Booth registration for the show will start immediately for the 2009 exhibitors, who will be contacted by email. Open registration will start June 15, and will be accessible through the event website www.handmadebicycleshow.com.

Show founder and director, Don Walker, said “I researched all the way along the east coast and Richmond came up as the strongest candidate, all criteria considered. I then put forward three candidates to a vote among this year’s exhibitors, and Richmond was the clear winner. I looked at some of the largest cities as well, and while these cities might have great cycling culture, their prices are out of range for the vast majority of my exhibitors.”

Jack Berry, president and CEO of the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, commended the decision. “The timing’s perfect!  Cycling is really becoming more and more popular in this region. Being a cyclist myself, personally I’m thrilled! This is huge for Richmond and the Mid-Atlantic.”

Champe Burnley, president of the Richmond Area Bicycling Association, also sees this as a good time for NAHBS to come to Richmond. “Richmond is a cycling hub with a great history. We have a strong cycling community with great facilities, which helps draw a major international show like NAHBS.
We really want Richmond to be a world class cycling city. For officials and the business community, our efforts are now starting to realize a return.
Officials here are really beginning to get cycling and its benefits to the community. NAHBS could not have chosen a better time to come. This marks a cycling renaissance for the Richmond area.”

NAHBS will occupy the 46,000 sq. ft show hall D in the convention center. This has space for over 200 10’x10’ booths, and Walker expects to fill it.

Richmond is located within a day’s drive of half the U.S. population, and within cycling distance of the nation’s second largest cycling club (Potomac Pedalers). Only 90 minutes by car from Washington, DC, Richmond is served by Amtrak as well, with a station about a mile from the proposed host hotel. Richmond International Airport is approximately 15 minutes by car from the convention center.

The state of Virginia actively promotes bicycling and related activities, and has designated various special routes for the purpose.  United States Bicycle Routes 1 and 5 meet in the city of Richmond, and the city is known to have a strong cycling culture, ranging from racing to tourists and fixed-gear riders.

Located in the middle of the Eastern Seaboard, Richmond becomes the fifth city to host the NAHBS in the show’s six-year history. Houston, Texas was first, and then two years in San Jose, California, followed by Portland, Oregon, and in 2009 Indianapolis.

About NAHBS

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show moves from city to city each year. It is scheduled for February 26 – 28, 2010, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The show is dedicated to showcasing the talents of individuals around the world whose art form is the bicycle. It aims to be a meeting point–online and in person–for frame builders and consumers looking for custom-made bikes, for the sharing of ideas, and promotion of a special industry with a rich history. Since its first year in 2005, NAHBS has grown from a show with 23 exhibitors and 200 attendees to 150 exhibitors and 7200 attendees. For more information, see www.handmadebicycleshow.com.

• February 28, 2009 -- Strong Attendance on Day One at North American Handmade Bicycle Show
• February 25, 2009 -- North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) Descends on Indianapolis this Weekend (February 27 through March 1)
• March 1, 2009 -- 2009 North American Handmade Bicycle Show Winners

As in past years, the show culminated with the awards for the best bicycles at the show. This time for the first time, an awards jury made all selections but two: President’s and People’s choices. The jurors were Dale Brown, Steve Hampsten, Doug Brooks, Mike Barrie, and James Huang.

And the winners are….

Best Road Bike

About nine years ago Roland Della Santa purchased the last 23 sets of Nervex lugs from Geoff Butler Cycles in London, intending to save them for a special project. This project became a limited edition set of 20 bicycles to celebrate his 40th anniversary of frame building. Using old Columbus tubes and offering only three braze-ons (and one waterbottle cage) Della Santa created an Eddy Merckx period piece that the awards jury simply could not resist.

Best Off-Road Bike

Curt Goodrich has always wanted to outfit a cyclocross team, and that that was the inspiration for the bright blue machine on display the weekend of the show. Goodrich started out as an apprentice, and then built bicycles on contract for Rivendell, and began focusing solely on his own creations in 2008. He worked to incorporate classic features like a level top tube on the bike he brought for display, as well as modern features like carbon forks, and a striking blue paint scheme.

