NAHBS 2014 Part 1 - the bikes

Larry's back from Charlotte, NC and the North American Handmade Bicycle Show 2014. It was a fun weekend, combining beautiful bicycles and interesting people. This post will cover the bikes, saving the interesting people for next time.

 This bike was probably my favorite, though I did NOT spend a lot of time pestering the builders about their history, experience, etc. not wanting to get in the way of someone who was interested in BUYING something instead of just blabbing away. As a result I don't even know who this builder was, but he was located in what was called the "new builder section" and seemed to be from Japan. My photos were limited to road bikes with Campagnolo parts on them for the most part. There were plenty of otherwise gorgeous bikes built with parts from those "other people" but my sense of aesthetics put them in the category of "a Hitler mustache on the Mona Lisa" so no photos of them here. Photos were further limited by my poor photography skills, as many were just too blurred to put up here, sorry.

 Another gorgeous bicycle, this one from Casati. I lean towards classic looks like these. If you are really interested in tracking these builders down I'm sure other websites or blogs run by professionals will have more details on them. You can click on the photos to enlarge them enough to figure out what the name on the downtube is.

 I will always have a soft spot for ITALIAN bicycles, including this gorgeous Casati. I don't understand why this brand does not have more of a following here - they're truly beautiful machines.

 Another nice-looking bike whose maker you'll have to track down on your own. Campagnolo was having a separate award for bikes with their components so many makers had special notices on them pointing this out.

 This retro "scorcher" bike caught my eye not only for the beautiful workmanship, but also the retro concept. I don't care much for single speeds or fixies in general, but this was a special case.

 I'm far from a titanium bike fan, but this one, with the retro Campagnolo parts and polished finished caught my eye.

While we're on the subject of titanium, check out this MOOTS. It was in the Campagnolo competition and I'd be surprised if it didn't take top honors. Supposedly built for one of the honchos at Vecchio's in Boulder, the polished bits reminded one of chromed lugs while the polished and pantographed seat stay caps furthered the classic look. The other side cap had CAMPAGNOLO pantographed on it while the brake bridge featured the circular logo of the famous parts maker. A vintage steel pump head and tiny Campy decal on the downtube showed real attention to detail. The only way I'd like this bike more would be if they somehow worked a tricolore paint scheme in!

Next post: the people at NAHBS