Cycling News & Blog Articles
Australian Handmade Bike Show 2021
Bike Chaser visits the handmade bike show May 2021 Melbourne Australia, Celebrating the Craft of the Handmade Bicycle. An event we missed last year the much anticipated Melbourne Handmade Bike show. Bike Chaser went along to awe and ahh at the most recent creations. An opportunity to check out these works of art up close we look at the builders and makers on display at the Handmade Bike Show 2021 Melbourne.
What’s it all about then – the organisers describe the show as –
“THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE SHOW” – The makers and builders live, eat and breathe cycling and are a true expression of bespoke. Fired by old school values of craft and quality, yet innovative and dynamic.”
“The Handmade Bicycle Show Australia is the place to be to see the latest work and ideas from those at the pinnacle of their game”
We describe it as the place to see some of the most Gorgeous Bikes. Heres a look at the builders and makers as seen at the hand made bicycle show Australia.
Egress Bikes
Egress bikes are more than just a form of transport. They’re an excuse to get outside, explore your surroundings more closely, to challenge yourself on an epic adventure, or to just clear your mind from the pressures of life.
egress /ˈiːɡrɛs/
noun
the act or an instance of going, especially from an enclosed place. a means or place of going out; an exit. the right or permission to go out.verb
to go out; emerge.
Tor Bikes
Tor Bikes is a bicycle frame building company owned and operated by Shane in a small workshop a few km’s outside Beechworth Victoria.
SUGARLOAF Cycles
A LIFE OF BESPOKE: Our journey has involved every facet of cycling. From the local club criterium to bringing home an Olympic medal, from running major tours
and fondos, to being at the forefront of bespoke retail experiences in Australia. Truly a life of cycling – sugarloaf cycles.
Kumo Cycles
Custom Steel Bicycles with classic styling and modern function.
Kumo Cycles is a one man frame workshop run by Keith Marshall in Braidwood, Australia. The workshop is operated 100% off grid on solar power. Driven by an incurable desire to build and create beautiful and well thought out machines, Keith builds custom and production bicycles that integrate seamlessly with the rider and show the highest levels of craftsmanship and attention to detail.
Lyrebird Cycles
Why Lyrebird? It really named itself.
The Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) represents an extraordinary fit with what I’m doing.
It is native to the montane forests of south eastern Australia, which are both part of the inspiration for the bikes and the source of some of the tonewoods I use, plus it’s subtly beautiful and renowned for the musicality and complexity of its song:
Vechter Bikes Australia
Ride the future of fixed.
Vechter Bikesvechter (Dutch) Meaning, Fighter.
FIGHTER – FOR YOURSELF, FOR CHANGE, FOR A BETTER FUTURE. CONCEPTUALISED IN 2014 AND MADE A REALITY IN 2021.
The Vechter vision, “to promote the simplicity and efficiency of riding, and enhance our cuture by enabling people to access high quality, affordable and minimalist gear and single speed bikes”.
FifityOne Bikes
Handcrafted bespoke bikes designed by you. Handcrafted carbon fibre bikes fitted to you, designed by you and built for you. Crafted in Ireland, by our master frame builder, using the highest quality carbon fibre. FiftyOne will draw out, from your soul, your dream bike and make it a reality.
Why “FiftyOne”? Cycling is a unique sport, where it’s teams that compete, but individuals who win and lose. Every team has its designated winner. And the only way for the team to win is for every other member to sacrifice himself in the service of the one. So, when the team members receive their dossards, the leader’s always carries a number ending in ‘1’ – ‘11’, ’21, ‘31’ – a subtle sign to make him stand out from his team mates. First, but not among equals.
For over six decades of Tour de France history, dossard number ‘1’ – worn by the defending champion – was the most prized, and by far the most successful. But then, four times in nine years, the Tour de France was won by the rider wearing dossard 
number 51. And these were no ordinary Tours. Eddy Merckx rode to his first win, in his first Tour, in 1969. Merckx was absent in 1973 when outsider Luis Ocaña crushed the competition in both the mountains and the time trials, winning by over 15 minutes. Bernard Thévenet effectively ended the Merckx era, and took the Tour, with a dramatic attack on the Col d’Izoard on Bastille Day 1975.
1978 saw the arrival of a new era, as Bernard Hinault took the first of what would become five yellow jerseys. Four of the greatest stories, and the greatest champions, in Tour history.
Ever since, race number 51 has had a special mystique that sets its bearer apart. Awarding dossard 51 is a way for any race’s organiser to honour a special rider, a subtle sign to make him stand out from his colleagues.
Parlee
THE METHOD BEHIND MASTER CRAFTMANSHIP
An unrelenting focus on design and efficiency leads to maximum performance. Better acceleration. Better tracking. Lighter weight. Unmatched durability. Remarkable comfort. Industry leading customization and personalization.
Targeted performance meets tailor-made fit. That’s what defines a Parlee bike.
Curve Cycling
Curve say “Life’s a grand adventure, which is enhanced by bikes”.
