The North American Handmade Bicycle Show 2007 Edition, San Jose, California.
The North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) was created by bicycle builder Don Walker as a venue for those who appreciate the difference between a commodity, no matter how fine, and a handcrafted bicycle. The nexus is the custom builders, masters of industrial design. These men* know how to manage the delicate balance (or tension) between artistic expression and mechanical application; between form and function. It is where these forces come together that exquisite bicycles are made. Custom builders also know that each person will interact with their machine so closely as to become one with it when in motion. Successfully to achieve this, the builder must be able to listen, and empathetically to apply the needs of the rider into each frame.
I assembled this essay with the details in mind, because at a distance, the bikes inside the exhibit hall look like every bike outside. Angels are found in the details. (Devils live in stress risers.)
*Only men exhibited frames at the show. Let's go, ladies! I know you are out there.
Curated by Gina Morey. Photos by Phil Roberts, with additional photography by Thomas Dryden & Gina Morey.
