by Connor
While VO didn't display at this year's Philly Bike Expo, Derek and I did go in place of the company, sporting our new
VO Hoodies, scoping out this year's event. This year's turnout was really energetic, and we're happy to see participation in events like PBE is back! Below are just some shots from this year's expo we managed to grab. Enjoy!
SWOOD Cycles came out sporting full bikepacking regalia
Royal H had a few bikes highlighting some of our gear, including this Mixte with our
Hammered Fenders,
31.8 Quill Stem,
Nouveau Rando bars,
Sensah SRX kit, and
Touring Pedals!
This Mars Cycles frame caught my eye in particular, as its paint was matched to replicate a San Pellegrino bottle. Super Classy!
This fixed-welded Titanium rack was apparently a custom job requested by a customer at
Blaze Cycles, a Moab-based Ti company. With Pinion Belt Drive, dropper routing, and custom touches throughout, the bike definitely was something to behold.
A number of months ago, Fergus at Ritchey reached out looking for a set of
Growtac Equals for a project coming up. We didn't get many details at the time, but it would seem they made it onto this limited-run colorway Outback, and the blues we sent looked right at home!
I've been a Ritchey fan for well over a decade now, and this green/yellow colorway of the Breakaway 'cross frameset is still my favorite scheme to date- to me, it evokes Lotus Racing style without being too overstated.
While admiring how well-installed our
Hammered Fenders were on a
Handz Bikes road frame, Derek and I noticed this special touch on a mountain frame of theirs- a section of a stainless rotor, cut to the diameter of the seat and chainstay and welded on the non-driveside, then painted to match. It's just one of those custom touches that makes smaller-fab shops so special.
While browsing the
Chapman Cycles booth, I couldn't help but notice this sage-green colored road bike with Chapman's own hand-made V-brakes. Note that the straddle cable isn't actually a cable, but a spoke.
Our friends Tommy (
Cutlass Velo) and Chris (
Bishop Bikes) were rep'ing our Baltimore area, showcasing their craftsmanship and attention to detail.
Having attempted harlequin tapejobs on bikes time and again with minimal success, I thought this custom paintjob on a
Dean frame was really unique and tastefully done.
Alex Meade has been building custom frames for more than 20 years, and also produces his own jigs for folks looking for quality framebuilding tools. He's been a longtime customer of ours and his work is meticulous.
Doing a walkabout in town afterwards is, of course, necessary. Philadelphia's a great city with a lot to see. If you finish up at next year's expo early or get to extend your trip, I'd suggest staying downtown and checking it out - especially Reading Terminal Market for the pumpkin rolls.
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