Bike show rolls into Portland

The North American Handmade Bicycle show rolled into the Oregon Convention Center in Portland this weekend, drawing over 6,800 bike enthusiasts from all over the Northwest–the show’s highest attendance yet.

The fourth annual event featured handmade bicycles and components by manufacturers from across the United States and Canada. Bikes on display ranged from tasteful track frames to bamboo tandems to mountain bikes with extra-large wheels. Over 150 exhibitors traveled to Portland to display their wares. Some booths were as simple as a few components sitting on a table, while others boasted extravagant multi-bike displays. Fifteen different prizes were awarded, honoring everything from the “Best TIG Welded Bicycle” to the “Best City Bike.”

“[The show] is cool because it shows you the craft side of biking,” said Mike Watanabe, a bike commuter from Vancouver, British Columbia, in town for the event. “A lot of the bike scene seems to be about image, so it’s nice when something lets people see the craft involved with it.” Watanabe’s favorite exhibitor was The Vanilla Workshop, a Portland company that took home the “Best in Show” award in both 2005 and 2006.

“They’re really pretty,” he said.

The bike industry event was founded by builder Don Walker in 2005. The first show in Houston, Texas, attracted only 23 exhibitors and about 700 attendees. As the show has grown over the years, it has been credited by some with fueling the industry, increasing demand in the pricey niche market of handmade bicycles. Portland builder Aaron Hayes and his company, Courage Bicycles, took home this year’s “Best New Builder” award, beating out other first-time competitors. Hayes’ custom-built frames start at $2,000. Five percent of all his profits are donated to Portland-area bike advocacy groups, such as the Bicycling Transportation Alliance. One of the show’s two Canadian builders, Naked Bicycles, took home the weekend’s top three awards, including “Best in Show.” Naked also won the “People’s Choice” award, voted on by the event’s attendees, and the “President’s Choice” award, picked by the exhibition’s founder and CEO, Don Walker.

Builder Sam Whittingham called his bike “my homage to Portland,” and spoke of his identification with the city’s “fixie” scene. Whittington’s design was a throwback to old grass-racer bikes, and was said by some attendees to have even caught the eye of famous road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong as he made his way through the Convention Center Friday evening.