While Josh was at Bespoked, John was down in Melbourne at the MADE Bike Show Australia and compiled a few galleries from the event. Let’s check out a bike gallery loaded with heaps of details below!
Australia will always feel like my second home. This country has shaped not only me as a cyclist but this very website. From my first “Bush Bash” gravel ride that broke me back in 2012, through numerous other trips, I feel a special connection to Australia and the people who call this wonderful place home.
I’ve met many of these builders in the past, from chasing Baum Cycles in the You Yangs trails to hanging in Utah with Mark from Prova, Ken Evans at the 2014 Melburn Roobaix, and Harry from Hungry years ago while he was running a bike shop in Sydney.
At any rate, the Aussies are a very special group of people to me, and shooting this show has been a dream. I mean that. I don’t take it for granted that I get flown around the globe to photograph bicycles and feel so appreciated in this crowd. They’re a warm people who love camaraderie and appreciate hard work.
Documenting bicycles, recording them, and showcasing them is a life-long effort of mine, and MADE Australia delivered some fine specimens!
Let’s check out our Reportage from MADE Australia!
Baum Cycles XC Ti Hardtail
Darren Baum and his crew of designers, fabricators, and builders in Geelong, Australia, jokingly call this a “flat bar gravel bike” as both a statement on the current gravel trend and a testament to the almighty XC hardtail. Lighter than a feather and ready for a solid hammering, this bike did not want to sit still while I was documenting it. This is peak gravel.
Curve Cycling UpRock Rigid MTB
The UpRock is Curve Cycling’s latest mountain bike model. It’s designed to clear a 29er by 2.6″ with swappable sliding dropout inserts allowing it to be built up in a variety of different ways ranging from Rohloff, to quick-release, boost, and non-boost. The stand-off seat tube bottle cage allows for a long travel dropper or rigid post, and the chassis is featherlight. Build it with a suspension fork or a rigid fork for trail or touring exploits.
Devlin Jester 140/150 mm Trail 29er
Brisbane’s Devlin Cycles brought two banger brutes to MADE with the Jester sporting a trail travel package and a four-bar Horst link design. Devlin uses 3D sintered stainless steel clevices and linkage components to ensure a precision fitment and this particular bike sports a stunning Wallis Paints paint job with mountainous layers within a turquoise to dark blue ombré fade.
Devlin Demon 120/120 mm Downcountry 29er
This 120/120 mm travel downcountry bike was built on a whim for a returning customer who has a road bike in a similar livery. Sean Doyle, the owner and builder of Devlin Cycles, played with the geometry on his jig before landing on a 66.6º unsagged head angle, resulting in the “Demon” name. For suspension linkage, it’s a modified MacPherson strut flex pivot. Weighing in at 12.5 kg, this Demon with a 490 mm reach is shockingly light!
Framework Designs
Tia Evans, along with Michelle Brancatisano, makes Framework Designs bags in Melbourne. Framework’s bags are uniquely Aussie. The hometown heroes of bag making, Framework uses Australian fabrics, matched with hues that “feel” like Melbourne summer and winter all in one. It was a pleasure to meet Tia in person on this trip.
Hungry
Harry from Hungry and I go way back to 2012 when I met him while he was manning a bike shop in Sydney. Hungry makes custom and production bags ranging from handlebar flap-top bags to hip bags and custom frame bags, like his personal bag here, which attaches to the frame by using full-wrap velcro sleeves. The highlight of his showcase is the “Dead Inside” sun patch and Harry’s gleaming smile. Good seeing ya, again mate!
Kenevans SLX Road
Ken Evans is a legend of the Aussie framebuilder community. This classic road bike was made from Columbus SLX New and features an aero Cinelli bottom bracket shell. The drillium components were done by CycloRetro and are the literal icing on this classic cake! What you’re looking at here is perfection.
Loop Cycles Jimny Ute
Mate. Olson from Loop Cycles, a fabrication and framebuilding shop, brought along a few of his projects, one of which is this trayback ute Jimny he just bought off a farmer and got running by swapping in a newer 1600 fuel-injected Jimny engine. Mind the wheels, they’re just for rego – road safety and compliance testing. I hope to see how this looks in its final form!
Loop Schwinn Klunker
Another project Olson brought to MADE was this modern Schwinn Klunker. I say “modern” because this cruiser frame is new. As in “in stock” at the Schwinn distro today. Olson widened the rear end to fit a modern singlespeed hub, added disc tabs, and chemical treated, or “blued” the frame raw. The build has some choice MUSA components like White Industries and S&M handlebars.
Lost Workshop Track
It felt fitting rolling this Lost Workshop track bike out onto the velodrome floor at Melbourne’s DISC. Built with Columbus’ Cento tubeset, the long, elegant track ends were laser cut with CNC inserts, brazed together. Classic Dura Ace track cranks and hubs propel this racing machine on all left turns and a “Ron Burgundy” paint job is the chef’s kiss.
Lost Workshop Road
I waited for the golden hour to photograph this Lost Workshop golden road bike. The paint is Bahama Yellow, a 911 Porsche’s classic. This lightweight disc road bike uses a Columbus Cento tubeset, with crispy Velocraft paint, and is built with Dura Ace and Creative Ultra 45 wheels.
Off Course Bike Shop Velo Orange Shogun for Eloise
1990s mountain bikes make for great commuters. Whether pieced together from items found in the parts bin or in a custom-built fashion with new components.
Enter Eloise’s Shogun Trail Breaker, a bike model synonymous with this movement. Eloise won the “Klunkerella Competition” held by Off Course Bike Shop. The shop chose one lucky rider with a donor frameset that they could use as the platform to perform a complimentary “neo-retro Klunker” build.
This bike showcases what is possible with Velo Orange and some creativity.
Off Course Bike Shop World Randonneur
This World Randonneur, a classic from Australian brand Gemini, has been through several hands throughout its lifespan before landing in Zeke’s, a full-time mechanic at Off Course Bike Shop, for the last decade. Zeke has carefully curated a stellar selection of Velo Orange components to build a true randonneur’s delight. It was assembled with painstaking attention to detail and complete with several key components Zeke himself machined.
Off Course Bike Shop Wilde Bikes Yo Jeffy
The Yo Jeffy! is Wilde’s modern hardtail, designed to be fast, light, versatile, nimble, and playful. This is Mike from Off Course’s build with ultralight overnighters and singlespeed exploits in mind.
Off Course Bike Shop Wilde Bikes Dream Engine
The Dream Engine is Wilde Bikes’ signature drop-bar adventure bike frameset. It’s a true to form go-anywhere, do-anything machine. Hand built in the USA and designed for the Tour Divide, back country exploration fire roads and single track excursions. It fits a very large tire, has boatloads of mud clearance, and was built with all-day and multi-day comfort in mind. On display is Huw’s custom steel build.
Omnium Mini-Max Titanium
Ben, aka Bush Trucker, and his Kelpie Billy stole my heart on the first day of MADE. It’s always great putting a friendly face to a name you’ve read for years on the internet. As the importer of Omnium here in Australia, he brought a number of cargo bikes, including this tricked-out titanium Mini Max.
Many thanks to FYXO for flying me out for the Melburn Roobaix weekend and the MADE Bike Show Australia! Check back in tomorrow for part two of our MADE Bike Show Australia coverage. Which is your favorite in today’s grouping?