As many of you may or may not know, last Saturday our staff had the chance to take a field trip up to Sacramento and witness the wonder that is NAHBS (North American Handbuilt Bicycle Show.) We saw old friends, drooled all over new bikes, and greased many, many, palms along the way. Literally, we had greasy hands from the burger spot we hit just before entering the venue.
The show itself was nothing short of amazing. Artisan builders from as near as our neighborhood and as far as Japan, all in one space to show off the best of the best of whatever bicycle beauty they're able to conjure up with their own two hands.
There were, of course, oodles of different awards being given out for number of categories...but there are simply none more prestigious than those of the coveted Mission Bicycle Company staff picks.
Let us begin...
Nick's Pick: Weis Cycles "Super Magnesium" Track
Nick's pick for top prize at NAHBS is an unconventional (in more ways than one) build from Weis Cycles, based out of Brooklyn, NY. This is their signature Hammer Track frame, which has raised eyebrows for its asymmetrical rear triangle, but built out of an intriguiging new alloy – "super magnesium."
Joe's Pick: Gaulzetti "Mama Duck" Track
One would be obliged to believe Joe picked his favorite bike of the show based purely off its name if we didn't have photo evidence of how next level the paint job was on this Gaulzetti track machine. Flaunting a gold disco ball-esque chainring and a #matchymatchy Silca pump, the Mama Duck looked like it was just as well suited for the art gallery as it was the velodrome.
Josh's Pick: Stinner "Lemond Homage" Road
The last two bikes in our staff picks were found at the same Team Dream/Mavic shared booth, which was a crowd pleaser in and of itself. Josh's pick of the pack is a modern steel frame roadie built by Stinner Frameworks of Santa Barbara, CA. The build pays homage to one of the most classic paint jobs ever (90's Lemond Team Z colorway) and spared no expense on the components set. This is one of those kinds of builds that makes you want to sell your car and put a deposit down on a new bike.
Brandon's Pick: Fat City Cycles "Slim Chance" Road
Far from new, Brandon's pick of the litter was a mega-rare Fat City Cycles "Slim Chance" absolutely dripping in vintage Mavic components – you see that starfish crank? Not a build for everyone, and in fact only 11 or so were made according to the little placard sitting below the bottom wheel. This one is for all the vintage heads out there.