Search Term – Change
To avoid your bank accounts being drained by the queues of NAHBS builders, I’ll start dropping in normal content these next few days…
The Rookie Race is the “warm up” to Monster Track. So once again Boda Boda took to the streets to cover another fast-paced alleycat in NYC but this one’s got an unexpected ending.
Remember, in Boda Boda videos, #neverreadthecomments
Check out this charity Mosaic is throwing for the National Inclusion Project:
Mosaic Cycles is teaming up with Shimano, Fox Racing Shocks, fi’zi:k, Continental Bicycle Tires, Crank Brothers, and Lizard Skins to create a 27.5” wheel mountain bike that will benefit The National Inclusion Project. The Bike will be on display at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Charlotte North Carolina March 14th with the show through the The Pro’s Closet. 100% of the proceeds raised will go to The National Inclusion Project an organization that was founded in 2003 with the mission of working with and supporting groups across the country that open doors for ALL children to learn, live, and play together.
The idea for a charity bike came about soon after NAHBS 2013. “While working for fi’zi:k I frequently visited Aaron Barcheck and Kevin Batchelor at Mosaic and the thought of making a bike for a charity came up in conversation and they were 100% behind the idea.” Said Joe Anderson. “When I mentioned my son had recently been diagnosed with Autism we decided to select a beneficiary that assisted children with disabilities all over the country, The National Inclusion Project fit the bill.” Anderson continued “Every company I contacted about contributing to this project said yes without hesitation, all the parts, time, and labor were donated.”
Bid on this bike over at the Pro’s Closet eBay store.
See more photos of this 27.5 shred sled below!
… we’ll take a break from NAHBS-ness for a second to post some Red Hook Crit love. Up top is this year’s Monster Track winner, Cooper, wearing the new Red Hook Crit Jersey by Castelli and below is Crihs’ documentary on the race.
Red Hook Crit is less than two weeks away – March 29th.
When I found out Eric Estlund from Winter Cycles wasn’t going to be at NAHBS, I was pretty bummed out. His frames are always so good and he always has a track bike on display. Aaron and I wanted to get one of our limited edition Aamerican chainrings (maybe we should sell those?) on a track bike for the show but with Winter not being there, what would we do?
Fret not. It’s the internet. I can make up my own rules. Presenting a damn hot “Not at 2014 NAHBS” bike… Here’s a background on the project:
“This is the Winter Bicycles “OverKill”, a new iteration in the “Speed Metal” track bike series. Designed as a true blue track sprint frame. Built with a blend of fillet brazed and signature bilam construction from a blend of shaped True Temper, Columbus and Deda tubing. The long point Winter track stem holds customized bars with integrated grip over a Cane Creek headset. Custom Winter sprint wheels driven by a Campagnolo Pista crank and limited edition AARN/ PinP chain ring. This bike was powder coated by Custom Powderworks in Springfield, OR.”
All photos by Anthony Bareno of Velo Cult. See more in the Gallery!
Photo by Morgan Taylor
It’s been rather fatastic over here the past few weeks, but the coverage from Frostbike has simmered, so I felt like it was an alright time to share one of my favorite bikes from previous years at NAHBS. Retrotec’s 29+ Klunkus is a pairing of a Krampus and a Klunker. Clever right? Rendered in that recognizable Curtis Inglis style, this bike (and Morgan’s photos) is stunning!
See more at NSMB!
Erik Noren. There can be only one. This man makes me laugh more than anyone else at NAHBS. Every year, the man behind Peacock Groove outdoes himself and wows the crowd with his tribute bikes. Some are Voltron-themed, others pay homage to the Evil Dead, while others are just so damn rad! Peacock Groove is unlike any other frame company I know of…
While I expected to see Erik in the throes of production for NAHBS, I didn’t expect to see his long-time side project “The Plus System” underway. While I won’t go into too much detail on what the Plus System is, I will say it’s a line of in-house designed and manufactured headsets, available with a Peacock Groove frame. There’s more to come on that – at NAHBS, for now, let’s look at some photos from Erik’s well kempt work space.
Scott at Porcelain Rocket just uploaded photos of his newest frame bag project. It just so happens to be going on his own AM Peirce 29+ MTB. With all the hoopla surrounding the 3″ platform, I can’t wait to see what’s going to be at NAHBS later this month! Check out more of Scott’s work at the Porcelain Rocket Flickr.
Also, I can’t wait to see what’s going on that saddle bag support…
It’s kind of nice living two miles from Icarus Frames‘ shop in South Austin. When Ian gets in a frame from paint, I can just cruise on over and shoot a few photos. When he gets a frame in like this singlespeed road however, I spend a little more time documenting it.
This is a custom bicycle. It’s a NAHBS-worthy bike, although Ian has never shown at NAHBS. The detailing is above and beyond your average frame. Everything is shaped, carved and sculpted to perfection. Stainless rear, stainless lugs, internal routing, polished everything, immaculate shorelines, covered by a wild wet paint job, courtesy of Fresh Frame.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so dialed come out of Ian’s shop and to think, his queue has a quick turnaround. I just wish I could have photographed the complete bike!
Check out more insane details in the Gallery.
