Expo News

Q&A with Mark Yanagisawa, PBE ambassador and rider of the sweet 44 Bikes Huntsman pictured above and Kristofer Henry of 44 Bikes.

MY: Tell us a little bit about 44 Bikes, where it all began and how you got into building bikes:

KH: I’m an industrial designer by trade and training. In a previous life I was a goldsmith and silversmith. My Mothers Father was a Union Welder and his specialty later in his career was TIG welding. Although I did not know him very well (he passed away when I was pretty young), somehow his skills and attention to detail were passed along through the wind. So my interest in metals as a material must have been infused at an early age while poking around his shop and admiring his tools. It was then a natural progression to combine the attention to detail that goldsmithing demands with the unique ways of problem solving and human factors that Industrial Design brings to the table, my love of mountain biking along with all the machining, TIG welding and associated fabrication skills that I had honed over the years into one path: 44 Bikes.

MY: How many years have you been coming to the PBE and what do you love most about the show?

KH: This will be my 4th show in Philly. One of my aunts was a chef in Philadelphia for many years when I was a kid, so my older sister and I would often come down for long weekends and stay with her. We’d take trips down to the art museum and visit her haunts. There’s something warm and inviting about the city mixed in with a certain grit. I have fond memories in Philadelphia and I love that the Expo is there to forge new memories.

MY: As it was announced this summer, 44 Bikes and PBE collaborated on a bike for me to ride at various gravel events in the Fall, you were energized at the idea, what are you most excited about?

KH: I was most excited to be able to put you on a bike that would carry you to and beyond your known horizon. That’s what makes building bikes for clients so amazing: knowing deep down that the bike you build will take that rider past the known horizon. Where ever that may lead, I may not physically be there, but a little piece of something I’ve built will be and that’s exciting.

MY: The Huntsman frameset seems perfect for gravel rides, what sets it apart from others?

KH: What sets it apart is the simple fact that it was born out of pure necessity. When we first moved to NH 15 years ago, one of the check boxes on our list was the house needed to be a bit off the beaten path, which meant there would inevitably be lots of dirt roads. We really lucked out in that regard when we found our home here in Lyndeborough and that first road ride out the back door made me realize I needed something quite different than the skinny tire road bike I was riding. The vast dirt road network served as a perfect launch pad for the design that eventually became the Huntsman.

MY: What other parts/companies did you choose to build the rest of the bike out?

KH: The build is a solid one with a Sram Rival 1 drivetrain, shifters and hydro brakes, Cane Creek 110 headset, Thomson stem, seat post and collar, ENVE bars and fork and an Enduro bottom bracket round out the build.

MY: For longer and rides on rough roads and gravel, I personally love riding the Kinekt Seatpost which isolates me from road vibrations and impacts, paired with the Selle Anatomica X2 which is a benchmark for leather saddle comfort. The pair was an easy choice for the build because the combination works well to provide maximum comfort during the gravel rides. What highlight features does the Huntsman have that help reduce road vibration and impacts?

KH: This particular Huntsman, being constructed from steel, enjoys that snappy resiliency for which steel is known to possess. But I also design and build the Huntsman to be light and stiff where you need it but resilient and vertically compliant where you want it. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll build you what you need” rings true with each and every Huntsman. This bike also carries the ability to run up to 45mm tires so when the going gets rough, the rider can really fine tune the comfort, traction and ride quality that larger volume tires provide. For future prospective clients, I can build bikes from both steel or titanium and both have their own unique merits and have distinct ride characteristics.

MY: What area do you most love riding in or where would you recommend a Philly native to explore and ride?

KH: Being a mountain biker at heart, the next town over from us (Greenfield, NH) is sort of a hidden gem. The local trail association (Greenfield Trails Assoc. aka GTA) has been building and maintaining a vast network of mountain bike trails which span public land but a good majority of it is through generous land owner permissions on private and easement protect land tracts. So I’m a bit spoiled as the first trailhead is only 3.5 miles from the shop doors all via dirt roads… Not to mention there is over 10,000 miles of maintained gravel roads. Anyone looking to ride gravel in New England and have not explored NH’s dirt road network is seriously missing out. I help organize a gravel road ride (The Rose Mountain Rumble) each August to help raise money for local conservation efforts, so that is a great way to get your feet wet. North Conway has been developing an amazing mountain bike trail network as well and if you like free ride oriented park’s there’s Highland Mountain Bike Park. Then there’s all the trails and dirt roads in Vermont and Massachussetts. There’s kind of too much to mention! Put New England on your next mountain bike or gravel vacation.

MY: With the PBE just a few days away, what are you looking forward to the most?

KH: It’s Philadelphia: The food! (I am my grandfather’s grandson and Poppy loved to eat…) Post show, I head out and explore the local “pastures”. Too much to choose from but there’s one indian food restaurant I always make sure I attend. I’m also looking forward to a nice big bowl of noodles in Chinatown. All that talking, hand shaking and tall tales at the show typically works up a mean appetite.

MY: Anything else you’d like to add?

KH: Thanks for this opportunity Bina and Mark and the rest of the crew at the Philly Bike Expo. It’s the best show hands down and that’s because the PBE team does an exceptional job of delivering. I’m excited for this year, next year and how the show progresses into the future.

Thanks to you and the other companies in supporting me and the PBE gravel bike collaboration bike for this season. I am looking forward to grinding some gravel this season at D2R2, UnPaved PA, and Keystone Gravel to name a few. See you in November!

For years, Sarah Canner could not find the courage to ride a bicycle in her home city of Paris. It all seemed too dangerous. It wasn’t until a Vélib’ station, the Parisian bike-share system, appeared outside her apartment that she decided to overcome her fears and explore the city on two wheels. She absolutely loved it.

Though, that’s not to say her fears weren’t completely unfounded. One dark November night, Canner decided to change her riding attire from a “loud printed jacket” to a simple black coat. Her lack of visibility, she believes, is what resulted in a close call with a bus. The experience imprinted a powerful lesson: as long as drivers can see you, they’ll treat you as just part of the traffic. Visibility is safety.

Canner wanted something visible to wear over her regular clothes — you can’t wear a loud, printed jacket every day — but the only option she could find was an awkward crossing-guard’s vest. Knowing how that feeling of safety is so important to getting more people on bicycles, and spotting an opportunity for safety wear that’s not only functional, but stylish, Canner founded Vespertine, producing high-quality, stylish, reflective apparel.

Nothing embodies Vespertine’s lineup of Haute Réflecture more than the VESPERT ECO vest. Made from 100% recyclable Eco-circle® material, the brightest 3M Scotchlite reflective tape and featuring a unique, flattering cut, the VESPERT ECO is designed to not only turn heads, but also make yourself visible to cars from at least 2000 feet away. The lightweight, breathable vest is designed to work with any outfit — from breezy summer looks to warm, layered ensembles — and packs up into a nice, stowable pouch.

