Our 2024 MADE Bike Show coverage from Portland, Oregon, continues with Part 04. Click on through below for selects from Ahearne, Jeffrey Bock, Neuhaus, Rock Lobster, Scarab, Sim Works/Doppo, Souvenir, Squid, Tonic, and Zabrina.
Ahearne Cycles Belt-Drive Commuter/Tourer
A pillar of the local Portland, OR builder community, Joseph Ahearne is packing up his workshop in the city and moving out to the Oregon coast. But, of course, not before showing off this excellent go-anywhere, do-anything, all-rounder Pinion belt-driven machine.
The customer that commissioned this bike wanted versatility, so Joseph made all of the racks modular and easy to install or remove (note the rear tray is just resting on the rack for documentary purposes). The baskets are even interchangeable depending on type of load being transported.
All of the accouterments are present—generator hub, lights, fenders, additional mounts—whether its owner is commuting or out for a multi-day tour, and there is plenty of front triangles real estate to add a frame bag if needed. Additionally, the Pinion belt-drive system (made uber-efficient by a rear Onyx instant-engagement hub) adds to the low maintenance and overall versatility of the build. The downtube logo is brazed and polished stainless steel, while the handlebars come from the Ahearne component collection.
Follow along to see what Joseph gets into in his new shop on Instagram
Jeffrey Bock Lugged X Frame
Last year, a particular bike on display in the Reynolds tubing booth blew our collective minds. It was an incredibly detailed, lugged randonneur made by Jeffrey Bock, who is based in Ames, Iowa. Bock has been building bikes since 1975 and, as legendary painter Joe Bell pointed out, he might have been the best and possibly most unassuming builder in the building. While “best” is highly subjective and impossible to determine in that building, we were stoked to learn of Jeff and see his craft up close.
Well, Jeff returned to the Reynolds booth again this year with a unique custom build he recently completed for a customer: a lugged X-Frame dubbed the “Excalibur” that’s decked out in a plethora of vintage and NOS parts provided by its new owner.
Jeff had previously built a loop frame bike for his customer’s wife, which was finished in high-end NOS vintage parts. The customer was delighted with the result and wanted an X-Frame bike for himself, which he had tried to find used for years without any luck as they have become very rare. Raleigh made this style of bike from the 1880s to the 1930s. Jeff explained that he could and would do it, but it would be a complex project, as the lugs would need to be created from scratch or heavily modified. Jeff also made the rack and “inverted 7” seat post from scratch.
Hopefully, he’s back with another bike next year because we can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
Follow along with Jeffrey Bock
Neuhaus Epyon Ti Gravel and Race Metal HBSL
First debuted at last year’s MADE show, the Epyon Ti gravel bike is Neuhaus Metalwork’s flagship drop bar do-it-all platform. It’s all the bike you need and nothing more, with size-specific titanium tubing specs, UDH or standard dropouts, 425 mm chainstays, and clearance for a 48 mm tire. Nick crammed in a 48 mm Rene Horse Oracle ridge that plumps out to around 50 mm for these photos to show it in “tukt” mode.
The chassis is packed full of tech: a 3D-printed Y-yoke, chainstay yoke, dropouts, and cable ports are as functional as they are beautiful. They feature internal flayed ports, making routing a cinch.
Also included in the Neuhaus gallery is a sneak peek at Miguel’s Hummingbird HBSL for the Race Metal YouTube series!
See more at Neuhaus.
Rock Lobster / Routier 1978 Track Bike
The oldest bike at the show, displayed by the youngest guy, this 1978 track bike was built by Paul Sadoff of Rock Lobster in his early days of framebuilding, back when he called his operation Routier. Paul initially constructed it with the rear hub being over 3/4” of an inch too high due to some incorrect calculations. As you might imagine, “It rode like shit,” Paul jokingly commented to me. He hung it up in his shop’s rafters for three decades as a lesson learned before fixing the rear triangle for the 2010 NAHBS in Sacramento.
Paul used Reynolds 531 tubes and Campagnolo track ends and heavily modified a $5 lug set from Proteus Design in Maryland. Salsa founder Ross Shafer aided in Paul’s ambitious project helping him braze the tubes and carved lugs together that Paul modified by using only hand tools like files, a handsaw, and a drill.
Seeing the SOPWAMTOS shirt brought about a somber moment – ride in peace, Bruce…
Own a bike from this legend by hitting up Rock Lobster.
