As another preview of what’s coming to town, this short video of the 2010 show was put together by attendee Michael Wendell.

2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show from Michael Wendell on Vimeo.

Can’t wait for 2011!

Click photo to see whole gallery

Our city also got honors at this year’s show with Austin’s own Nick Crumpton picking up the award for best carbon fiber bike. Cyclelious did some great coverage including interviews with several participants.

To whet your appetite, here are some images from the 2010 show which just wrapped up in Richmond, VA.

NAHBS Group on Flickr:

If you are looking for more professional quality and details shots of some of the featured bike, check out Urban Velo’s studio pictures from Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.

Richard Sachs:

Boston framebuilder Geekhouse:

Mike Flanigan of A.N.T.:

Finally, Doug Fattic, the master framebuilder who taught me how to build:

Flanigan recently produced this short video giving us a peek into the design thought process we use to create this style of bikes and some of the unique touches he puts into his frames.

VO2 Triathlon & Cycle owners Gustavo and Camila Pinheiro

No question Austin is a triathlon town. Our summer racing calendar is littered with races from short Sprint distance to ironman distance with races like the Capital of Texas Triathlon pulling national talent to race in our city. Go on any road ride, and more than likely you’ll see at least a few riders riding aerobar equipped triathlon bikes. We’ve even got some resident triathlon celebs like Ironman World Championship podium finisher Desireé Ficker. Our fair winter weather and jewels for training like Barton Springs mean you can train year round and race for 9 months.

The tri oriented have also been blessed by having not one, but two triathlon specific shops. Strangely though for a city our size, these shops are located just blocks from each other just south of downtown. For the majority of our population that live north of the river, especially north of 183, your options have now improved with the opening of VO2 Triathlon & Cycles in northwest Austin at Parmer Lane and SH 45.

VO2 opened last fall under the management of the husband and wife duo of Gustavo and Camila Pinheiro. Their entry into the tri shop world was not inevitable, but they have taken their knowledge and passion for the sport to offer more options for Austin triathletes.

The Pinheiros grew up and were educated as engineers in Brazil. In 2004, they moved to Puerto Rico to work for a firm in the auto industry, and Gustavo noticed is weight ballooning up. Working out at the gym wasn’t cutting it. He needed a goal and signed up for a 10K run. He enjoyed it so much soon he was doing marathons and made the jump to triathlon eventually racing ironman distance. In November 2008, his company was considering a move to Austin, and like many transplanted Austinites, he and Camila fell in love with the city on their visits. When the company decided not to move, the Pinheiros decided to quit the engineering profession and focus on their passion. They saw that Austin was a triathlon mecca and could use another tri shop in the mix.

When opening VO2, they decided to focus solely on the triathlete and road racer. This means their shop has more variety of performance oriented products than a general bike shop, but it also means missing are more entry level products like hybrids and cruisers as well as utility oriented products like racks and fenders. Not content to be all things to all people, the Pinheiros have focused their shop on the needs of the racer.

This meant opening a shop that initially had no bikes. At launch in August, the 2009 bike model year was winding down and rather than carry last years models, Gustavo focused on getting the latest products with 2010 models. Shipments are now in with 2010 models of Blue, Kestrel and KHS.

The focus on triathletes goes beyond just products with an array of services and training organized by the shop. Training rides leave the shop on Saturdays and Tuesdays with shop runs at Brushy Creek Park on Sundays. They have partnered with juniors triathlon coach Boris Robinson of T3 Multiports, running coach Claudia Spooner of iRuniTri, and Austin Cycle Camp to provide training services for their customers. Gustavo is also Slowtwitch F.I.S.T certified to do triathlon specific bike fitting. This is extremely important in triathlon since not only do you want to be as aerodynamic as possible (drafting is banned in triathlon) but you also want to transition well to the run portion of the race after the bike. Tradition road bike positions exercise muscles that are less than ideal for this transition.

In the coming weeks, VO2 Triathlon & Cycles will be offering VO2 testing in the shop as well. They will have a technician with the equipment to test your start of season VO2. Customers can bring their bikes to put on a training and get this vital info in creating season training plans. The testing will return later in the season to allow folks to check their progress.

Gustavo and Camila Pinheiro are committed to serving the triathlon market. VO2 Triathlon & Cycles offers another great choice with equipment and services for Austin’s growing number of triathletes.

VO2 Triathlon & Cycles
9222 West Parmer Lane (northwest corner of Parmer and SH 45)
(512) 918-2300
www.VO2tc.com
Monday – Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturdays 10am to 6 pm

NOTE: VO2 Triathlon & Cycles is a site sponsor of Austin on Two Wheels.

While it is always a bummer to loose a local bike shop, one man’s loss can be your gain. South Side is having a store closing sale with 50% off everything in the store. So if you have a little holiday cash still jingling in your pocket, this could be your chance to pick up some bike stuff for cheap.

From Down Under to the USA

As with every builder I’ve met, the passion for frame building began with a passion for cycling from an early age. Flatman rode BMX while growing up in Australia and eventually went on to race mountain bike and down hill. He left the racing scene once the pressure of racing ceased being fun and got a degree as an outdoor education teacher. Still being drawn to cycling, Flatman started working at a local bike shop as a mechanic.

As with most life changes in early adulthood, Flatman’s move to the US involved a girl. He settled into Colorado with his girlfriend at the time and picked up work again as a bike mechanic. Though this is a foreign concept to Texas bike shops, most Colorado bike shops serve double duty as a ski and winter sport shop during the winter months. This meant some seriously reduced hours for Flatman, and he started looking for other work. When a mechanic job at Dean Titanium Bikes came up, he applied and got the job.

