I always thought that these shows were to show case the capabilities of the builder not to be sold and ridden. Over the years I have had a few of these show bike end up at my door to work on and a few were all show and were not ever meant to be ridden. More along the term eye candy. Steven Willis The Bike Stand 1778 East Second Street Scotch Plains NJ 07076 908-322-3330 http://www.thebikestand.com
<classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 2:20 PM Subject: Re: [CR]Fwd: NAHBS
>
>
> I see it quite differently, and positively so: NAHBS is like an art show.
> Of
> course many of these bikes aren't standard fare, and perhaps they're not
> meant for the average guy.
>
> The NAHBS show is artistic. It's a chance for the builders to let their
> imaginations run wild, to be creative and do something they want to do -
> even if they do pick up on the urban fixed gear or the modern French
> delivery bike themes. And the couplers and internal hubs are part of that
> too.
>
> These bikes are interesting, fascinating, in fact. NAHBS is the American
> version of the European Super Car exhibits, or the New York Art and
> Fashion
> shows. It's the leading edge of the artform. Most of us like to look at
> Fine
> Art, Super Cars and Super Model women, too. Of course most of us aren't
> going to buy that artwork, those cars, or date those women.
>
> But the NAHBS bikes aren't out of reach for many of us, and we should
> appreciate them for what they are: attainable, rideable, works of art.
> There
> are some great ideas on display in extraordinary form. These custom
> machines
> may inspire manufacturers to incorporate some of their design elements
> into
> future production offerings, just as it's done in the Automotive, Art, and
> Fashion industries.
>
> I wish that I'd been able to go to NAHBS. I would have found it to be a
> humbling and yet enlightening experience to see these bikes and meet their
> creators. These people are the Masters of the Art of the Hand Built
> Bicycle.
>
> Ed Braley
> Falmouth, Maine
> USA
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tom Dalton" <tom_s_dalton@yahoo.com>
> To: "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 12:44 PM
> Subject: [CR]Fwd: NAHBS
>
>
>> Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:44:10 -0800 (PST)
>> From: Tom Dalton <tom_s_dalton@yahoo.com>
>> Subject: NAHBS
>> To: mark@bikesmithdesign.com
>>
>> Mark Stonich wrote:
>>
>> At this event you want to be noticed, have everyone posting photos of
> your bikes.
>>
>> Mark,
>>
>> Based on the pics I viewed, I have to agree that there's a whole lotta
> "lookit me" going on a NAHBS. The sad result is that everyone is being
> different in the same way. The requiremenst of disc brakes
> notwithstanding,
> I think I'll barf if I see one more silly "custom" droput. What is this,
> OC
> Choppers? Dumb question I guess, because that TV show was very popular,
> and
> what would make the attendees of NAHBS any more sophisticated than the
> folks
> at Bike Week? The whole single-speed and internal-geared thing seemed
> very
> tired about 10 minutes into looking through the pics. Ditto the S&S
> couplers, and the gratutious retro touches such as wooden rims, shellaced
> cloth tape and Brooks saddles (they have their place, but...). Just how
> big
> is the US market for four-figure delivery bikes, utility bikes, kids
> bikes,
> monster tired single speed MTBs etc? It seems that almost every builder
> was
> showing anything but a practical bike for serious riding. Don't get me
> wrong, I'm
>> all in favor of more bikes being available to meet the needs of
> commuters, and to therby encourge people to use bikes for practical
> purposes, but how many people are riding around SF or NYC on a $5000
> paperboy bike? If there are many, what should I take away from this? I
> guess "bikes is cheap" compared to cars, but I doubt that it's the
> car-less
> dedicated commuter who buys a custom titanium one speed.
>>
>> If they are truly representative of what US hand builders are selling,
> the offerings at NAHBS, or at least those highlighted in the Wool Jersey
> gallery, tell a sad story. That story is that basic high perfomance steel
> frames are very nearly extinct. This makes some sense, since CF and AL
> may
> be slightly better for all-out performance, but what is left for the rider
> who wants a nice go-fast bike, and perhaps a custom bike, but simply loves
> steel. Maybe it's nostalgia, or maybe it's something deeper, but some
> guys
> want go-fast steel bikes, and the high end-market seems targeted squarely
> at
> the wealthy urban hip.
>>
>> At about the 80th Wool Jersey pic is saw a beautifully executed
>> standard
> road dropiut that really caught my eye with it's elevated points. It
> reminded me of a nice Tomassini, though exaggerated.
>>
>> http://www.wooljersey.com/
>>
>> Turned out to be Richard Sach's work. There were a few other bike
> pictured that looked like functional performance bikes, but very few, and
> there seemed to be a few nice touring/brevt bikes, but again, justt a few.
> The "track bikes" were mostly street fixies. Just what flame is being
> kept?
> It's kinda sad.
>>
>> Tom Dalton
>> Bethlehem, PA USA
>>
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