Scarab Cycles Andes Brevet Road Bike
The Andes is Scarab’s take on a long-distance road bike. Meant to fit 700x42c tires or 700x35c with fenders, Scarab seems to have listened to our input after Josh reviewed the Paramo Ultra, and they have incorporated a steel fork. This fork is co-designed by Scarab and made by Angel Bicycles, who is located in the same Colombian city as Scarab: El Retiro.
Scarab uses a specific tube set for this frame, which is different from their typical tubing selection, to meet three primary objectives: comfort, durability, and functionality. For that, they use a thicker-walled tube but with a slightly smaller diameter. This results in a slightly more flexible ride quality, making the bike more forgiving on longer rides. Rack and fender mounts will come standard, in addition to dynamo routing the fork and T47 bottom bracket shell for additional routing options.
The paint and finish is another of Scarab’s masterful accomplishments, dreamt up and implemented by lead designer Alejendaro and another local artist. A tribute to the Andean Condor, Colombia’s national bird, it’s a mix of multiple techniques Scarab has learned to use, including water color, transfer, and stenciling.
See more at Scarab
Sim Works X Doppo High Plains Drifter
We documented the original launch of the Doppo High Plains Drifter two years ago during Chris King’s 2022 Guest House. Inspired by klunker bikes of the 1970s, its double top tubes, truss fork, and clean lines made it a popular item in Sim Works’ product catalog, selling out of the limited run of frames in a matter of months.
Later this fall, Sim Works will be launching a preorder for an updated High Plains Drifter with frameset delivery around the first of the new year. Still made in Portland, OR, the big changes coming to the new model are boost hub spacing and fixed position rear dropouts. The frames are a mix of Tange and Columbus tubing and feature the same geometry, fork truss, and other accouterments as the original model. For more information on what to expect, check out the HPD over at Sim Works and keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming pre-order.
See more at Sim Works
Souvenir Cycles 29er Hardtail
Riley Ogden from Souvenir Cycles is based in Los Angeles and works full-time as an art fabricator. During the pandemic, he taught himself how to build bikes, and this hardtail is the latest example of what he creates, coming in at #7. Inspired by Curtis Inglis and Jeremy Sycip, Riley adds his spin on the details that motivated him to make his own bikes.
These boost-spaced frames are made-to-order from butted tubing. They’re designed to clear a 29 x 2.6” tire, with a BSA bottom bracket and two bottle cage mounts (because Los Angeles rides are hot – and every hardtail should!), and utilize ZS44 / EC 44 headsets.
Follow Souvenir on Instagram.
Squid Bikes Maybe Dead rigid 26er
Chris Namba from Squid caught the vintage bug last year and bought a vintage Blue Collar MTB off Craigslist. Over several months, he worked on getting the bike back to riding condition and was immediately hooked.
The lightbulb went off and Chris decided to work on the “Maybe Dead,” a modern 26er MTB with thru-axles, disc brakes, boost spacing and a more modern geometry. Mikey Lowell from Prandus Cycles and Chris fabricated the frame together and you can expect a run of 25 ish to be announced shortly.
Check out more at Prandus Cycles and Squid Bikes.
Tonic Fabrication LD Stem Drop-Bar 29er
If you want to catch our attention, make a modern, steel, 29er WTB Phoenix homage with a Scot Nicol “LD” stem. Oh and make it a quasi loop tail and put a Switchblade fork, dubbed the Gurnblade fork, while you’re at it. This is an homage to all the famous vintage bikes Tony loves but with modern sensibilities like boost spacing, ample tire clearance, and a modern geometry.
Then, yeah, why not run the generator wiring through the freaking head tube!??!! You can call Tony from Tonic a madman, and we’ll call him a saint. This is the church we’ll worship at. Fuck yeah, dude.
See more at Tonic Fab.
Zabrina Cycles Flat Bar Gravel Bike
Zach Weiss recently relocated to Oakland from Santa Cruz, where he worked with John Caletti. While there, he made this titanium gravel frame – his first one ever – before leaving Caletti to embark on his own journey.
Once Zach settled in Oakland, he set up a shop and made the steel fork and stem, rounding out one sick flat bar gravel bike. Zach is very complimentary of B Vivit’s influence on his fabrication skills.
Check out Zach’s life at Zabrina on Instagram.
A HUGE THANKS TO WOLF TOOTH COMPONENTS FOR SPONSORING THIS POST!
That’s it for Part 04 of our MADE Bike Show coverage. We’ll be rolling out more over the next several days. What’s your favorite from this selection?