Best Track Bike

Shin-Ichi Konno is continuing a family business that has made Cherubim one of the most respected handmade bicycle brands in Japan and a builder for keirin racers there. According to Shin-Ichi, the current design of track/keirin racing frames has been in place since the 1960s. The award-winning Cherubim Pista is made with due respect to the long tradition of track bicycle frame building.

Best Tandem Bike

I want a lugged tandem, what can you do? This request from a customer led Stephen Bilenky to create the tandem that won the NAHBS Award. The customer was interested in a tandem with a classic European look and sent him some lugs from Rivendell, who does not make tandem frames. Several parts needed to be made from scratch, since fabricated lugs for tandems do not exist. To create a classic looking headtube, a bi-laminate piece was created as a substitute for one of the lug. The blades on the fork are original Jack Taylor s from the 1960s, so a fork crown had to be fabricated too.

Best Titanium Bike

Kent Eriksen featured numerous bicycle frames made of titanium at the show. Eriksen, who originally invented the softail mountain bike suspension, always wanted to incorporate titanium with that feature because of the metal s durability. It ll last for generations, he said, of the more modern bicycle he brought to Indianapolis, adding that titanium makes for an incredibly rideable bike. Eriksen added that titanium is also green in that it doesn t require painting and so leaves less of a carbon footprint in its production.

Best Carbon Bike

Nine months of work went into the design of the prototype carbon fiber bike by Independent Fabrication. The crown-themed lugs, which were made with the assistance of Edge, arrived at the IF workshop on Thursday a week before the show, and everything fitted together first time around. For Independent Fabrication, this is a learning journey into a new material as the company continues to expand its knowledge base.

Best Lugged Bike

David Ellis Wages of Ellis Cycles in Waterford, Wisconsin, takes his inspiration from classic bicycles of the early 1980s. Bicycles with intricate lug work and chrome forks and chain stays were the ones with which he first became familiar when he started riding, so, to him, in a way, those features still define classic bicycles. &kind of the bike I always wanted to have, Wages said of one of the fine machines he brought with him to the 2009 NAHBS in Indianapolis. Wages incorporates a modern aesthetic with the classic craftsmanship of lug work in his cycles, adding that using lugwork allows for more artistic detail.

Best TIG Welded Bike

Black, red and white is Carl Strong s favorite color scheme for a bicycle, and that s what he chose for this all-business road stage racer. The bike is also made to fit Strong, a precaution he says he took in case he couldn t sell it. Much of the thinking centered on a new Chris King head inset head tube, which provides a large surface area to connect tubes to, as well as a low stack height, which enhances the aesthetic. With a liquid paintjob by Spectrum Powderworks, the headtube of this titanium frame is left as clearcoat to show of the fine welding of this show display bike, which is a prototype for further models.

Best Fillet Brazed Bike

Mark Nobilette designed this bicycle to be the anti-Herve. He wanted to create a non-traditional touring frame, capable of carrying a full-load, without compromising it. Various parts of the frame deviate from the traditional a wishbone-shaped seat binder, double-bend chain stays, a threadless steerer tube, and fillet brazed joints instead of lugs. The racks, which Nobilette made himself, were powder-coated black instead of the traditional chrome.

Best City Bike

Mitch Pryor of Portland, Oregon s M.A.P. cycles built a beautiful city bike for a customer in Colorado who wanted a commuter cycle. The bike, of a timeless style, is done in a cream color with cork accents and a Brooks saddle. Pryor used selections of Reynolds tubing for its construction and took inspiration from the drawings of French artist Daniel Rebour for the commission. It s cute, said one observer.
I ve heard that a lot, replied Pryor.

Best Paint Job

Toronto painter, Noah Rosen works closely with Mike Barrie, father of the Canadian pro road rider, and a former builder for Mariposa. Barrie wanted Rosen to restore his old 1951 Cinelli to something closely resembling its original condition. They had to go by black and white photos, but Barrie was confident the paint color was a close match.

