16 mars 2006

Scott Martin

The first weekend in March was sunny and mild here in Northern California, but I spent the entire two days indoors. At an art exhibit.

Normally this would make me as happy as, oh, an art connoisseur at a bike-repair clinic. But I can't complain, because (a) it was my idea, and (b) I had a blast.

No, I haven't traded my helmet for a beret or my lactate-threshold stupor for post-modern ennui. I was attending the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, held March 3-5 in San Jose.

Calling this a bike show is like calling Donald Trump confident. It was a tribute to the bicycle as art -- beautiful, elegant, whimsical, awe-inspiring, ridable art. More than 60 builders showcased their masterpieces in steel, aluminum, carbon, even bamboo and copper.

Eat your heart out, Interbike: There wasn't a $300 hybrid or chain-smoking Taiwanese sales rep in sight. Instead, visitors feasted on booth after booth featuring stunning lug work, pristine fillet brazing, luscious paint jobs, curvaceous carbon tubing, gleaming stainless steel and etched titanium.

My favorite had to be J.P. Weigle's gorgeous randonneuring bicycles. Or Rock Lobster's no-nonsense Scandium-and-carbon cyclocross bike. Or Richard Sachs' classic steel road machines. Or Brian Baylis's stunning blue-and-white touring rig, complete with quick-release fenders and racks. Or Co-Motion's fanciful "bedknobs and broomsticks" tandem with tubing that resembled sculpted wooden chair legs. Or the beauties from Bruce Gordon, Calfee, Independent Fabrication, Waterford, Vanilla...

Heck, I want 'em all. Never mind that some cost five large and have a two-year waiting list. Imagine riding a frame built with such passion and craftsmanship and flair.

It would be like owning the Mona Lisa or Venus de Milo. Actually it would be better, because you can't take Venus for a ride, even if she had arms.

Quelques liens :
- The craftsmen return, sur Cyclingnews
- Details, details, details, sur Cyclingnews
- Handmade meets high tech, sur Cyclingnews
- Best in Show, sur Cyclingnews
- plein d'autres photos
- Handmade Bicycle Show.com
- Don Walker Cycles
- Rich Adams

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