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European Handbuilt Bike Show

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67 frame-builders from all over Europe gathered last weekend for the very first European Handmade Bicycle Exhibition ( EHBE ). The exhibition was held in the conference-center of the small town of Schwäbisch Gmünd, close to Stuttgart, Germany.

According to the organisers Indra & Ingo around 3000 customers came to see the custom-made bicycles – some of the visitors even got themselves measured and they ordered their own custom frames.

This more craftsman-oriented alternative to the major European bicycle shows is also the first meeting point for European frame-builders – socialising and networking during and after show hours were also an important part of the event.

Some impressions from the EHBE

Langenberg ( http://www.langenberg-manufaktur.de/outdoor.html – also picture above) offers custom made frames. As a speciality the transitions between the tubes are filled with solder and then ground – according to Sven (photo) this is a very time consuming task.

Raw, the frame looks like this
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and is super-smooth.

After powder-coating it looks like that:
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From the same company: the “Goldj√§ger” Track-Cycle:
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Seven Cycles ( http://www.sevencycles.de )
offers various High-End custom frames and is one of the big players in this niche. The Frames are welded in the USA.

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Beautiful titanium – the “7” is applied in different parts of the bicycle.

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Darren Mark Crisp also uses titanium as his material of the choice ( http://www.crisptitanium.com )
Originating from the USA he is living and working from Tuscany since several years.

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Jens Heid offers handmade MTB and Race-bike Frames under his brand-name “Neueck” ( http://www.neueck-custombikes.de/ ) – speciality: the cut “N” on the rear end of the bike:

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SRAM
Also Sram was present – they brought a new hub “Torpedo” with them:
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With a screwdriver you can change the single-speed-hub from freewheel to fixie within some seconds. The Torpedo hub is available in all these anodised colours.

Zumbi ( http://www.zumbicycles.com )

From Poland: Zumbi – with such a frame riders were competing in the DH Worldcup in La Bresse on the same weekend:
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Also by Zumbi: frames for Dirt, Street and 4X
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Demon Frameworks ( http://demonframeworks.com/ )

Tom Warmerdam builds sophisticated steel-frames with loads of beautiful details – wow!
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Cycloholic ( http://www.cycloholic.de/ )

Its showtime – Cycloholic – Bicycles (?)
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Also from Cycloholic: Junk-Art – made from bicycle parts. Very loud! ( Video )

[VIDEO=1701]http://videos.mtb-news.de/videos/1/_/video/CYCloholic-hoellenmaschineflv.m4v[/VIDEO]

Eccentric: Cerchi Ghisallo ( http://www.cerchiinlegnoghisallo.com )
Italy made wooden rims, fenders, carriers.

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Also custom made in Italy: Race-Bikes “Zullo” Zullo ( http://www.zullo-bike.com/ ). You find the logo in different spots of the frame:

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Raw material for many of the craftsmen:

Steel-Tubes made by Reynolds

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Something completely different: Street-BMX frames – custom-made by Thomas Dorsch.
Based in Stuttgart he offers the super-light frames under the name of SVEVO ( http://www.svevobikes.com )

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Very exotic: frames made by Brano Meres ( http://www.bmeres.com ). Eye-catcher: the bamboo/carbon – Bike:

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According to Brano the frame rides like a normal frame – the whole bike weighs under 11 kg. On his website he has more pictures of the bike in action ( http://www.bmeres.com/bambooframe.htm )

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From Karlsruhe the guys from Fixie Inc. were also attending the show. ( http://www.cycles-for-heroes.com/ ) On their homelike booth they showed their interpretation of “Cycles for Heroes” (its their slogan).

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Need a rig for Bike Polo?
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It is new, but already looks old: Rust-look. The frame spent a few weeks in the rain of Karslruhe and oxidated on the surface. Clean air – huh?

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Brunn-Parts: handmade by Wolfgang Brunn (left) in Esslingen, Germany ( http://www.brunn-bikeparts.de )

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Classic MTB-Stem by Brunn
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From Vilters in Switzerland came inventor Florian Schlumpf to the EHBE ( http://www.schlumpf.ch/ ) :
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The super-compact Schlumpf planetary gearbox compatible with the Gates Carbon Drive!

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You have to press your heels to the center of the bike in order to shift gears.

Rather nonstandard: Tilo Chlupka from Tilos Bikeshop ( http://www.tilosshop.com/ ) with his “Keingelenker” (german for “zero pivot”) dual suspension bike with 80 mm travel.

[VIDEO=1702]http://videos.mtb-news.de/videos/1/_/video/keingelenkerflv.m4v[/VIDEO]

Tool: The “Raschbl” ( www.mh-conceptions.de )

A special tool for face milling of postmount adapters:

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Reset Racing ( http://www.reset-racing.de/ )

Norbert Köhn brought lots of parts with him:
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Pedals, tools and different gadgets, which he produces and sells under his Reset label.

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Gebla – Georg Blaschke initials make up his company name. ( http://www.gebla.de ) In 1992 he already built his first dual suspension bicycle. In his main job he works as a design engineer at SRAM Germany developing shifters.

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Carbon, very light: Nordischer Rahmenbau (“nordic framework”) ( http://www.nordischer-rahmenbau.de )
Oliver Grest from the northern part of germany builds superlight frames and components – totally handmade and not on the cheap side. This road bike weighs 5,3 kg in total.

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Dailybread ( http://www.dailybreadcycles.net/ ): Berlin based Götz Haubold manufactures puristic, suitable for everyday use and affordable city bikes Рsweet!

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These were my impressions from EHBE 2009 – next year the exhibition will take place again – stay tuned on http://e-h-b-e.eu/ for more information.

Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 22 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)

More posts from Chipps

Comments (7)

    WOW. Cant we have a similar show here? 🙁

    Of course we can.

    Well volunteered. You organise it. We’ll all come along. Simple. 🙂

    that dailybread is lovely

    if we had one in this country i’d be skint

    Seriously though. I stopped going to car shows when they resembled 10+car dealerships crammed under one roof with a £ charge to get in. I know there are new bike product launches etc but the above, well everything there is worth pouring over not just ‘oh there four more spesh tyres on display’. There was a handmade show in America recently- I must have stared and revisited each pic constantly!

    You could have tried proof-reading after the translation.

    Show was great, well worth the trip…Really well organized and a real friendly easy going atmosphere..Will sort my photo’s and post a link…

    Brunn rigid fork looks interestiong, but nothing on their website. Bah!

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