In addition to the VESPERT, Vespertine has also released stylish and reflective blouses, dresses, blazers, coats and shell jackets. Canner has also partnered with a recycled knitwear icon on a micro-collection of sweaters and skirts, as well as folding bicycle leader Brompton Cycles with a line of Merino wool hats and headbands.

For Canner, her work with Vespertine is just not safety, it’s empowerment. If more folks feel good wearing high-visibility clothing, that means more folks feeling safe on the road, and ultimately more folks riding bikes or otherwise getting around without the help of a car.

Enoch Cincotta was living in Miami Beach when they suddenly started to notice the trash. Not in a particularly bad way, mind you. At the time, Cincotta had just started Reanimator Threadworks, making bags for themselves and friends, and after a few months of that they couldn’t help but notice the garbage.

“While I was exploring the city I saw all sorts of discarded materials, inflatable pools, sun shades, bicycle tubes — these materials were eerily similar to the products I was spending a small fortune on” said Cincotta. “Suddenly everything clicked. I realized that I wasn’t paying attention to how much waste was being generated by my artistic process, and how I take sourcing materials for granted.”

You see, while making bags by hand can be a sustainable process, it’s not immune to the general cycles of waste we’re all kind of stuck in, Cincotta explains. “I realized that I wasn’t paying attention to how much waste was being generated by my artistic process, and how I take sourcing materials for granted,” they said. “Find the material online, purchase, and get it in the mail two days later. It doesn’t make sense to me anymore.”

And so, Cinocotta started making their bags from the discarded materials from local businesses. Old signage, unused bags, tubes and so on. If it’s durable, can be sewn into something, then Cincotta wants to figure out some way to transform it into a bag. “The idea is that we have everything we already need, we just need to be creative with it  — I want to promote that in my work,” they said. “Now, instead of just mindlessly buying new materials I think to myself: What is the purpose of the gear I’m making? What physical characteristics does it need to be usable and efficient? What materials do I already have that I can utilize?”

Part of what Cincotta wants to accomplish with Reanimator Threadworks is not only showing others what a little creativity and ingenuity can accomplish with stuff that’s otherwise considered “garbage,” but also using their own knowledge and resources to help others do the same. “30% of profits from sales are invested into facilitating free community sewing workshops — boosting the local economy by creating a skilled labor force and promoting self sufficiency,” said Cincotta. “By advocating for a renewed appreciation for garbage, and providing a public opportunity to learn practical skills, Reanimator Threadworks is intent on building a stronger and more resilient community one stitch at a time.”

Now based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Cincotta plans to make the trip from their shop to the Philadelphia Bike Expo solely on their bike. With a custom-made trailer carrying their Sailrite sewing machine, Cincotta wants to source materials on the way, and make a run of custom bags made from waste collected at the Expo. 

“It involves me getting creative in sourcing my materials, and ultimately creating a symbiotic relationship with the venue and artisans to transform waste into something useful,” they said. “There are a lot of unknown variables in this project, but I’m excited to be showing everyone what a sewing machine and creativity can do!” 

The year was 1990, and Kurt Boone, then a 30-year-old writer and entrepreneur, decided to become a messenger. 

Growing up in Queens and going to school in Manhattan’s Washington Heights — where he was something of a track star — Boone and his brother always tried to find new and interesting ways to make the 2-hour journey home. And although he told the New York Times in 2009 that messenger work was never really a career — Boone’s speed and intimate knowledge of the city’s street and subway lines made him one of the city’s fastest “metros” or foot couriers. 

“At my peak, I could ride 22 subway lines a week easily. I could go seven or eight subway lines a day and walk maybe 7, 8, 10 miles a day,” he told the Times. “It’s not running, but it’s a fast kind of walk that messengers do that pedestrians don’t generally see.”

In his nearly two decades of messenger work, Boone has published collections of poems, memoir and photography of the streets, subways and people of New York City. Most recently, Boone launched the Messenger 841 Project: a streetwear design group that’s inspired by New York City messenger culture and draws from Boone’s own messenger ID number, 841.

With the Messenger 841 Project, Boone has released shirts, caps, bags, shoes and watches all paying homage to the city and the people who make a living off navigating it as quickly and efficiently as possible. What’s more, Boone just released “The Culture of Messenger Bags,” an incredible look into one how a simple piece of gear crucial to the job of being a courier has become a powerful canvas for personal identity and expression.

At this year’s Philly Bike Expo, Boone will be selling “The Culture of Messenger Bags,” as well as other pieces of his work on urban cycling culture. While being a messenger is a job Boone knows inside and out, he is, above all, a storyteller. So swing by his booth this year, check out his work, and maybe you’ll get to hear a story or two from Boone.

The bicycle is, no doubt, one of the most sustainable forms of transportation on the planet. And although it gets us where we need to go, and puts a smile on our face with almost little impact — the bicycle does produce some amount of waste. Think of all the chains, cassettes, and cables one goes through over the years. It’s not a lot, sure, but it’s also not nothing. Entropy and all that.

In 2011, Nicole Bloch was rummaging around when she found her grandmother’s old costume jewelry. She began messing around with it, altering it, playing with shapes and function. Her best friend saw this and issued her a dare: Try and make some jewelry from used bicycle parts. Bloch accepted, and started Erra Creations.

She started simple, making bracelets, cufflinks and pendants from bicycle chains. But over the years, she started incorporating more componentry into her designs — necklaces made from cassettes, earrings from 11-tooth cogs, even pendants made from dozens of chain pins. If you can find it on a bike, there’s likely some way that Bloch can turn it into something worth wearing. 

But Erra Creations is not just jewelry. Bloch also produces small-batch natural body products like soaps, balms and salves — all of them handmade by Bloch herself right in her hometown of Pittsburgh. 

Like the changing seasons, Bloch’s offerings change with what’s available to her, so be sure to swing by her booth at this year’s expo to see what she’s working on now. 

It’s often said that the best way to get to know a place is on a bicycle. Pedaling the roads that make up cities, towns and states forces you to become familiar with the lay of the land in ways that driving a car with Google Maps open does not. The fact that you must pedal for every inch of where you want to go brings with it an intimate familiarity with the very ground your traversing. Every little climb, dip and turn offers an understanding of the land in ways that even walking cannot replicate.

It’s this familiarity with the land that Cycle of Life Adventures founder Elli Sias wants everyone to feel on her bike tours across the United States. From an epic 40-day long tour across America starting in San Diego and ending in St. Augustine, Florida, to short covered-bridge treks through Vermont to leaf peep — COLA likely has a boutique cycling trip that’ll match what you can do, and more importantly, would like to see on a bicycle.

