NAHBS 2016

Jamie gives Anna Schwinn of Bikerumor.com the beta on the Winter Training Bike.

We brought the Winter Training Bike to show at NAHBS 2016 as a New Builder.   There were some amazing bikes, and show was very well attended by both builders and the public. On Saturday the Sacramento Convention Center was packed.    Even Valentino Campagnolo was there! My voice is still hoarse from all the talking.  Usually I spend days in the shop or at the computer with only the dogs and cats to talk to. An exciting day is when our UPS carrier delivers something and takes a few minutes to chat.  So I am still processing all the input.  Thanks to Don Walker for putting on a great show, and giving Métier Vélo a chance to display the bike.   And if you attended the show and stopped by our table, thanks for supporting small builders and taking time to check out the New Builders.  Spread the word about handbuilt bicycles!

If you want to know about the show in general, BikeRumor and Red Kite Prayer have great coverage including  descriptions of the award winners.
 
For Métier Vélo, the show was a success in three ways:

1. The bike got enthusiastic response from two very different sets of people. One group was engineers and scientists, who appreciated the technology,  the level of Métier Vélo designs, and the level of  fabrication and finishing from GPI Prototypes.  The other group was designers and artists, who appreciated the aesthetics of the design and overall presentation of the bike.  I expected some enthusiasm from one type of person or the other, but not overwhelming enthusisasm from both sets.
2. A number of top framebuilders evaluated and critiqued the bike, my building techniques, and Métier Vélo LLC business model.  Everyone of them was encouraging and supportive.  It is a great community that Don Walker has nucleated around the show.  I asked a number of builders to give it to me straight and tell me what to do. If I am doing something wrong,  or there is a much better way, I’d better find out sooner rather than later.  I am please and relieved that all the flaws other builders pointed out were things that I myself am not happy with, and that have been rectified in subsequent frames.   Two of the top composites experts in bicycle framebuilding examined the frame closely and deemed it safe and serviceable.  Which is good to hear because I’ve been training on it all winter.
3. The MASM was very well received by cyclists,  engineers, designers, and artists.  It is the sort of detail you can only find on custom frames from a small builder. Remember, the MASM is a real product, available now, so if you've got wads of cash burning a hole in your pocket, head over the Métier Vélo Store.

I think the best news for us is that NAHBS2017 will be held in Salt Lake City!  I hope to up my game and bring a frame to enter in the lugged frame award division.  The bar is high but we’ll give it a shot!