SOUTH MELBOURNE, Australia (BRAIN) — Australia’s custom framebuilding community is gearing up for its first show, a reflection of the wide-reaching rebirth in handcrafted bicycles.
The Australian Custom Bicycle Show takes place Dec. 1 and 2 in South Melbourne, and will showcase frames from 13 builders to an anticipated audience of more than 1,000 seekers of cycling eye candy.
According to show organizer Andy White, owner of Melbourne’s FYXO, a retail hub for classic track and road frames, Australia boasts a rich history in frame building led by names like Malvern Star and Healing.
Like many parts of the world, Australia is feeling a thirst for unique, locally made products, and the wildly successful North American Handmade Bicycle Show has shown there is a need for specialized offerings in cycling. Australia’s inaugural show will provide a similar platform for builders to market themselves directly to potential customers.
“Australian builders have already exhibited and won Best in Show awards at NAHBS, which is a testament to the quality on offer,” White said via e-mail. “Considering the ever increasing number of builders entering the market, the demand for custom made frames has never been greater and hopefully the show will help educate the market that off-the-shelf bikes are not their only option for owning a beautiful bicycle.”
First year exhibitors include Baum Cycles, Busyman Bicycles, Cog Bicycles, Cycle Designs, Fikas Bikes, Gellie Custom, Gravity Bikes, Kenevans, KUMO Cycles, Llewellyn, PATEBURY, Peter Bundy Cycles, Primate Frames and Teschner.
The exhibitor list be small initially, but everyone has to start somewhere, White said. “Given the first NAHBS had 23 exhibitors and 700 attendees from a population 10 times our own, I believe we are already on a path to great things for the market and industry,” he said.
Tickets cost $10 and FYXO is also promoting a Meet the Maker evening with two well-known builders, Darren Baum and Darrell McCulloch. For more information, go to www.acbs2012.com.
