The annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) just wrapped up today. CyclingNews.com has a fantastic gallery of the best bikes in their article on the show’s award winners. The bikes are unbelievable. My personal favorite has to be the full susser from Naked, a product of Canada (of course). I don’t know why I seem to automatically love things Canadian, but I do. I also really love lugged steel bikes. I want a Sach’s ‘cross bike in a very primal, lustful way. But really, I think any of the good 753 builders can make you a beautiful bike you’d be proud to pass on to your great-grandchildren. And the steel-is-real fork would be a damn site better than any molded carbon fork as well. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy aero bikes, and I’m glad I get to race on one. But if I could have just one bike for the rest of my life (horror), I think it’d be a lugged-steel 753 road racer. Maybe a ‘cross bike, cause you can always use that on the road. But it’d definitely have lugs. And it’d be built by some crotchety old gentleman with a workshop and a blowtorch. And it’d be beautiful…
Lugs & a blow-torch are all you need.
Lugs & a blow-torch are all you need.
Jordan Rapp 