For over four decades, Sias worked in the customer service and hospitality industry. In 2014, at age 58, she decided that it was time for a change — to finally get out of the office life and get back on the road. Cycle of Life Adventures combines her love of cycling and the roads of the US and combines it with her hard-won knowledge of how to serve people’s needs and bring them new experiences.

Each and every one of COLA’s guided tours features at least two experienced guides, well-rounded meals to refuel after big days in the saddle, top-notch accommodations to relax in after a day on the bike, as well as featuring the best local restaurants wherever it is you’re staying — you are on vacation after all!

Based out of the North Carolina’s High Country in Blowing Rock, Cycle of Life Adventures wants to show you the beauty that not only the Blue Ridge mountains have to offer, but all over the United States. Because, again, the best way to get to know a place, is on a bike.

For nearly a decade, you’ve likely seen kit produced by this Illinois-based company, but you probably haven’t heard of them. They’ve produced OEM apparel for top manufacturers, even custom kit for a number of well-known teams across the US. Founder Dennis Mariasis has spent years scouring the world for a wide range of high-performance fabrics that can meet a variety of performance needs and price points.

Now, after seeing such a positive response from clients, Mariasis believes that it’s finally time to “give back to the community and come out of the shadows to help.” And so custom-kit supplier  Life Behind Bars Cycling and Customwear.us was born.

Mariasis prides himself on his ability to produce high-quality custom kit at a reasonable price — and in turn, meet just about anyone’s needs when it comes to cycling apparel. To do this, not only does Mariasis source high-tech fabrics from all over the world, he’s also done his research. According to Mariasis, he’s closely studied the work of other popular manufacturers — going through their product stitch-by-stitch in order to understand what truly goes into high-quality kit.

“This knowledge now allows us to create apparel at any price point and provide fabrics you would not be exposed to when making your own apparel,” says Mariasis.

What Life Behind Bars Cycling and Customwear.us tout isn’t so much a specific manufacturing process or feature, but rather their ability to meet the needs and goals of their clients. They’ve provided kit for large charity rides like the Ride For Life Chicago, as well as numerous local cycling clubs.

If you have an idea for some custom cycling kit, you better believe that Mariasis wants to hear from you. So come say hello at this year’s Philly Bike Expo.

There’s nothing more dismaying in life than waking up one morning, excited to go for a bike ride, only to have your plans dashed by the rain. Cleverhood, a rainwear company based in rainy Providence, Rhode Island, wants to change the relationship we have with inclement weather with a lineup of cleverly-designed ponchos, capes and jackets.

Founded in 2011 by graphic designer Susan Mocarski, Cleverhood started with a single product: a high-performance rain poncho. The idea being that if people only just had the right piece of outerwear, they wouldn’t need to resort to using their cars or even just staying home in order to stay dry. Cleverhood’s poncho, ideally, would open the world back up to people even when it rains.

And while it started with a single poncho, Cleverhood’s expansion into rain capes, wool capes, beach capes and even a rain jacket — they all embody the single idea that going outside in the elements doesn’t have to be miserable as long as you have the right piece of outerwear. Like how people find a sense of community after a snowstorm has blanketed their neighborhood, Cleverhood believes the same can be found in a rainstorm. There’s just something a little different, something that makes you want to open up to the person next to you like standing in the rain. There are few better conversation starters with a stranger than just saying something like “Wow, it is really coming down out here, isn’t it?”

By producing some unique, and smartly-designed pieces, Cleverhood want to encourage people to get outside and be a part of their neighborhood, rain or shine. A Cleverhood product will make riding around town, or a walk around the block a more pleasant experience, but hopefully it’ll help you feel more connected to your surroundings. To that end, Cleverhood sources a majority of its materials and manufacturing right here in the US — partnering with suppliers across the country, from New York to Los Angeles, Massachusetts to Georgia.

2019 will mark Cleverhood’s ninth year exhibiting at the Philly Bike Expo. So if you’re looking for someone to talk about the weather with, or more accurately, how to stay out of the weather while still being in it, stop on by their booth. 

The bicycle might be the world’s most sustainable form of transit, providing clean, good and affordable fun to the masses, but it also gets dirty. Whether that’s playing in the muck of your local cyclocross race or just commuting around town day-in and day-out, the dirt and grime eventually finds its way onto your bike.

Now, you could have a stable of cleaners, degreasers and brushes on hand to give your bike a bolt-by-bolt and link-by-link scrubbing, but what if you don’t have access to those kind of supplies or the time to rinse, degrease, clean, and rinse again? Well, that’s where Tub O’ Towels new Heavy Duty Cycling Wipes come in.

Each 12×10 inch quilted wipe comes saturated with Tub O’ Towels Bond Buster™ cleaning technology — which instantly breaks the molecular bond between the grime and the surface material of your bike. The end result means less scrubbing and more cleaning.

What’s more, Tub O’ Towels Heavy Duty Cycling Wipes come individually packaged. Meaning you can stash one in a jersey pocket or saddle bag for convenient, quick, roadside cleaning. We’ve all been there, spending a day out riding your nice clean bike only to get caught in a flash rainstorm, undoing all that hard cleaning work. With a Heavy Duty Cycling Wipe on hand, you could just give your bike a quick wipe-down once the sun is back out, preserving the pristine state of your bicycle.

And while most cleaners and degreasers will leave your hands in need of their own cleaning, Tub O’ Towels Heavy Duty cycling wipes contain a combination of Lanolin, Aloe Vera, Vitamin E and fresh citrus scent, which will leave your hands (and your bike) feeling and smelling fresh.

Once your bike is clean, you can also check out Tub O’ Towels line of other bike-focused products, like the Lube-It All Lubricating Oil, the Tub O’ Scrub Hand Cleaner and the Free All Deep Penetrating Oil.

So come check out the whole Tub O’ Towels cycling product lineup for the first time at this year’s 2019 Philly Bike Expo. Because as we all know, a clean bike is a happy bike.

Just two months after announcing brand-new road, mountain and gravel tire offerings at Eurobike 2019, Germany-based manufacturer Schwalbe will be displaying their new rubber lineups for the first time in the United States at the 2019 Philly Bike Expo.

Coming in 2020, Schwalbe is completely revamping their road tire line, debuting eight new models in 56 variants. At the top is the redesigned Pro One, featuring brand new Souplesse carcass technology, Addix race compound and Schwalbe’s Tubeless Easy technology. The end result is a tubeless road tire that is grippy, supple and easy to set up. It is, as they put it, “the best road bike tire Schwalbe has ever developed.”

Of course, it doesn’t just end with the road. Schwalbe will also be adding one more addition to it’s G-One gravel tire lineup with the G-One Ultrabite. Featuring more aggressive knobs that its G-One Bite, Allround and Speed counterparts, the G-One Ultrabite gives gravel riders the confidence-inspiring off-road traction that will have riders mixing in bits of singletrack into their gravel rides. The Ultrabite is so robust that Schwalbe says that it can offer up grip, “even in challenging conditions.”

