Handbuilt Bicycle News

Paul Skilbeck

Paul Skilbeck
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.
Paul Skilbeck

Shows & Events

August 2024

Made PDX 2024 Highlights, Part Two

The next wave, new generation, the changing of the guard; call it what you will: A lot of new companies are showing up at the custom bike expos around the world. These new brands might be entirely new to the industry; or new to the country; or they could just be new to exhibit at a bike show. Here's a quick-view mix including the established and the new at Made PDX.

Shows & Events

August 2024

Made PDX 2024 Highlights, Part One

The second year of the Made show in Portland saw a global mix of companies displaying some of the finest bicycle products on the planet, in front of the ever-receptive Portland cycling community. There was much to be excited about, and something for everyone.

Shows & Events

August 2024

Made PDX 2024 Preview

The Made show returns to Portland for the second year, providing a geographic alternative to the Philly Bike Expo and Master Bike Builders shows on the eastern side of the USA.

Frame Builders

August 2024

NorCal Resurgent: Zabrina Cycles

Frame building in the San Francisco Bay Area goes back to the 1890s. The area has seen highs and lows since then, most recently a low when the tech boom priced many workshops out of the area. Post Covid, frame builders have been trickling back in, including Oakland-based Zabrina Cycles.

Shows & Events

August 2024

Master Bike Builders Show Preview

The Master Bike Builders Show in Bentonville, Arkansas, Sep 14-15, is a further sign that the custom bicycle shows industry as a whole is evolving into a stronger promotional vehicle for the sector.

Shows & Events

August 2024

Brazin' - Scotland's handbuilt custom bike show highlights

Now in its second year, the Brazin' show - while still an intimate gathering - once again exceeded the organizers' expectations in both exhibitor numbers and public attendance. Phil Hodgkiss was there for HBG to introduce Scotland's frame building community to the world.

Frame Builders

July 2024

Roubam: a Cycling Odyssey

The 2024 Concours de Machines winner, David Barou, took up frame building after a one-year cycling odyssey in central Asia that changed the course of his career and his life.

Shows & Events

July 2024