English Cycles
The blue TT bike in the background won Best of Show Award for Rob English of English Cycles, so big congratulations to him. I liked his orange-hued mountain bike, that had sweet dual top tubes, and a neat medallion that is sat smack in the middle of them.
In addition, the rear brake and derailleur went inside each of the top tubes, which gave nice clean lines and a sharp look. The headtube had a carbon fiber insert in front of the head badge, for an interesting touch.
Donkelope Bikes
Their Steampunk theme bike was pretty cool looking, and included old-time parts and modern features. The headtube and lugs are clad in brass; the brake lines are copper/nickel hard tubing through the frame for hydraulic brakes, and wood fenders and leather grips for the finishing touches.
The headlight is an antique bike gas lantern, with modern led lighting. Greg Heath of Donkelope is based out of Bellingham Washington, and makes steel frames, forks, stems, and racks.
Weld One (OGRE)
This was an interesting looking bike from this Japanese company, though I am not sure how comfortable the massive dropped steering position would be, so I assume it’s more of a concept design?
Eric Baar – Ground Up Designs
Eric Baar of Ground Up brought a couple of wild looking bikes with him from Colorado Springs.
He is well known for his track bikes, but I liked the way the BMX looked with sparkled and glittery paint job.
Word from the show is that the awards process has gotten “funky” and “screwy” and therefore some builders are still showing but not participating in the awards competition. This is worth reporting on, don’t you think?