One of the main challenges, says Rosen, was matching the proportions on the seat tube bands. Getting clean lug edges on a 60-year old bike took a lot of work, since the metal had roughened over the years.
Rosen put some 20 hours into the restoration job.

People s Choice

Naked Bicycles from British Columbia once again won the heart of the NAHBS crowd. Wooden components are used for the seat post, hand grips and pedals, and the frame features particular curves that builder Sam Whittingham states he has a liking for. Bicycles should be more feminine as it softens their lines, he says. The Mountain bike uses the 29 wheel, which Whittingham says is well suited to the BC riding conditions.

President’s Choice

Shin-Ichi Konno is continuing a family business that has made Cherubim one of the most respected handmade bicycle brands in Japan and a builder for keirin racers there. According to Shin-Ichi, the current design of track/keirin racing frames has been in place since the 1960s. The award-winning Cherubim Pista is made with due respect to the long tradition of track bicycle frame building.

Best of Show

Dan Polito of Cicli Polito credits former frame builder Norm Taylor with the inspiration for the Jack Taylor tribute bicycle he brought to the 2009 NAHBS. Polito, who sees making one s own bicycle as the mark of a true cyclist, honored Taylor, who passed away recently, by including elements in this particular bicycle of original grass-track racing bicycles. Laura Long, an associate of Polito s since the shop opened, pointed out cyclists used to compete on horse fields, which explains the wider tires.

• May 12, 2009 -- NAHBS Announces Richmond, Virginia as 2010 Venue Location
• February 28, 2009 -- Strong Attendance on Day One at North American Handmade Bicycle Show
• February 25, 2009 -- North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) Descends on Indianapolis this Weekend (February 27 through March 1)

View images of fixed gear bikes from the show below.

[Show as slideshow]

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• May 12, 2009 -- NAHBS Announces Richmond, Virginia as 2010 Venue Location
• February 25, 2009 -- North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) Descends on Indianapolis this Weekend (February 27 through March 1)
• March 1, 2009 -- 2009 North American Handmade Bicycle Show Winners

Pereira Cycles custom handmade fillet brazed lugged steel handcrafted 29er mountain bike

The fifth annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show is taking place at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, this weekend beginning Friday, February 27. For those who have dreamed of owning a custom ride, this is the place to come and drool. The inaugural exhibition was rather humble, with 23 exhibitors and only 200 attendees. This year the NAHBS is boasting 116 exhibitors (has anyone ever seen 116 custom bikes in the same room?) and record-setting attendance. The show moves its location each year for the convenience of the builders and attendees, and with the intent of spreading the good word about small builders and custom bicycle frame building.

Attendees can expect to see exhibited wares from such exalted builders as Ahearne, De Rosa, Moots, Serotta, Calfee, Crumpton, Vanilla, Naked, De Salvo, Independent Fabrication, Pereira, and a multitude of other bicycle and component manufacturers. One of the aims of the show is to be a meeting point for frame builders and consumers looking for custom-made bicycles. From retro to cutting-edge technologies, attendees are certain to find more than a few items that will send their mind reeling with dreams of owning and riding a handcrafted bike.

As most of the exhibitors are small businesses that lack large advertising budgets, the NAHBS is a great place for the consumer to compare builders and get a good idea of how they want to spend their hard-earned dollars. No where else in the world will an individual be able to view so many beautiful bicycles and have a chance to meet the men and women who have toiled to bring their creations into existence. Here’s the when and how:

Tickets: $15 ONLINE!! $20 at the door!! Take advantage!!
Children under 5 free
Children age 6-14 $8/day

Register online at: http://www.handmadebicycleshow.com

Show Hours

Friday, Feb. 27: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Open to Public

Saturday, Feb 28: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Open to Public

Sunday, March 1: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Open to Public

If you can’t attend the event be sure to watch MTObikes.com for updates and photos from our correspondents.

• May 12, 2009 -- NAHBS Announces Richmond, Virginia as 2010 Venue Location
• February 28, 2009 -- Strong Attendance on Day One at North American Handmade Bicycle Show
• March 1, 2009 -- 2009 North American Handmade Bicycle Show Winners