We’re gearing up for this year’s North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Denver. This year we’re highlighting some of the local Colorado builders that will be showing their wares at this year’s show. Be sure to check back on Friday and all weekend for the latest custom creations from the Mile High City.
Boo Bicycles began a class project while founder Nick Frey was studying mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University. “We had a wonderful professor junior year who encouraged us to pursue an innovative project that would showcase our learning to that point. From the day I first saw Craig Calfee's bamboo show bikes I was in love with the concept. I wanted to apply my engineering expertise and my experience as a professional racer to make a race-worthy bamboo bike that could preserve the wonderful ride quality Craig made bamboo famous for,” Frey said.
After graduating in 2009, Frey set up shop in Fort Collins and partnered with industrial designer and bamboo expert James Wolf to create Boo Bicycles. Frey supplies the design input, assembles the finished frames and runs the business, while Wolf handles the “growing” and fabrication parts of the enterprise from his bamboo plantation in Vietnam.
“He has exclusive access to some of the best bamboo on the planet,” Frey said of his partner.
While some builders focus on specific genres of bicycles, Boo Bicycles create mountain, cyclocross and road bikes—though most builds are designed with an eye toward performance.
Boo-sponsored U23 racer Skyler Trujillo piloted his bamboo and carbon ‘cross bike to respectable finishes at this year’s Cyclocross Nationals and Cyclocross World Championship
This year’s show bikes
Boo is venturing into new territory this year, adding titanium and aluminum to the bamboo tubes and carbon lugged construction the company is known for.
Like most custom frames, Boo’s don’t come cheap. Frey is hoping to lower the cost of admission with the introduction of the Aluboo. The Aluboo will retail for less than US$1000 and will be constructed with aluminum lugs and bamboo main tubes. The Aluboo will be offered in stock sizing and will come in singlespeed, fixed gear, road and cyclocross versions.
Frey has setup a separate website for the project and plans to launch a Kickstarter page to help fund its development following the show.
Last but not least, Boo will also be showing a carbon and bamboo fat bike dubbed the ‘BOOlossal.’ Boo built this bike in collaboration with fellow Fort Collins frame builder Black Sheep. You'll have to wait until this weekend to see shots of this one...
Check back this weekend for more details on these and many other stunning bikes from this year's show.