In addition to some brand new offerings for 2020, Schwalbe will also be showing off some new tan-walled versions of their popular Magic Mary, Hans Dampf, Racing Ralph and Racing Ray mountain tires in select sizes. Because who doesn’t love that classic two-toned look even on the most modern downhill and cross-country bikes? The Eddy Current, the world’s first tire designed specifically for e-MTBs will also be coming in a slightly-narrower 2.60-inch widths.

And it wouldn’t be a true Schwalbe showing if the Marathon also didn’t get some attention. The company’s mega-popular touring tire is getting an update in 2020 with the Marathon E-Plus, an updated version of the Marathon Plus specifically made for e-bikes. The E-plus will feature the Marathon’s renowned puncture resistance and durability, paired with Schwalbe’s Addix E compound and is rated for speeds up to 30 MPH.

There’s a lot to check out from Schwalbe this year, and the Philly Bike Expo is excited to be one of the first places you can check out all this new rubber here in the US. 

In a sense, all outdoor gear is, in some way, designed to help you relax. And while that gear might use space-age materials and modern engineering to meet ever-increasing demands for reliability and performance, it’s all in the service of helping you relax. Quiver Fabrications, a titanium smoking accessories company based out of Denver, wants to bring a level of design and engineering into something that’s always been part of outdoor recreation, but often overlooked.

For a number of years, titanium alloys have been on the bleeding edge of performance and reliability for things like bikes, camping gear and climbing equipment. It makes sense: it’s light, corrosion-proof and resilient. And if titanium is good enough for the spork you’re packing, the folks at Quiver Fabrications believe it’s good enough for any pipes you’re bringing along as well.

“We are outdoor enthusiasts that enjoy the send. We decided to mix our love for the outdoors with our passion for fine flowers and herbs,” says Kelly Rossberg owner of Quiver Fabrications. “We took our manufacturing experience and applied that towards making a high end product that was durable enough for our lifestyle!”

Quiver’s premier offering is the The Summit, the first-ever full-titanium water pipe that’s “adventure ready and quite the ripper.” Quiver Fabrications promises that it’s classic flask design offers “clean, flavorful hits.” Offset drill holes in the downstem ensure simple filtration and a smooth interior means the smoke clears perfectly every time and never tastes stale. The included heatband also makes it easy to secure it to just about anything with your favorite carabiner — whether that’s on pack for more involved adventures or just to the back of your saddle for day trips.

“For us the work Quiver represents the collection of gear each piece for a specific purpose or circumstance. Like a Quiver of arrows,” says Rossberg. “This has become standard verbiage in the outdoor industry when describing a piece of gear’s place and purpose — and for us, it was a perfect fit.”

In addition to the The Summit, Quiver also offers the aptly-named Safety Meeting pipe, as well as number of bowls and concentrate nails to compliment The Summit. All of Quiver Fabrication’s products are made from Grade 1 titanium — the purest commercially-available form of titanium, touting the highest corrosion and impact resistance. Because of this, all of Quiver’s products come with a limited lifetime warranty. All you have to do, is relax.

If there has been one constant in Edwin Bull’s life, it’s been the bicycle. Bull, the founder of New Jersey-based bicycle manufacturer Van Dessel, spent his childhood moving between Belgium, West Africa, and Massachusetts, and every step of the way — whether that was riding, racing or just ripping around — there was a bicycle. By the time Bull was just barely old enough to drive, he had already built a few frames of his own.

That passion for bicycles saw Bull seriously consider a future riding in the pro peloton. After racing at some of the highest levels of the sport for a few years, Bull landed in Parsippany, New Jersey and decided that it was time to shift his passion for bicycles into a more creative direction. And thus, in 1999: Van Dessel was born.

Carrying the maiden name of Bull’s mother, Van Dessel began with what he calls “functionally unique” commuters — partly inspired by Bull’s own time away from racing, and partly inspired by just wanting to try something new and exciting. 

Shortly after, though, he found himself wanting to design, build and tinker with high-end race bikes. It made a lot of sense. What better way to support and grow the sport he loves so much than to provide its athletes with the best equipment possible?

“I’ve always really loved the equipment and mechanics of the bike.  That’s what I concentrate on most,” he said in an interview in 2015.  “I feel as long as I put the best possible product out there, that the rest will fall into place.”

If you’ve been to a cross race or a criterium, you’ve likely seen the fruits of Bull’s labor. Race-tuned aluminum bikes like the Hellafaster and the Aloominator have proven just how capable alloy is on the road and between the tape. Modern carbon-fiber machines like the Full Tilt Boogie regularly see themselves at the front of UCI cyclocross fields and the Motivus Maximus nearly out-sprinted a three-time world champion. And maybe you’ve even seen Bull himself, Hawaiian shirt flowing through the wind as he rips through a local cyclocross race on his single-speed Country Road Bob.

And it doesn’t just end with the bikes. For over a decade, Van Dessel ran one of the country’s most-respected cyclocross teams. A program that will hopefully return in the coming years, and its impact made manifest through the Floyd’s Pro Cycling team.

In their fifth year exhibiting at the Philly Bike Expo, Bull is proud to show off his ever-expanding line of “Ride Inspired” bikes. The race machines like the Full Tilt Boogie and Motivus Maximus will be there, but so will “man’s best friend on a bicycle” the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, as well as the brand new Day Ripper — a drop-post-equipped, do-it-all gravel, well, ripper.

Most of all, Edwin Bull will be there. Come say hello. There’s nothing he loves more than talking to people about bikes.

About a decade ago, Isaac Denham had a realization. 

After spending a few years wrenching at a local bike shop, Denham started doing “light” bike fits on the showroom floor. You know the type. Customer gets on a bike, employee eyeballs the fit, and makes a few small adjustments until it passes the “Yeah, that looks about right” test. But what caught Denham is something that most of us take for granted: riding a bicycle should be a harmony of human anatomy and machined geometry. The bicycle, Denham realized, should work to fit the rider, not the other way around.

With a newfound interest in how our bodies work, Denham attended Specialized Body Geometry fit program, where he fell in love with bike fitting. “It came down to using the anatomy to determine bike fit position,” says Denham. “To delve deeper into our understanding of how the body works and apply it to the bike was really intriguing.”

And then about a year ago, Denham had another realization: He should start his own shop. And so Befitting Bicycles in Wayne, Pennsylvania was born.

Unlike other shops, and as the name suggests, Befitting Bicycles specializes in bike fits. With nearly a decade of experience under his belt, Denham has combined his understanding of human anatomy with the modern technology of multiple fit systems like Retul, Trek’s Precision Fit and Specialized Body Geometry, into a craft of its own right.

