NAHBS 2018 – 6 Bizarre Bicycles You Cannot Pigeonhole

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by Hannah Dobson February 27, 2018 4

We’ve already brought you a love-in of handmade mountain bikes – or flat barred knobbly tyred bikes anyway. For our second instalment of bikes from the North American Handmade Bike Show (NAHBS), we’re bringing you bikes of confusion. There are dropper posts, there are knobbly tyres, there are suspension forks…and there are drop bars.

Defying definition and tearing up the rule book, we bring you the We’re Not Sure Whats.

1. Appleman

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

The not so excitingly named FR-213 is a carbon fibre bikepacking fat bike with a Lauf fork, Rohloff hub and belt drive. Only a pro climber could squeeze any tighter into a niche.

2. Calfee Bikes

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

This well-known Californian company specialises in carbon fibre and bamboo construction. This carbon fibre number has a dropper and suspension fork. We’d be a bit scared going over anything bumpy enough to use them with those skinny seat stays.

3. Dean Bikes

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

With S and S coupling and suspension front and rear, we’re divided in the office. Some of us have sore eyes. Who knew that titanium isn’t always beautiful?

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

4. DeSalvo Cycles

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

This titanium bike is the result of a competition to design a bike. Conor Urian submitted his John Tomac inspired bike called the Tomacular Spectacular.

5. Moots

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

This is a prototype gravel softail. This bike will fit (shown) 27.5 x 2.25in and can switch to a set of 700 x 45mm.

Image Courtesy of
NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

6. Ascari Bikes

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

This has absolutely no business being on the pages of this site, except that it’s so bonkers that surely only Chipps could pull off the outfit needed to ride this thing. No suspension, no knobbly tyres, but lots of leather string.

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

The rubies are an optional extra. Hell, why not.

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

Copper and brass brazed detailing is everywhere.

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

Wooden rims!

Image Courtesy of NAHBS/Brad Quartuccio

We recommend you save this bike for dry and dusty conditions.

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Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Comments (4)

brantbrant February 27, 2018 at 2:37 pm

>skinny seat stays.

Quite a day for seat stays.
I imagine they are flattened and only appear thin in the section you can see. Sadly, they’re flattened in the wrong direction for it to have any significant effect on the rear triangle. Stays tend to flare outwards, but that’s not what people believe, so the emperors new seat stays will probably work fine.
Rear triangles are very stiff. They are triangles. This has historically been a rigid structure, though clearly this may change under Brexit.

MrRichardHMrRichardH February 27, 2018 at 2:43 pm

I could never bring myself to buy a bike with a Lauf fork. Just. Too. Ugly. But there are some beauties here.

tthewtthew February 27, 2018 at 6:53 pm

I think they could all be reasonably pigeonholed as minging. HTH.

obidogobidog February 28, 2018 at 1:37 pm

The Appleman ‘fat-packer’ also has S&S couplers just to add another niche tag. n+1 to the power of niche

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