Reeb went big with a 29 mountain bike outfitted with a Pinion gearbox - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Reeb is one of the first American companies to incorporate the Pinion gearbox - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Pinion has an 18-speed transmission - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Reeb is set up with a 32:30 external belt-drive - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The model is called the SFPinion , it's still in the prototype stage, though the company strongly believes in the merging of 29 tires and the Pinion gearbox for adventure touring - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Kish had this impeccably welded and understated 650B hardtail on display - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
This Mosaic mountain bike was created for a cause and can be bought through a charity auction on The Pro's Closet - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
All the proceedes from the sale of this bike will be donated to the National Inclusion Project, a charity whose mission is to bridge the gap that exists between young people with disabilities and the world around them - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
A Retrotec 'funduro' bike build by Curtis Inglis - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Twin top tubes and graceful curves on this Retrotec - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
A smooth, flowing transition from the top tube to the seatstays are what Retrotecs are known for - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Curtis Inglis also had this 29 bike on display - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The non-suspension corrected fork uses a Paragon Machine Works 15mm thru axle system - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The rear of this 29 Retrotec uses pinch bolts to secure the 142x12 thru axle. The frame is equipped with a yet-to-be-released Paul Components 142x12 singlespeed rear hub - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The routing for the Thomson Elite Dropper seatpost follows the twin top tubes on this Retrotec - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
This 29 has ample tire clearance for the 29x3in Surly Knard tires - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Rich Adams was showing off his personal 650B hardtail - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The frame uses a custom direct mount for the front derailleur - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Adam chose to use a wishbone-style seatstay arangement for his 650B - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Not every custom bike at NAHBS was brand new. This Steve Potts was built way back in 1987 - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Frame builder Jeremy SyCip was one of a handful of builders displaying a mountain bike with 26in wheels - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
SyCip built this particular bike around Surly's voluminous 26x2.75in Dirt Wizard tires - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
This SyCip was equipped with Phil Wood hubs — the company now offers an XD driver body for SRAM XX1 and X01 compatibility - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
This 650B SyCip was on display at the SRAM booth - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Lots of front suspension travel and mid-sized wheels tipified the mountain bikes at this year's show - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Plenty of attention to detail and custom touches on SyCips frames - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Mid-sized wheels may have been all the rage, but 20in wheels are just right for Jeremy SyCip's seven-year-old daughter - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Phil Wood supplied purple hubs - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Painted-to-match stem/handlebar on SyCip's titanium 20in bike - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
SyCip has a long history of building in steel. Titanium is the builder's latest pursuit - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The University of Iowa is one of a handful of US universities that offer a bicycle framebuilding class. The school had all kinds of bikes on display, including this Ti trials bike - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
A University of Iowa student must have been working towards extra credit with they built this Ti tandem 36er... - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Black Sheep Bikes supplied the truss fork for the 36in tandem - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Adhoc is Xprezo's new 650B enduro bike - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Cables are routed through the down tube on the Xprezo Adhoc - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The 150mm travel Adhoc uses a singlepivot rear suspension with an additional linkage to tune the spring rate - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The S-650B is Xprexo's new cross-country full suspension model - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The S-650B has it has 100mm of rear-suspension travel - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The seatpost binder bolt is tucked neatly into the top tube on Xprezo's S-650B - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The WUUU is a 650B trail bike with 115mm of rear suspension - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
All Xprezo full suspension bikes use a singlepivot rear suspension and a steel swingarm - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Xprezo may not make tailor the fit of each frame to every customer, but it prides itself on still fabricating all its bicycles by hand in Canada - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
There was a confluence in trends this year’s show, as 650B wheels (which were embraced by custom builders long before they ever made their way onto production bikes) and enduro-inspired geometry converged into a plethora of long-travel hardtails.
Click through the gallery at right for detailed images of the bikes.
Colorado-based Reeb bicycles is owned by Oskar Blues Brewery, (hence the name: "beer" spelled backwards). The small frame-building outfit offers mountain bikes, fat bikes and cyclocross bikes in steel and titanium. Reeb’s latest creation is a steel 29+ model designed around the 18-speed Pinion gearbox. (What's 29+, you ask? We explain 29+ here.)