A full 3-hour fit with Denham involves a pre-fit consultation to discuss a rider’s goals and current fit issues, a full anatomical assessment of that rider’s body off the bike, and then a comprehensive fit session that uses real-time position data, rider feedback and Denham’s own knowledge to provide a wholly custom bike fit. Denham also offers saddle pressure mapping, custom Retul footbeds as well as in-home fits for spin or Peloton stationary bikes.

While bike fits might seem like something only professionals gets, Denham believes that the people who stand to benefit most from professional fit are your everyday cyclist. “The pros might be trying to capture that extra 1% with a fit,” he says. “But with the average person there’s way more room to benefit with a solid fit.”

Denham’s fitting philosophy isn’t so much to use the bike fit to make you faster — though that’s certainly a nice side-effect — but rather to help people ride the bikes that they love without pain. 

A lot of that is done by just undoing the complications of trying to fit the rider to the bike. A popular example that Denham points out is people trying to emulate “pro” fits. Slamming your stem might look cool, but if your body doesn’t need a slammed stem on the bike you’re riding, well, that’s when you start to run into issues. The bike should fit the rider, not the other way around.

“One thing I hear a lot from people is that they’re not good enough for a bike fit,” he says. “Or that somehow their fitness level isn’t at a place where they feel ready.” As Denham sees it, bike fits are a lot like planting trees or buying Amazon stock. The best time to do it was 6 months ago, the second best time is now. Because if you get off your bike, and you’re not in pain, well, that’s just going to make it that much easier to get back on tomorrow. 

Wren Sports aims to make your ride the best it can be, and they know that great rides start with great components for your bike. Wren Sports’ background in successful product development means that you know that their components are the best they can be.

Wren Sports’ namesake is co-owner Kevin Wren, who worked in product development for Shimano, Cannondale, Bell Sports and others. Among his successes are iconic components like the CODA Magic Motorcycle cranks and Union Ti-Dye spokes.

Wren’s business partner is Russ Johnson, who hails from New Jersey. The two worked together at Shimano USA in southern California, where Johnson was Director of Communications for 13 years. After leaving Shimano to start Wren Sports, Johnson moved back east to be near his large extended family in New Jersey. Today Kevin Wren handles west coast operations, and Johnson covers the east.

Johnson explains why they chose his partner’s last name to be their brand name. “I wanted Wren from the start because it is unique and describes a small, nimble yet aggressive and tenacious animal. I liked the analogy to the company we hoped to form. Kevin was against it, but I convinced him.”

Johnson’s extensive background in marketing and advertising sealed the deal. “I also liked the short length and had a logo in mind,” he says.

Wren Sports are bringing some buzzworthy products to the Philly Bike Expo. Among them are their Inverted Suspension Forks for mountain and fat bikes. Johnson explains their advantages:

“The Inverted fork design simply works better. By inverting the fork so that the lighter stanchions are on the bottom, we reduce the mass of the moving part of the fork so that it will react quicker and easier to the trail. Inverting also anchors the stanchions into the stronger, larger upper tubes and crown making the overall chassis much stronger and stiffer. It also lowers the fulcrum point where the uppers join the stanchions compared to other fork designs decreasing the leverage factor. Inverting also positions the seals downward so that all kinds of bad stuff doesn’t sit on them and get pulled into your fork on every compression stroke.”

The Wren TwinAir System is designed to fine tune the ride of the fork using only your air pump. No disassembly of the fork is required. The TwinAir system is considered a single positive air chamber and is located at the bottom of the air side stanchion. Wren uses a floating piston to divide the area in half. There are individual air valves for the top and bottom chambers. By dividing the one large volume into two smaller volumes, the forces necessary to move the air are reduced, allowing the fork to begin moving easier and faster. 

Johnson explains, “Because the piston floats, air pressure will equalize on either side of the piston as you add or release air, but the volumes of each chamber will change. More air in the top chamber will increase its volume relative to the bottom chamber and the fork will exhibit a more plush ride. If the bottom chamber volume is larger relative to the top, the fork will exhibit a stiffer, more progressive ride.”

Wren Inverted Suspension Forks are available in hub widths 100, 110, 135 or 150 mm. All hub widths available in either 110 or 150 mm of travel.

Wren Sports will also be displaying their Crazy Lightweight Alloy Stems for MTB and Road, which are the lightest stems on the market. They are 3D forged from AL7050 aluminum, superior to AL6061 for strength, hardness and rigidity. 3D forging is superior to CNC, and it strengthens the material and allows for better grain structure. A four bolt clamp distributes clamping force over a wider area. The stems are available in 6 degree or 17 degree versions, 31.8 mm clamp diameter, in a wide variety of lengths.

With a history of successful products and decades of bicycle industry experience, the folks at Wren Sports are dedicated to making all of your rides great ones.

Interview with Wanya Cave and Jerry Jacobs

by Taylor Kuyk-White

Through my day job with the Bicycle Coalition Youth Cycling (BCYC) program, I’ve worked closely with VeloJawn founders and owners Wanya Cave and Jerry Jacobs. Their dedication to Philadelphia’s cycling community, especially as expressed through their coaching the BCYC race team, is unparalleled. With an underlying motivation to forge job opportunities for BCYC youth and alum, and a core value of community coming to life as the BCYC race team uses the shop as its home base, Wanya and Jerry’s move to establish a bike shop in Philadelphia can be seen as an act of service. 

It has been an absolute thrill to watch Wanya, Jerry, and the VeloJawn team go- in under a year- from hatching the idea of opening a shop to opening the doors of the hands-down most beautiful bike shop I’ve ever seen. Being able to join them for the ride through a sponsorship of the Philly Bike Expo Women’s Team –  is the cherry on top. Here is their incredible story! 

TKW: Wanya, tell us about yourself!

WC: I turned 25 at the Pottstown Bike Race! I grew up in various neighborhoods in Philadelphia: West Philly, Olney, North Philly, Southwest Philly.  I discovered my passion for cycling at an early age.  I started at Neighborhood Bike Works (across the street from our shop) by fixing and building bikes and learning how to be a mechanic.  That led to mechanic’s position at some of the best shops in the area and working with some of the best people in the business. 

I have dedicated myself to learning as much as I can and becoming the best mechanic that I can be. That means getting the best certifications and also staying as up-to-date as possible with online training modules.  

TKW: What is your vision for the shop in 5 or even 10 years?

JJ: We want to be in the business for a long time and to build a world-class, but community- oriented shop.  That begins with operating our existing, beautiful space in the best way that we can by making a lot of customers happy with great service and customized advice.  We do have plans to expand our service and product offerings and also our physical space in the future.  However, we want to do a great job with what we have first.

We believe that our customers and the marketplace will direct us as to how and when to expand.  It is all about listening carefully to what our customers want, and what makes them happy.  We are open and flexible. We will try a lot of things out, such as coaching offerings, group rides, demo days and other ways to connect with our customers and to provide value.

