It's that time of year again. Time for the gorgeous bikes of the North American Handbuilt Bicycle Show to pop up on the web. There is just no shortage of imagination and talent and dedication to all things cycling when you start to look through all of the galleries out there. I found galleries at the following web addresses:
www.urbanvelo.orgwww.cyclingnews.com
www.bikerumor.com
www.fixedgeargallery.com
www.mtbr.com
If you see a good one let me know. I would say it's a tossup for which show I like best, Interbike or NAHBS. I guess I'd rather see the NAHBS bikes that are sculpted, hammered, poured, layered, brazed, CNCed, lugged, and cobbled than the sanitized and safe commercial offerings at Interbike, so I have to say NAHBS is my favorite of the two. Wouldn't it be cool if Minneapolis hosted some year and I somehow got to go?!
One more thing I have to share. If I see one more bamboo bike, just one more, I swear I am going to kill the next Panda I see! That has to be the most annoying trend I have seen in the last few years. It's bamboo people, so what! You take a piece of bamboo, put it between some lugs, and make a frame out of it. Not that interesting. I saw a tallbike made of the stuff, a mixte, and too many road bikes to remember. I have a suggestion to make before someone makes a bamboo framed, belt drive, fixed gear with internal 5 speed hub, tandem niner tallbike, with drop bars and a beer rack. Go right ahead, but for every bamboo bike built, a Panda must be ritualistically slaughtered. Checks and balances. Move beyond. Next trend, re-bar bikes! I've already seen a couple. Later!
One more thing I have to share. If I see one more bamboo bike, just one more, I swear I am going to kill the next Panda I see! That has to be the most annoying trend I have seen in the last few years. It's bamboo people, so what! You take a piece of bamboo, put it between some lugs, and make a frame out of it. Not that interesting. I saw a tallbike made of the stuff, a mixte, and too many road bikes to remember. I have a suggestion to make before someone makes a bamboo framed, belt drive, fixed gear with internal 5 speed hub, tandem niner tallbike, with drop bars and a beer rack. Go right ahead, but for every bamboo bike built, a Panda must be ritualistically slaughtered. Checks and balances. Move beyond. Next trend, re-bar bikes! I've already seen a couple. Later!
2 comments:
I gotta agree with ya on the bamboo. Rebar bikes, I'm heavy enough without the rebar frame. Yahoo. Bring on the spring gravel.
Found some more bikes on www.bikeforest.com and not a single panda killer in the bunch! With all of the Amish furniture I sell, I kinda like the one with wooden mainframe sections between lugs. I could see that in rustic cherry, stain 104, with pewter lugs. Also, a bike with fake bamboo. Now that's awesome right there! Later!
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