2008 North American Handbuilt Bicycle Show Report

The 2008 edition of the North American Handbuilt Bicycle Show was held in Portland, Oregon. The bikes that we displayed at the show were all actual customer bikes whose owners generously allowed us to show them at NAHBS before taking delivery of their bikes. Among the bikes in the booth was the debut of the new JK Special. We also had an unpainted frame on display which provided a glimpse of the craftsmanship that lies below the paint jobs. Of course, Joe Bell’s crisp and creative paint work was a big hit as well.

We enjoyed meeting many customers, enthusiasts and friends, as well as taking in the other fine work represented at the show.

Exhibitors selected their picks for the top bikes in several different categories, and we are proud that a Kirk Frameworks frame won the prize for best fillet brazed bicycle. The custom frame was made to order for a customer in Miami, Florida.

At this year’s show we had good honest fun seeing old friends and meeting new people. The show gets larger every year and 2008 was no exception. I was told that 6800 people came thought the gates over the 3 days. On Saturday it was so busy that the convention center filled beyond capacity. They had to make folks coming into the show wait until others came out due to fire regulations. It was exciting to see such a strong turnout, with people attending from all over the country.

This year, like last year, I had a booth next door to Carl Strong of Strong Frames. It makes the whole thing easier and more fun in the company of friends. This year my wife Karin also came along. She provided much needed help, and she also enjoyed meeting customers, old friends, new friends, and other builders.

It’s always a rush of activity to get ready for the show, and then immediately afterward I begin thinking about and planning for the next one. What should I do differently? What types of bikes should I bring? What about logistics like lighting, the backdrop and the booth layout? Interior decorating is not exactly my strong suit, so planning for this sort of event takes quite a bit of energy.

In the end it takes a good solid three weeks of time to prepare for, attend and return from NAHBS. And it’s worth every minute. We had a great time and did a large amount of business. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth to look at the bikes and say hello. A special thanks to all the customers that allowed me to hold onto their bikes for display at the show. Without your generosity the booth would have been empty.  I also want to thank Don Walker who organizes the show. Through Don’s hard work the show has given us, the small builders, a top-notch event to let our work shine. Thank you Don!

I also want to thank my fellow builders for selecting my work with an award. Winning the award for the best fillet brazed bicycle was especially sweet as it was completely unexpected. I don’t build the “bling” type show bikes, which seem to win all the awards so I never thought my work stood a chance. Thanks for the support.

Next year the show will be at the end of February in Indianapolis, Indiana and we are already looking forward to it. I hope that many of you can make the trip; I have no doubts that you will have a memorable and fun visit to the show.

All the best,
Dave

 

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Kirk Frameworks at the 2007 North American Handbuilt Bicycle Show

At about 6 AM on February 28th my good friend and fellow framebuilder Carl Strong, his lovely wife Loretta and I loaded up his truck and left Bozeman for San Jose CA . We were all headed for the 3rd Annual North American Handmade Bike show. The drive is a long one but passes through some of the most barren yet beautiful landscape I've seen. It took us 18 hours to drive the distance and despite some trouble with the truck and snow-covered roads we had a fun drive. We arrived in San Jose no worse for the wear, and the warm air and palm trees were a refreshing change from our snowy home.

The NAHBS is organized by framebuilder Don Walker of Texas. Small builders came from all over the country and in a few cases across the ocean to be part of the event. It was wonderful to take part in the show and to meet my fellow framebuilders. One of the highlights was meeting so many of my customers and finally being able to put a face to the name talk with you in person.

I'd like to say a special thank you to my two customers who allowed their brand new bikes to be displayed at the show. I appreciate that you delayed the delivery of your frames so that I could show them off to the rest of the world – you got lots of compliments on your new bikes!

The show is very well-organized and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves handbuilt bike stuff. It was a who's who of the handbuilt world. Next year the show will be in Portland, Oregon and I will be there for sure. I hope you can find a way to make the trip and spend a few days talking with builders and seeing the shiny stuff.

We made it home the day after the show at 10:00 PM after a 15 hour day in the truck. It seems like that would be a rough day but with Carl and Loretta as travel companions we kept each other entertained and wide awake the whole way. Much of the talk on the way home was about how we will change things for next year's show and we all seemed to be looking forward to it already.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to look at my work and to say hello. For those of you who were not able to attend, you'll find lots of photos at the NAHBS web site. I encourage all of you bike aficionados to consider making the trip to Portland next February; I guarantee you won't be disappointed by the wide array of amazing and creative things to see. And don't forget to stop by my booth and say hello. It will be good to meet you and shake your hand.