Photos by Shannon Ayres
So… if Chris Bishop isn’t going to NAHBS this year, who’s going to win it? I’m partially joking but Chris’ latest work is mind-boggling. Ryan’s 650b Randonneur frame is absolutely stunning and I still can’t believe how many details are packed into this bike. Head over to the Bishop Flickr to see more!
When I first saw Festka at NAHBS last year, their High Voltage track bike caught my eye. How could you miss it? It’s been a busy year for the Czech-based frame builders, as they began to ramp up fabrication and finally, their international presence. It just so happens that a local shop here in Austin is the official importer of the brand. Cycleast is beyond stoked to be working with Festka and already, they’re receiving orders.
Take Andrew’s Zero carbon road bike for example. With a bright blue custom paintjob and a build comprised of Fizik, SRAM Red, Ritchey and Rolf wheels, this Czech-born machine is rolling thanks to Russell and his staff right here in Austin. Coincidentally, this is the first Festka in the United States.
Interested in one of these beauts for yourself? Holler at Cycleast and Czech out more details in the gallery!
Photo by Heather McGrath
The Brentwood is by no means a new offering from Geekhouse, well, not officially yet. Last year, they debuted this new porteur bike at NAHBS and soon enough, with the launch of their new site, the Brentwood will have its own page in the Geekhouse catalog.
For now, head over to see more photos of this clean and tidy bike at the Geekhouse blog!
At last year’s NAHBS, I showed a glimpse of the Czech Republic-built Festka steel road bike. While it’s easy to get excited about the razzle-inspired paint job, I’m more interested in the Festka story. Both the steel and the carbon frames are made in, painted in and designed the Czech Republic. To me, that’s inspiring.
I’ll catch up with Festka at this year’s NAHBS in Charlotte for more. Until then, head over to their site.
As I sat down to scroll through all of the Beautiful Bicycles I photographed this year, I quickly realized how diverse PiNP has become. Previous year’s lists never had a MTB, much less two and even though the site has begun to embrace dirt riding more and more, there are still three track bikes in the rankings. Most of these bicycles were made in the USA by small frame builders, but two overseas-manufactured bikes made the cut.
This year for the Top 10 list, I looked at site metrics, social media ‘chatter’ and my own favorites (which were remarkably in-line). All of these bikes got at least 100 Facebook likes and over 20,000 visits within the first week of posting. The latter two requisites were necessary to bring it down to ten bikes, from the dozens of my personal favorites. Also, I omitted my own bikes from this list.
I like to think of PiNP as a showcase for Beautiful Bicycles and how they get put to use. See the full Prolly is Not Probably’s Top 10 Beautiful Bicycles of 2013, in no particular order, in the Gallery!
Where do I even begin with 2013? If I can say anything about PiNP, it’s that the site is ever-evolving, much like cycling and my own experiences with it. As my own habits change, so does the content. Looking back over the past twelve months, I still can’t wrap my head around how much I traveled. It was overwhelming at times, but in the end, worth it.
So where do we begin? How about with the first Photoset: a new camera.
Check out the PiNP 2013: A Year in Photos below!
Yep. It’s going to be fun. Real fun. So fun, that you’ll probably spend more time off your bike, than on, depending on your skill level…
Jeff from All-City has wanted to visit Austin since first going to NAHBS, so we conceived a crack-pot idea of throwing a race and flying Tracko out as the ringer.
Prizes are going to be good, but limited. $5 buy in. Race starts at 7pm, with registration opening at 6:30pm. 18+ ONLY. Meet at the Roy G Guerrero park gazebo in East Austin. Ride whatever you’ve got! Come race, or just hang out and heckle. It’s going to be in a public park, so alcohol isn’t technically allowed. Be creative… Afterparty TBA.
It’s going to be a dark course, like, no stadium lights, so bring a good riding lamp. There will be some technical singletrack, run ups, sand pits and a few surprises.
I know it’s kinda short notice, but if you’re able to come out, do so. We’ll be riding cross and MTBs all week.
You probably remember this post from last year’s NAHBS. I called it Head Shots and Head Tubes. It still, to this day, gets constant traffic and while I’m very happy with the execution, what the post lacked was a story, or a background to the faces and crown races you’re looking at.
That’s where Jeremy Dunn and Bicycling Magazine come into play. With the aid of Jeremy, we made the Head Shots and Head Tubes post a story, fit for Bicycling Magazine and their iPad App. They dubbed it Makers’ Marks (clever!)…
Check out a preview at Bicycling Magazine and download the app here!
Every party involved with this bike are such great people. Chris Igleheart, life-long frame builder, Keith Anderson, phenomenal painter and Jen, owner of Panty Raid and general rad woman. When Jen reached out to Chris at the 2012 NAHBS, she wanted a “do it all” bike. Something with a little more tire, more stopping power and still cross race ready if she ever felt the desire. I kind of feel like that’s what a lot of people look for in a cross bike. The main challenge with this frame, as with any small frameset, is making it look good and I think everyone nailed it! Including Golden Saddle Cyclery on the stellar build!
Pardon my hasty photos, the sun was going down and it was my last night in LA, hence the crossed-chain… At any rate, see more in the Gallery!
I must admit, I’m a little disappointed that my summer travel plans didn’t swing me through Denver because I had so much fun during NAHBS. One of the highlights of that trip was getting to know Tyler from Pearl Velo.
Artcrank recently interviewed Tyler Hardie from Pearl Velo. Check it out here!
