The founder and publisher of the Handbuilt Bicycle Guide, Paul has long experience worldwide as a cycling journalist and communications consultant at bicycle showcase events such as Sea Otter Classic, North American Handmade Bicycle Show, and more recently the Philly Bike Expo. He has owned and ridden handbuilt custom bicycles since the 1970s. Paul lives in California's northernmost reaches, with five bicycles.
While still problematic for the industry the date clash of Aug. 6-8, 2027 for both NAHBS in Austin, Texas, and Made in Portland, Oregon appears to be the result of nothing more than coincidence.
Hierarchical show awards have long been regarded as lifting some ships on a rising tide while leaving others high and dry. With a little imagination, shows and expos can point the cycling media to coverage of the custom framebuilding industry with different, but still engaging, content that is more floodlight than spotlight.
A list of custom handbuilt bike expos and shows around the world , from the large international events, to the small regional shows and festivals. The common feature of these show is they deliberately promote the small manufacturers in the cycling industry, with the intention they get equal space and attention should the larger companies exhibit also.
A new Major League Baseball park complex is under consideration for the Zidell Yards site in Portland, Oregon, which has been home to the Made show since 2023, putting the future of this venue into question.
The Killerdrop is a one-click seat height/angle adjustment system that is the best answer we've seen yet to a question mountain bikers the world over have been asking for decades. It will be available for test rides near the finish of the dual slalom course during the 2025 Sea Otter Classic.
Tokyo's Handmade Bicycle Exhibition, January 25-26, is the longest-running handbuilt custom bicycle show we know of. The event is held in one of the most prestigious locations imaginable.
Pre-expo ticket sales are up at the USA's preeminent exposition of bicycle culture, cycling knowledge, and great products. The smaller manufacturers in the cycling industry continue to keep their flags flying at the expo and interact with customers, yet the larger companies are conspicuously absent. Despite this, the show flourishes.
Held in Grass Valley, November 14-17, Velo Cosmos celebrated the deep-rooted passion, ingenuity, and hard work that has driven the evolution of bicycles and cycling culture over the past 50 years.