TKW: How did VeloJawn got started?

JJ: Wanya and I were traveling to a bike race in March 2018, as we had become good friends through our coaching together of the BCYC Youth Elite Race Team.  He mentioned that he had “always dreamed of opening a bike shop”.  I suggested that I might have the capital if we could come up with a sound business plan. We did a lot of research in the months that followed, about what the shop would be and how we would position ourselves.

We bought a great building in September, after a few months of not finding attractive space to lease.  That actually turned into a blessing, as we were able to do a complete demolition and rebuild of the space the way we wanted it.  We decided to go “all in” on the buildout, as we expect to be here for a long time and to be successful.

TKW: Tell us about the shop! 

JJ: We start with our three pillars: advice, service and community. 

Advice. We strive to be consultative and unbiased. That includes helping the customer find the very best product or service at the best price for their particular goals and budget.  We do not “upsell” (sell a more expensive product when a more reasonably-priced product will meet customer needs).  

Service.  We provide fast turnarounds and top-tier service by top-tier, highly-trained mechanics.  We help customers get the best value by explaining everything we do, and even how they can save money by doing a few things themselves in maintaining their jawn.  That is why our mechanics area is in the middle of the shop whereby our customers can see what is going on and interact with our mechanics.

Community.  We are deeply involved in our community.  We are the official Race Team Headquarters, Coaches and sag support for the Bicycle Coalition Youth Cycling Team (BCYC).  We stage at our shop for rides so that our athletes are ready to ride and that their equipment is properly maintained.  We also support professional women’s racing by sponsoring the Philly Bike Expo Team.  That includes financial support and providing world class equipment (Wilier Pro Bikes) so that our pros can focus on winning races and being the best that they can be.

We believe this positioning and focus is very different from a traditional bike shop that is seeking to sell what is on the floor and not necessarily what is best for the customer. 

TKW: Now that you’ve overcome your biggest hurdles in getting the shop open, whats next? 

JJ: In the near term, we are really focused on making customers happy and promoting our unique brand.  It’s all about basic blocking and tackling.  That is, getting customers to come in and see our beautiful shop and experience top-quality service and unbiased advice.  

We are offering some fantastic deals such as a 50% off service special for first-time customers and promotional pricing on world-class bikes.  We are highly confident that customers will like us once they experience what we can offer.

TKW: From the concrete-pour service counter to the reclaimed wood, the space is incredibly artistic! What inspired the interior design?

JJ: We are very fortunate to be deeply involved with the Philadelphia cycling community and to have a lot of talented friends.  The contractors, led by Brian Kelh (Kelh Design), are all cyclists.  They were able to take our concept of a welcoming, cool, open space and make it a reality.

Everyone is blown away with how beautiful and comfortable our space is when they first come in.  We really achieved our design goals of making it beautiful, artistic but also a comfortable place where our customers, youth athletes and friends love to hang out.  Even though we have recently opened, our shop is bursting with energy and activity every day.

TKW: What is the shop’s relationship to the Bicycle Coalition Youth Cycling Program?

JJ: We are deeply involved with the BCYC Youth Program in many ways.  First, we are dedicated coaches and life mentors for our athletes.  Wanya Cave is the Head Coach and I’m the Head Masters Coach of the Race Team.  Many other shop employees also assist in coaching duties. Secondly, we stage at our shop for team rides.  That allows our amazing athletes to focus on training and racing.  We want to take away the hurdles as they are properly hydrated, fed and have maintained equipment so we are ready to train.  Finally, we provide a large amount of financial support for the race program and scholarship fund. 

TKW: Why did VeloJawn choose to partner with the Philly Bike Expo?

JJ: We also wanted to support local professional racing.  That goal became reality as we had an opportunity to sponsor and support the professional women’s team from the Philadelphia Bike Expo.  We met the Wilier brand representatives at the Expo.  That resulted in a great partnership whereby we could sell their amazing lineup of bikes in the shop, and also provide some of the best equipment in the world to lead riders, you (Taylor Kuyk-White) and Samantha Fox.  You’re winning races on your beautiful and super fast Wilier Cento Pro 10’s, and also getting a lot of attention.  We could not be happier with the partnership.

Taylor Kuyk-White and Sam Fox of the Philly Bike Expo Elite Women’s Team sat down for a chat with the folks from Asheville, NC-based component manufacturer Industry Nine. Freddie Kapel (East Coast Sales) and Clint Spiegel (Owner, aka  El Jefe, Commander in Chief, the Don Dada) answered questions about the company’s history and vision, latest news and their sponsorship of the Expo and the Team.

Taylor: Can you tell me a bit about how i9 was born?   

Clint: My first exposure to the bike world started in the early 90’s by making components for RockShox when they were being assembled in Asheville. After Rockshox moved to California, Cane Creek asked me to design a new type of fast engagement hub. I spent a couple years trying to pull that off, but failed in the mid 90’s. I was not a cyclist at the time, so after that attempt, I was pretty much out of any business related to the cycling world.  Then, about 10 years later, I started cycling passionately, and every ride led me to think of new ways to create a fast engagement hub.  I started experimenting and prototyping, and when I finally came up with a good idea that worked great, I decided to launch the company.

Taylor: Whoa! The idea rattled around in there for 10 years before first coming to the market? That’s impressive.  While the gajillion points of engagement hydra hubs, wheel builds that make me feel like I’m surfing over rock gardens, and spoke patterns that look like candy rainbows are worthy of the hype – one of the things I really love about your company most is the commitment to manufacturing in the USA. Can you tell me more about this? 

Clint: My father Harvey started the contract machining business when I was born. He built it up as a successful company through the early 90’s and then work turned to Asia and business was tough.  I was involved in the company the whole time, but when I was full-time and out of college, the outsourcing to Asia was in full swing. We had about 50 employees that we considered family.  We saw dozens of manufacturing facilities we did business with shut down and move production to Asia.  We had personal relationships with all of these people as well, and we had a front row seat to see that devastation, how their lives were upended and reduced in quality. We of course lost the contract machining business from these factories that shut down and my father and I both worried about our future. One solution would have been to join the outsourcing craze. The future livelihood of us and our company would be protected, but many others would lose their jobs. Ultimately, all we could say was, “F*ck that.” We were going to stay in the business we knew, we loved making stuff, and we were good at it. Somehow, some way we were going to develop the methods and the businesses that would allow us to continue to manufacture in the states with the people we cared about. It was more than just our employees. The vision of a nation with a few well-off people and most with low-end jobs and less money, did not sound like a good idea.  Our community and city would be less vibrant. Crime could increase. There is a social contract, there always has been, and we wanted to do what we could to make our local community better, because we live there.  It seems obvious.  Now, there is no benefit in carrying on such a belief system if it only leads to your ultimate failure.  I clearly understand why so many companies need to produce with lower-cost overseas labor, but we were able to develop a product and were able to develop production methods that allowed us to thrive. Not everyone has that kind of product and not everyone has the vast manufacturing experience so many of us at i9 possess. We dug deep, got lucky, and made it work.