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The bike is still in the prototyping stages, though Reeb feels strongly that 29+, belt drive and the Pinion gearbox are an excellent combination for adventure touring.
Jim Kish has been building bikes from titanium since 1992 and has previously ‘Best Titanium Bike’ at NAHBS.
Like many of his peers, Kish was showing off a slack 650B hardtail. In addition to the impeccable welds, what really set it apart from the other 650B bikes in display was the custom Ti waterbottle cage designed to hold Mason jars.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
We figure you could haul preserved tomatoes or peaches with you, but for optimal performance, fill it with moonshine.
Mosaic had a booth filled with handcrafted steel and titanium bikes. This particular mountain bike was created for a cause.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Mosaic partnered with up with Shimano, Fox Racing, fi’zi:k, Continental and crankbrothers to create a steel 650B hardtail that will benefit The National Inclusion Project, a charity whose mission is to bridge the gap that exists between young people with disabilities and the world around them.
The bike will be auctioned on eBay through Pro’s Closet. The auction is live and ends Sunday March 23rd. (Click here to visit the eBay listing.)
Curtis Inglis of Retrotec and Inglis Bicycles had a pair of eye-catching mountain bikes on display. The matte-black and pink 650B ‘funduro’ bike features the twin, arched top tubes that transition into seatstays Retrotec is known for.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Inglis won ‘Best Mountain Bike’ at the 2013 show with his Schwinn-inspired 29+ bike. He built another for 29+ year, though without a geared drivetrain and with a yet-to-be-released 142x12mm Paul Components hub.
Lugged and fillet-brazed road frames make up much of Rich Adams fare, though he also enjoys hitting the dirt on occasion. He built this 650B bike for his personal use.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
“I find 650B to be much more manageable on the trails I frequently ride,” said Adams. He also noted that, from a framebuilder’s perspective, that 650B wheels are present fewer design challenges.
Not every bike at the show was a new custom creation. This 1987 Steve Potts was on loan from the Museum of Mountain Bike Art and Technology, located just up the road in Statesville, North Carolina.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
You can learn more about Jeff Archer, owner of First Flight Bikes and the curator of the collection this stunning collection, here.
While 29ers and 650B were well represented at NAHBS, mountain bikes with 26in wheels were in short supply.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
This ‘26+’ build from SyCip was one of the most interesting. It’s not quite a fat bike, though it sports larger than average tires. Much like Surly’s new Instigator, this frame was designed to take Surly’s 26x2.75 Dirt Wizard tires.
Just because 650B ‘trail’ hardtails were on display at nearly every booth does not take away from the craftsmanship of each of the creations.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
This bike on display at the SRAM booth was kitted out in the company’s finest.
Jeremy SyCip has long been known as a steel builder, but he is ventuing into titanium construction as well.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
He built this 20in Ti mountain bike for his seven-year-old daughter. Phil Wood helped to complete the build with purple anodized hubs.
The University of Iowa is one of a small but growing number of US colleges and universities offering frame-building classes.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The Hawkeyes booth had a diverse collection of handcrafted titanium bicycles built by students — everything from a trials bike to a 36in-wheeled tandem.
Xprezo may not build custom bikes, but the small Canadian company based in Bromont, Québec, prides itself on the fact that it still build each of its bikes in-house, by hand.
The company used NAHBS as an opportunity to showcase its new 650B range.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
The AdHoc is billed as an enduro race bike. It has 150mm of rear travel a 66.6 degree head tube angle and comes with the standard features one would expect on a bike in this category such as an internal-routed dropper seatpost and ISCG-05 tabs for a chainguide.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Moving down in suspension travel is the WUUU. It’s a trail bike with 115mm of rear wheel travel designed to around 120-130mm suspension forks.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
All of Xprezo’s bikes use single-pivot rear suspension designs with a steel swingarm.
#: # - Josh Patterson/Future Publishing
Xprezo’s new cross-country racer is the S-650B. It has 100mm of rear suspension travel and is designed around 100-120mm forks.
Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
