“builder’s hands are always dirty…”
NAHBS is always a difficult event to cover. There’s no feasible way for me to go to every booth and talk to the builders, or select one of their frames to shoot, so I tend to just walk around, aimlessly and stop to shoot when something catches my eye. This Photoset is filled with randomness from the show, check the captions for more information and check out my other NAHBS coverage here.
The fact that the crew at Moots plans on actually putting this beast to work merits its own post. With attachments for a shovel, a chainsaw rack, 6 pack rack and plenty of packing room, this fat bike is meant to maintain the trails surrounding the Moots facility. It’s gimmicky as hell but man, what a presentation!
Ride the Divide is one of the most difficult MTB endurance races in the continental US, so when Ty from Golden Saddle Cyclery decided that he was going to participate, he looked to Santa Barbara’s Stinner Frameworks to design a no nonsense 29′r. Utilizing a Rohloff Speedhub 14-speed internal belt drive, this bike will require zero maintenance for the extent of the ride. Tubeless wheels, XTR hydraulic disc brakes, SON hub, E3 lamp and Thomson Ti bars add just amount of show-worthiness to the bike. We rode our new mountain bikes yesterday and I am beyond pumped for Ty. This is one sick ride!
Hey, it’s been over 10 years since I had a mountain bike and I couldn’t resist… More on this later. For now, I’m having too much fun in the snow.
Fat bikes were out in full force this year at NAHBS but few had the lines and attitudes of Black Sheep. I remember seeing them their first year and asking myself “who would ever want to really ride that thing?”. Turns out, fat bikes have an incredible, cult-like following and people love the creative, sexy lines of the Black Sheep fleet. Even I was amazed at how much fun it was to just ride in circles around the vacant space at the convention center. Titanium, fat and sexy. Who could ask for more?
Ira Ryan and Tony Pereira‘s new framebuilding company, Breadwinner unveiled their full range at the 2013 NAHBS. While Ira and Tony’s own speciality approach to frame building is still present, the branding and choice paint selection unify the brand into one of the most impressive offerings I saw today. Some details from previous projects returned with new life and with a breathe of confidence, the two Portland builders have a very promising future ahead of them.
Bunyan Velo Issue 01, an online publication dedicated to bike camping, touring, expeditions and general badassery is now online for free. I don’t have time to read it at the moment but the photos alone are worth the flip through.
Check it out above and you’ll want to go full-screen with this one.
Depending on how light you travel by bike, these two bags could very well hold everything you need for a week-long bicycle tour or camping trip and the best thing is, you don’t need rack mounts or any additional provisions. Just a seat post, saddle rails and handlebars. The frame, bar and saddle bags that are coming out of Porcelain Rocket’s shop in Calgary are strikingly beautiful.
This isn’t your traditional waxed canvas and leather saddle bags used by randonneurs. These bags are made from Dimension Polyant VX21, HDPE and clasp together with Rock Lockster buckles. They can be customized to any number of color combinations and patterns (see above). Used primarily by MTBrs, these packs will fit on just about any bicycle frame.
I’ve never used a Porcelain Rocket bag, but I had great luck with my Viscacha saddle bag by Revelate Designs, which looks similar. I’m heading out to Asia in a few weeks and then to Australia, where I’ll be using my Viscacha yet again. I would be picking up a set from Scott if he didn’t have such a long lead-time.
You’ll have to wait about 10-12 weeks for your Porcelain Rocket bag but they look like they’re worth the wait. Check out the full line at Porcelain Rocket and see more of Scott’s creations on his Flickr.
I think it’s safe to say that this machine is made to take a big beating and deliver an even bigger one. There are too many drool-worthy photos rolling into the Firefly Tumblr these days.
I have no idea what’s going on here and my best guess is, that’s the point. Stinner Frameworks designs, fabricates and rides their bikes in Santa Barbara, California. They’re one of the builders I’m looking forward to seeing at NAHBS, especially if they’re into trippy shit like this.
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