Rocky Mountain High, Don't Mess With Texas - North American Handmade Bicycle Show

Indianapolis, IN - The framebuilders in the Mountain time zones weren't the first to fabricate a bicycle from titanium, but they have certainly had a hand in perfecting and expanding the use of the incredibly light, strong, durable, resilient, and corrosive resistant material.

And if you think that cyclists like Lance Armstrong and our friend Liz Hatch are the only bicycling related beauties to come out of Texas, you would be wrong.

In Part II of our NABHS series, we'll take a look at some of the framebuilders from the states of Colorado, Montana and Texas, and their creations that were on display last weekend at the 5th Annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

Eriksen Cycles has been in existence since 2006, but Kent Eriksen’s name has been synonymous with cycling for quite some time now as a member of the mountain bike hall of fame, a framebuilder, and the founder of Moots Cycles. Specializing in titanium frames, everything is designed and fabricated in-house at their Steamboat Springs, CO shop. At this year’s NAHBS, Eriksen won the “Best Titanium Bicycle" award. See other award winners.


Like Eriksen Cycles, Moots Cycles shares Steamboat Springs and the mastery of titanium in common. Moots has been “committed to handbuilding the finest bikes for cyclists around the world” since 1991.


DEAN Titanium Bicycles is quite literally the dean of titanium crafted bicycles in Colorado. Founded by two racers who wanted to “produce the most technically advanced bicycles in the world,” DEAN has been making bikes since 1990. Though known primarily for their titanium constructs, the independently owned, Boulder-based company also crafts bicycles using steel, scandium and carbon.


In the category is Black Sheep Bikes from Fort Collins, CO. Each one of their custom made bicycles, especially the 36” wheeled ZAMer experiment, pushes the envelope on titanium tube construction. As one patron at the show noted to me upon seeing their creations, “it looks like someone had some serious fun making those tubes.” If you didn’t know it already, curves are definitely back in.


David Kirk began working as a professional framebuilder in 1989. Working with Serotta and then Carl Strong, Kirk finally went off on his own and created Kirk Frameworks. As a one-man shop operating out of Bozeman, MT, Kirk designs and builds every frameset “with its rider in mind and reflects the preferences and personality of its owner.”


KirkLee Bicycles are “Built for Speed, Built for You.” The Austin, TX based company specializes in full custom carbon fiber bicycles. Every bike is essentially a one-off creation, although standard sizes are an option. Owner Brad Cason took me through the paces of some of his creations, which included masterful carbon weaves, painstakingly detailed paint jobs, and an integrated Chris King headset.


Making the trip up from Austin with KirkLee Bicycles was True Fabrication Bicycles. Founded by the trio of Cody Baron, Clark Davidson, and Cole Thompson, True Fabrication has been TIG-welding steel road, mountain, track, and commuter frames since 2005.


Premiering at the 5th NAHBS was Alchemy Bicycles of San Antonio, TX, which had several offerings.


Photos: © Leonard Basobas