At Curve, we want to be part of a cycling community that loves sharing the roads, stories and environment we ride through.
Bikes are awesome, and we believe the world would be a better place if everybody rode one.
Designed in Melbourne Australia, developed globally. We do it for the love of cycling.
The Lost Workshop
Custom Steel Bicycles – Handmade steel bicycles made just for you. One at a time.
The Lost Workshop is the culmination of a life long passion for designing, building and riding bikes. In 2018 The Lost Workshop was born out of the feeling I had at the time of been lost in life and unsure of the path I should take before finding myself riding and making custom steel bikes.
Bastion Cycles
We believe perfection is subjective and the rider’s voice is the one that counts.
Custom-engineered performance bicycles – Melbourne, Australia.
VeloCraft
Velocraft is a team of passionate cyclists who have come together to bring bikes alive with paint. Originally started by Steve Gardner in 2016 under the name ‘Bikes By Steve’ it has been growing steadily since and in September 2019 was rebranded to Velocraft.
Velocraft continues to push the limits of bike painting giving true meaning to the term ‘Functional Art’.
Gellie Custom
Custom Engineered Bikes -I can create a bike that fits you and handles better, perhaps in a way that you didn’t even realise was possible. There’s also a very healthy dose of little-understood engineering science in my process which boosts the lifespan and dependability of my frames.
When you phone or email, you’ll be talking to Ewen Gellie, the designer, builder and painter with 17 years of frame building experience.
Llewellyn Custom Bicycles
About Llewellyn; Darrell McCulloch – I have worked professionally fulltime with bicycles since 1979. I alone create the Llewellyn marque frames, bicycles, and products. I build custom frames and complete bicycles for competition, sport recreation, and touring.
By blending the merits of traditional lugged construction with the very best of 
contemporary design and materials I strive to create functional, rationally designed bicycles with excellent aesthetics.
My goal is to build you a Llewellyn bicycle that will give you many years of enjoyable riding.
PROVA Cycles
PROVA with a massive passion for bikes and riding to produce custom handmade steel bike frames here in Australia.
Mark Hester is the owner and builder at PROVA. Mark was raised in a workshop with his Dad building one off race cars and high performance road cars. Together with the inspiration of his engineer grandfather this upbringing led to completing a Mechanical Engineering Degree and a career in motorsport and automotive engineering.
Bossi Bicycles
THE DEFINITION OF PERFORMANCE; Current ideology within the bike industry has fixated on narrow definitions of performance, typically isolated to the notions of aerodynamics, stiffness, and weight. We agree that these factors are important to the performance of a bike, but an obsession with making a bike ‘fast’ has meant that frame designers have forgotten what it means to make a bike that’s ‘best’ for the real world.
The reality is that ‘aero’ bikes developed in wind tunnels are uncomfortable and energy sapping, ultralight bikes are soft and disposable, and that high-performance
bikes must have high price tags to match.
It’s here our design philosophy was born. Fast, durable, comfortable, bikes with honest pricing. Bikes that are aerodynamically optimised but not compromised, bikes that are light weight but durable, bikes that have refined stiffness for driveability but flex for comfort and character.
As the old saying goes ‘the best bike is the one you enjoy riding the most’ and that’s what we aim to create. Bossi Bicycles.
Devlin Custom Cycles
Custom handmade steel bicycle frames. Sean Doyle – With intuitive design nous and a background in fabrication and engineering, I am fortunate to have ventured down the path of building my own frames. It is both intense and soothing at the same time and is deeply satisfying to have my clients rave about their own Devlin Custom Cycle.
My preference is to build in steel. It has that legendary lively feel that I believe rewards the rider for the effort. Giving a ride that is smooth but responsive and dances delightly when pushed hard.
Columbus
Columbus; The Soul of Cycling since 1919. World’s finest and largest new-generation high-tech steel tubes range, for classic and modern handmade bicycle frames. Currently, Columbus is the leading manufactured of high-precision steel tubes, and also offering a growing range of new-generation bicycle carbon forks. The all-round focus on the bicycle frame buidling, brought the company to the development of a very wide range of proprietary solutions, alloys, metal and composite components, that are currently used all over the world.
Penny Farthing Dan
Built in Australia, you can buy a bespoke hand made Penny Farthing bicycle, delivered worldwide. Buy an Australian handbuilt Penny Farthing Replica. In a world of disposable items, cheap manufacturing and products designed for a price rather than quality; I offer a fresh alternative.
Dan’s bikes have proven to be tough and reliable, every one is hand made with attention to detail, these are serious bikes for real riders, made to be comfortably and easily ridden for 1000’s of miles whilst looking and feeling amazing.
The result – not just a bike, but a hand made piece of Art.
Auren Bikes
From the geometry to the selection of every single component, we tailor your dream titanium bike build to reflect your story and what you value, AUREN BIKES.