Taylor: How long have you been coming to the Philly Bike Expo, and what inspired you to take the leap to Sponsor this year?

Freddie: I believe this will be i9’s 3rd year, and it will be my 2nd!  The leap to sponsorship this year happened pretty naturally. I had a wonderful time last year at the Expo, which was filled with a ton of great conversations with all types of cyclists. This is what moved me about the Philly bike scene. We have so many types of people in our industry and we will often run into people living in their worlds of  “I’m not a mountain biker” or the “I’m not a roadie,” which is fine – you do you. However, not in Philly (I know it exists elsewhere) the vibe in Philly was “I LOVE BIKES – ALL THE BIKES!” During the event we had the opportunity to talk about mountain bikes, dirt jumpers, road, cross, gravel, touring, randonneuring, and commuting. This made me so happy and this energy was vibrating through the event. 

I saw a post on Instagram about the opportunity to sponsor the Philly Bike Expo Women’s cycling team — another very important part of the industry we all agree needs more attention. I reached out expressing my interest and the interest of Industry Nine, letting them know  that I believe we have similar goals and we could work well together to help bring attention to women’s cycling and our respective organizations. It just made sense to me. I would say it has been pretty clear that Sam and Taylor are badass at riding all the bikes and loving it. You all are awesome! 

Taylor: Any highlights from our partnership this year? 

Freddie: I have had a blast watching the team on social media. I can think of one photo of Taylor at Rasputitisa, which I heard was a brutal, cold, wet, and super tough race, and then there’s this amazing shot of Taylor grinning ear to ear, covered in what I can only think of as freezing cold mud- so good! Another one was the Tulsa Tough. I appreciated this event for a few reasons. The Philly crew did a great job of bringing attention to the sport, providing links and reminders about times and where to watch. My understanding was that this was a big race for you all, taking you a bit more out of your comfort zone and really laying it out there and going for it. It was very inspiring, and I believe this attitude helps encourage others. I also enjoy seeing Sam hop into the Mtn bike races and killing it! You all appear to have such a wonderful support group. There are certainly more, especially hilarious IG posts. 

Taylor: What are you excited about at i9 right now?  

Freddie: Right now I am very excited about our growth. Things are truly exciting right now, and I feel very lucky to be a part of such an incredible group of people during this moment in i9’s development.  We have had a steady flow of new releases. Last year we released our new aero road line which has had great feedback. New TRA gravel wheels are super popular and our stem orders are flying in. Then our new HYDRA drive mechanism we released this year!  Now i9 has a hub with only .52° of engagement! The phones were blowing up – things got crazy and very exciting – people wanted to know more.  There is always something brewing around here, new product ideas, new events, new ways to interact with our customers. While we are growing it’s nice that we can all have a say and knowing that our feedback is being heard. All of those things to me, make for exciting times.

Sam: What is your favorite annual riding event (race/fondo/etc.) and which wheels do you choose to ride at that event?   

Freddie: Aside from some local cross races, in the past I generally haven’t signed up for a ton of events. That’s starting to change; this year I signed up for the Asheville Gran Fondo and the Dirt Diggler. I can certainly keep you posted on how they go:) For the fondo, I will be riding the i9.45 carbon Aero Disc wheels. For the Dirt Diggler, I will be riding my cross bike that will be equipped with our ULCX 240 carbon. 

Sam: What color combo do you have on your personal i9s? 

Freddie: Well, like so many of us, I have lots of bikes and, working for i9, I am spoiled and have the privilege of equipping each of those bikes with our wheels. Currently the bikes getting the most attention are the mtn SS, road, cross and full suspension mtn.

My favorite set are the Trail 270 24H on my SS. They have pink hubs and rainbow spokes – they are beautiful and always make people smile!!! The cross bike has Pillar ULCX- purple hubs, purple nipples. My road bike is running i9.45 with purple hubs, and my adventure bike/hauler is running BC360 with blue hubs and blue spokes. My full suspension mtn has Enduro 310 24H with black hubs and orange spokes. 

Taylor: Thank you so much Freddie and Clint! We can’t wait to see and ride with you at the Philly Bike Expo!

To be “on the rivet” is an old cycling term meaning giving it full exertion, almost to the point of breaking. It derives from the days when riders used riveted leather saddles, and with intense effort, the hips slide forward, leaving the cyclist’s posterior straddling the front rivet of the saddle.

Rivet Cycle Works produces saddles from leather and traditional metal rivets. They want you to ride hard – on the rivet, even – but remain comfortable in those sensitive areas. In fact, the company’s genesis has more to do with long days in the saddle and summiting storied mountain passes than it does with eyes-crossed intense efforts.

Debra Banks started Rivet in 2010 after a career in public education and a love for long distance cycling. Both experiences have been influential to Rivet’s development. From riding long distances, Banks came to appreciate the comfort of traditional leather saddles, with a few modern touches that relieve pressure. From her days helping students and teachers in public schools came an appreciation for the human touch.

“My education has helped me immensely with customers and production,“ says Banks, and she knows that saddles are a personal thing that no two people may find equally suitable.

“Helping people find the right saddle is my favorite part of this job,” she says. “It’s an individual experience for everyone and when it works, they’re on their bike longer and more often. That’s a win for them and good for the planet!”

There are six different Rivet saddles, each of them named after high mountain passes in Colorado and California that Banks has ridden over (she’s also a veteran of three Paris-Brest-Paris randonneuse races). The model names are: The Imogene, The Loveland, The Pearl, The Independence, The Diablo and The Sonora. 

All of the models have the same traditional, classic look in various shades of brown, tan and black, but there are differences in width, shape and cut-out options. Rivet’s website offers a thorough guide to choosing the right model for your gender, body size and riding style/preferences.

Leather has applications for other cycling accessories as well, and Rivet offers high-quality leather grips and two models of handcrafted leather saddlebags. Reflecting Banks’ love of randonneuring, there are also some non-leather accessories offered for the long-distance cyclist, such as dyno hubs, bells, lights and leather waterproofing cream.

One thing is for certain: high-quality leather saddles will make long days in the saddle more comfortable, but it still won’t be an afternoon on the sofa. Nor should it be. Rivet finds that sweet spot of saddle bliss, where comfort and performance converge as in a Venn diagram.

“Firm but forgiving, our saddles will take you where you want to go, whether it’s around the block or around the world,” says Banks.

It’s tempting to call Ellis Cycles’ proprietor “Dave Ellis”, but then you’d only be 67% correct. His full name is David Ellis Wages, and his brand name comes from his middle name that was also his great grandmother’s maiden name.