At this point, Flatman harbored a dream in the back of his mind to build frames himself one day. Under the guidance of frame builder Pete Smith whom Flatman calls “one of the best damn frame builders out there”, he learned building on the side. As opportunities opened up, he moved over into the building process doing joint tacking then full on welding.

The origins of Alchemy Bicycle Company

After four years at Dean, Flatman struck out on his own and moved to Texas. Rather than try to start a framebuilding business right away and due to some bike industry burn out, he took work as a contract welder for NASA and the US military. The work wasn’t exciting, but it did improve Flatman’s welding and fabrication skills and gave him the capital to start Alchemy. In late 2008, he left the contract work and launched Alchemy Bicycle Company in January of 2009. While Alchemy is new to the Austin cycling scene, it has come on strong with a presence at the Texas Custom Bicycle Shop, ubiquitous print ads, and a sponsorship of The Driveway Crits series for 2010. Flatman invested in a large workshop with a bike showroom near South Congress and Ben White, and Alchemy is also carried by local bike boutique, Pro Cycles, and KGS Bikes in San Antonio.

Any way you want it, that’s the way we’ll build it

James Flatman takes the traditional builder approach of fully custom to all rider types and styles. Unlike most builders, he does not specialize in a particular bike style such as road or 29er and more importantly he does not specialize in any one particular material. His approach is that the design and the materials should match the needs of the rider. This means steel, aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber are all on the table. And while he prefers titanium for its combination of light weight and durability, his goal in all his bikes is to build durability over obsession with the weight of the frame.

Equally if not more important to materials in bike construction is fit, and it is here where Flatman combines his years of experience with new hi-tech solutions to get a bike truly tailored to the rider. He does extensive interviews with clients, takes measurements, and watches them ride on a trainer. He has also begun using the ReTool Fitting System, a Wii-like system that records key points on the body while riding and then imports that data into a design program like BikeCAD.

The future of Alchemy

Flatman has brought in help to keep his build time to about 6 weeks, a relatively quick turn around for a custom builder. He currently offers steel and aluminum frames starting at $1600 and titanium at $2350. He estimates he’ll be building over 200 frames next year, and as his business and brand grows, there are plans to expand his manufacturing space and establish a dealer network. With some luck, Alchemy could be a national custom brand in a few years.

In the meantime, Flatman keeps producing well made, very nice looking bikes “transforming your dream bike into a reality.”

Alchemy Bicycle Company
209 E. Ben White Blvd., Suite 211
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 443-2900
http://alchemybicycles.com

Local Bike Shop gift certificates

While purchasing tubes, water bottles, gloves, and leg and arm warmers are almost always a safe bet, why not let your cyclist get the things he or she really needs with a gift certificate to their favorite local bike shop. If you need help locating the shop or finding a shop in the recipient’s neighborhood, use our local bike shop directory or use the side bar links. Some shops including A2W sponsor Bicycle Sport Shop allow you to order gift certificates online and will deliver them for you.

Locally made stocking stuffers

There are quite a few locally made small gifts that the bike riders will appreciate including Grease Monkey Wipes (available at most Austin LBSs), Feetbelts, and Rocket Shower refreshing spray.

Clothing and accessories

Technical shirts from Chronic Cycling

When it comes to great cycling shirts, there are lots of local choices. Those wanting something a little sportier can check out Chronic Cycling while cyclists in search of shirts with a little edgier message should take a look at Limit Sixty Six and Psychlist: Subversive Cycling. Cycling caps are now all the rage, and we have a couple local makers of hand made caps, F3 Designs and Kongko Designs. While you are keeping the elements off your head, you might as well cover your eyes with Spokiz Sunglasses, Austin made sport sunglasses made partially with recycled bike spokes. Finally, any cyclist who rides after sunset will appreciate the array of bright flashing LEDs that clip on just about anywhere with the Flashbak.

Handbuilt bicycle from an Austin framebuilder

This year’s Texas Custom Bicycle Show was a great success displaying a dozen great builders. If you are looking for a the ultimate gift for a cyclist, consider a locally made handbuilt bike tailored to the riders body and riding style. Check out our side bar list of Texas builders or consider one of these Austin builders:

• Alchemy Bicycle Company- Builder James Flatman makes road, fixie, and mountain bikes including 29ers from steel, aluminum, carbon and titanium.
  

  Handbuilt custom Randonneuring bicycle from Violet Crown Cycles

• Crumpton Cycles- Longtime, nationally recognized builder Nick Crumpton makes custom carbon road, time trial, and cyclocross bikes.
• Dominion Bicycles- A recent addition to the Austin scene, Scott Ross of Dominion Bicycles offers steel lugged road, mountain, time trial, messenger, and cyclocross bikes.
• KirkLee- Brad Cason is a nationally recognized builder of carbon fiber road and mountain racing bikes with several pro racers riding his frames.
• True Fabrication- Not everyone can make TIG welds look good but the trio of Cody Baron, Clark Davidson, and Cole Thompson know how to make lovely steel road and 29er mountain bikes with very nice looking welds.
• Violet Crown Cycles- Specializing in customer, hand built touring, cargo and city bikes, A2W editor, yours truly, is one of only two U.S. frame builders specializing in Dutch-style bikes.
• Willits Bikes- One of the founders of the 29er movement, Austinite Wes Williams has been building steel and titanium mountain bikes for 20 years including Monster X, a “29er/cyclocross mutant.

Donation to a local cycling organization

The holidays are about more than just getting. If you have a cyclist who has everything, why not contribute to the Austin Yellow Bike Project to help them in construction of their permanent home, make a donation to the League of Bicycling Voters to help promote more Austin cycling infrastructure, or purchase a membership in the Austin Cycling Association.