segment is about ye old, or quaint, or, as I suspect, more innovative and technologically relevant than ever. This industry has never been more viable than it is today, and the show in Portland shines a bright light on all the pioneers as well as the Next Wave of framebuilders who will set trends and make markets for generations to come.”

Another big name in handmade frames is Independent Fabrication. Spokesman Matt Bracken says “I am 100% sure that the NAHBS has helped bring the focus back to handcrafted, made in America framesets. Looking at the growth of the show from 2004 to the present is miraculous to say the least. In 2004, 23 builders held the first NAHBS in Houston, and this year alone we will see 100+ builders from all over this great country descending on Portland to show off the love, sweat, and passion for making rideable art. Independent Fabrication is proud to be standing tall with our fellow builders showcasing what is new, what is fun, what is colorful and what can be ridden at the upcoming show in Portland. Spending time with all of these multi-talented builders is a real honor and we hope to make the most of it with swapping ideas, sharing stories, and kicking back meeting all of the enthusiastic cyclists who will be travelling from all over the country to attend this event.

Over the past ten years the industry as a whole has focused on price , value and consolidation. The NAHBS is similar to what is happening across the country in cool micro-breweries in every state. People want taste, character, and unique flavor; all of which can be found at your local frame builder, as well as your local brewery!”

And Jan Heine, publisher of the magazine “Bicycle Quartely,” which regularly reports on the handmade bicycle industry, commented that “in the past four or five years, the handmade bicycle scene in the USA has grown tremendously. The NAHBS show has given builders a unified voice and provided exposure. Before that, every builder seemed to toil alone in relative obscurity. Thanks in no small part due to the NAHBS show, the media has given more of a voice to custom builders.”

The NAHBS is the most accessible portal for the media to reach frame builders, and so it has become immensely popular with the press as well as the industry and general public.

About The North American Handmade Bicycle Show

Having started with 23 exhibitors in Houston, Texas, in 2005, the North American Handmade Bicycle Show is dedicated to showcasing the talents of individuals around the world whose art form is the bicycle. It aims to be a gathering point — online and in person — for framebuilders and consumers looking for custom-made bikes, for the sharing of ideas and promotion of this industry and its traditions. For more information, see http://www.handmadebicycleshow.com.

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