Cycling

The Best Bikes and New Trends from the NAHBS

Kevin Curry

Mar 15, 2017 — 4 min read

The North American Handbuilt Bike Show is the venue for frame builders to show off their chops. Compared to Interbike where you get what big name manufacturers are prepping for the market, at the NAHBS you get to see the products of sweat, tears, years of expertise and fine-tuning technique, and true love for two-wheeled transportation.

This year handbuilt bicycle builders came together in the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah to celebrate the 13th year of the NAHBS and share nearly 200 handbuilt bicycles with enthusiasts and fans. Besides love for the bike, handbuilt bikes display a lot of grassroots innovation. It’s all there from performance road bikes to gravel demons to over the top beach cruisers and retro-looking track bikes built with ultra-modern tube tech. There are some cool new trends to be on the look for from the NAHBS:

Bike Trends from the NAHBS

Dirt and Gravel are King

Apparently, I’m part of a dying breed of people that prefer to ride on the road. Dirt and gravel bikes were everywhere at the NAHBS and a lot of innovation is taking place to fit the trend. One great example is Moot’s 3D printed flat mount dropout.

Tubeless Hits the Road

Tubeless has long been something that’s “on the horizon” for road cycling, it’s becoming evident that the future is now. Road bike tubeless tires are here with bother wheel and tire makers appearing to be fully onboard.

The Future is Bright

Handbuilt bicycles have historically tended toward the raw polished metal or clear coated carbon fiber look as they really show off the clean welds and artisan-level work. But, the trend is changing. The bikes at this years NAHBS weren’t just artistically built, they were also artistically finished. Bright colors and fantastic graphics were everywhere.

Disc Brakes Aren’t Stopping

Disc brakes are spreading like wildfire, despite the pro peloton’s reluctance to adopt the technology. There’s some crazy stuff going on with disc brakes too, like carbon fiber rotors that look incredible.