In a world of changing temperatures and rising landfills, we build with the most enduring materials and take care to understand exactly what you are looking for. Our goal is that you love your bike a decade from now as much as the first day. With 3AL2.5V aerospace titanium, tapered semi-integrated head tubes, and paint free finishes as standard, our design and build is centred around timelessness.
Fikas Bikes
Fikas bikes are born and built in Queanbeyan. Hand-made with great care and with plenty of consultation with the rider, a Fikas bike is a joy to ride, or so they say. If you’re keen to know more have a chat to Luke Laffan.
G.duke Handmade Bicycles
g.duke Handmade Bicycles is Geoff Duke. “I make lugged steel bicycle frames one at a time by hand. I build road, track, randonneur ,fixed or cross style bikes made to measure, or custom if you prefer that term, in the time honored and traditional manner. I use Silver Brazing construction and build with Reynolds, Columbus and Dedacciai tubing. Sometimes I will use a complete tube set and sometimes a mix, depending on what is required”.
“I can build a traditional style frame with vintage NOS (new old stock) lugs and tubing or a modern compact style frame with oversize tubing and lugs to suit. I can build forks to match or you may prefer to use a carbon fork. Currently I like both Wound Up and Columbus Minimal carbon forks and believe they both suit the style of frame I build. I also build matching lugged stems in either a painted or a polished stainless finish”.
Geisler Cycles
Geisler Cycles – Performance road bikes – Frame building equipment for builders – Measurement and alignment gauges – Specific workshop tooling. “It’s this pursuit of accuracy that underpins the entire build process” – Jesse Geisler. Accurately tailored solutions and considered service Manufacturing:
Olas Design
“We are an Australian-based furniture design company aiming to merge traditional techniques with unique ideas, and bring it to life with rare thoughtfulness. From sustainable sourcing to carefully considered context, every piece we produce is steeped in meaning”.
Olas Design – a special way to display your pride and joy. Quality and class.
Baum Cycles
Ride your own race – “From day one with Brian Cross, my frame building mentor, Baum Cycles has always operated with an air of sui generis. We do things our way, to our exacting standards. We do not feel we lead the industry, but we don’t follow. We build what we want to ride and ride what we want to build. We ride our own race. We are Baum Cycles” – Darren Baum
Trinity Mountain Bikes
Trinity Mountain Bikes – A mountain bike design study:
Designed by @chasewarner2; Built by @engineeredtoslide; Engineered by @williamsracingproducts
WOODS BICYCLE CO.
Hand crafted Steel road bicycle and gravel framesets along with handcrafted BMX bicycle frames.
Designed and manufactured in Byron Bay, Australia.
The Woods Bicycle Co Story –
Woods Bicycle Company started in 2017 when an idea became a reality, wanting to bring to life a dream that we had inside which was born from strong interests in two different sides of the industry, BMX and Road Cycling. With a passion for riding and the knowledge in fabrication we have been able to realise and achieve these dreams with the handmade frames you see today.
A little about the venue;
History of the former Melbourne Harbor Trust site (Seaworks)
The site now known as Seaworks is steeped in history. The first slip in the colony was built on the site in 1856 by William Isbister. He soon fell into bankruptcy and the lease for the slip was transferred to Robert Wright and George Duke, who traded as the Melbourne Dock Co. The slip was often referred to as Wright’s Slip.
Williamstown had a bluestone morgue built near Gem Pier in 1859. But the stench forced it to be relocated twice. The second relocation was to Ann Street in 1873 where it currently sits on the Seaworks site. During the Melbourne Harbour Trust ship building activities on the site, the morgue was used for storage of engine parts.
In 1921-22, a cargo storage shed built in 1887-88 at North Wharf was relocated to the Williamstown site on reclaimed land. The single shed was erected on the Melbourne Harbour Trust site as four separate buildings. Boyd Jetty was built adjacent to the sheds in 1922.
In 1942 and 1943, the Melbourne Harbour Trust erected more buildings on reclaimed land at the Nelson Place site, including the main shed. These buildings were used for the construction of small vessels for use around Australia’s coastline. At the same time, Workshops Jetty was built to transfer newly constructed vessels from the workshop to the water. The pier was extended in 1947.
The current area of the Seaworks site is 2.74 hectares. The former Port of Melbourne Authority ceased working from the site in 1993.
The Site Today
Seaworks is developing into a working Maritime Precinct. The site covers some 2.7 hectares and includes historic buildings recognised by Heritage Victoria and the National Trust, piers, jetties, slipways and large open spaces. The precinct is open to the public for educational, tourism and recreational activities that, celebrates and preserves our maritime history.
Now two years into our twenty one year lease with Parks Victoria, the Seaworks Foundation has established a clear set of objectives and has developed six streams of income; berthing, event and function spaces, tourism via Tall Ship visits, establishment of a Maritime Museum, tenanting a number of buildings to Maritime related entities and has been awarded Grants from the Ian Potter Foundation and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.
The Seaworks board is working on a short and medium term interim strategy while no “substantial injection” of capital funding is available. Short term is to ensure independent economic viability and medium term is to leverage the site profile and activities to attract funding.
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