Wages, who like many independent framebuilders wears many different hats, describes himself as an “owner, framebuilder, salesman and bookkeeper” of his one-man operation. He opened Ellis Cycles in 2008 after stints as a framebuilder for two of America’s most renowned and beloved frame shops: Serotta Cycles and Waterford Cycles. After moving to southeastern Wisconsin to work for Waterford, Wages stayed on in the area to open his own shop, located in the city of Franklin, a southern suburb of Milwaukee. 

Maybe it was the idyllic, gently rolling countryside of Wisconsin that inspired Wages to plant roots there. He’s still an active rider who takes part in gravel grinders, and last summer he and his better half, Deborah, took a two-month bike journey to ride the Sierra Cascades from Mexico to Canada.

“It was by far the most amazing ride I’ve ever done,” says Wages.

Those miles in the saddle may take him away from his production routine, but for Wages the payoff in knowledge about his creations is well worth it.

“Riding my own bikes, and getting feedback from clients on their riding experiences makes me a better builder. I put so much thought in every detail of every frame, and that’s from riding lots of miles!” says Wages.

Those bicycles that Wages invests his heart, mind and experience into strike a finely tuned balance between traditional styling and modern, cutting-edge materials. The Modern Classic model blends the finest modern materials with classic styling for a finished product that is both stylish and functional. 

Wages’ penchant for gravel roads less traveled has inspired his Strada Fango gravel/adventure bike. It’s been constantly tweaked and updated since it was introduced at NAHBS in 2013.

2019 will mark Wages’ second visit to the Philly Bike Expo. His attention to details and commitment to quality evoke the same characteristics employed by the 1960s French school of framebuilders like Rene Herse and Alex Singer known as Les Constructeurs, whom Wages cites as major influencers of his craft. 

But Wages doesn’t try to dictate his ideas and design concepts to his customers. The secret to the tall, soft-spoken builder’s success may be that he listens more than he talks.

“Each Ellis Cycle begins with a conversation between myself and the rider,” he says. “I don’t start cutting tubes or brazing until both of us are happy.”

Buffalo, New York sits at the northeastern corner of Lake Erie, where the Niagara River begins its journey downstream to the famous falls, and is best-known for chicken wings, football and massive winter snowfalls. Like many Great Lakes cities, the heavy industries that built Buffalo struggled and left during the 1980s, leaving the city to redefine itself, which it largely has done over the past few decades.

Adding to the cliched urban renaissance tales of craft breweries and downtown arts districts is Normal Bicycles, which opened in 2018 in Buffalo’s Foundry District. Normal is an ironic brand name for a company that handcrafts bicycles from locally-sourced hard maple wood. It’s a material that helps Normal stand apart from the crowd of carbon fiber and metallic bikes that emanate from Asian factories.

Jess Vreeswijk Kudla started Normal Bicycles with her husband Chris, and they combined separate backgrounds in project management (Jess) and mechanical engineering (Chris) with a mutual love of bicycles and cycling to create a winning brand.

A husband and wife bicycle building team? That’s a bit unusual too. So what explains the run-of-the-mill brand name?

“The company is named after the street that we lived on when Chris first started working on designing the bikes, Normal Ave. It’s also a bit of a joke since wood is not normal at all,” says Jess.

Wood has many desirable qualities for bicycle construction – among them stiffness, light weight, and compliance (otherwise known as comfort). These attributes of wood have been incorporated in the construction of bicycle rims, and for the first five decades of the 20th century, shellacked wooden rims with handmade tubular tires glued to them were de rigueur for track racers that entertained large crowds at Six-Day races in major American cities, among them Buffalo.

But before you start believing that wooden bicycles are a trip down nostalgia lane, consider the high-tech, cutting-edge approach that Normal Bicycles takes to constructing bikes from this traditional material.

Hard maple wood makes up the majority of Normal’s frames, but some high-tech bits put this new company squarely in the 21st century. A thin sheet of carbon fiber lines the insides of the hollow wooden tubes, and the connection points for the components are made of aerospace grade aluminum alloy with titanium fasteners, for good measure.

Chris’ background as an engineer in the aerospace and automotive industries means that the latest technologies are in his design wheelhouse, and CNC cutting machines combine with a craftsman’s intuition to produce bicycles that bridge the gap between traditional and novel approaches to construction.

Normal offers complete bicycles, framesets only, and fully custom bicycles in their portfolio. Unusual for a small, new company, they can produce your frame or complete bike in as little as two weeks. After a deposit is received, the customer can watch their bike being produced at several waypoints in the process: photos are taken and posted at an individual portfolio for each new order.

What’s truly novel (and very cool!) is that once the bike is delivered to the customer, a QR code on the bottom bracket allows the customer to access this portfolio – essentially an online photo album of your newborn bike, preserved for (electronic) eternity.

The complete bikes are centered around the Urban Scout frameset, built to tackle the concrete jungle and available in single-speed or geared iterations. There are also adventure bike offerings, and the full-custom option allows you to design a bike that suits your specific needs and body measurements.

One thing that all Normal Bicycles include is a design ethic of rugged durability and a protective marine coating to keep out the elements – important considerations for use in a city that sees more than its fair share of snow, sleet and freezing rain.

As the Normal Bicycles website puts it, the bikes are born in Buffalo, after all.

Rotor America is the U.S. outpost and distributor for Rotor Bicycle Components, a Spanish company in operation since 1919.

One of Rotor’s signature products is the Q-Ring, an oval chainring that has been widely adopted by the Euro pro peloton, and which comes in both 130 and 110 BCD and in aluminum and “Qarbon” iterations.

Rotor America’s website gives an evidence-based argument for the efficacy of oval chainrings as agents of increased power and efficiency, but also hints that the “Q” moniker may have an alternate meaning.

To paraphrase the website, Rotor knows that increased profits can be realized by switching to Asian production, but by keeping both production and R&D at their state-of-the-art facility outside Madrid, a complete commitment to quality is maintained.

That focus on quality is seen in not only the Q-Rings and InPower meters (direct force power meters integrated into crankarms), but also in the new 1×13 “Adventure Group” that offers a wide range of gearing options with the simplicity of a single front chainring.

“We’ve made the first 13-speed drivetrain on the market, with a derailleur that operates with a clutch system to swap back and forth from twelve to thirteen speed cassettes, and it can be used on mountain, road, and CX bikes alike,” says Martina Platte, Rotor America’s Market Support Specialist.

It’s not only quality in Rotor’s wheelhouse. Another focus on technological innovation led Rotor to offer the new 1×13 Ultimate Performance group that includes hydraulic-activated shifting and disc braking.

All of this innovation comes without a weight penalty, with a total groupset weight of just 1,785 grams for a group that includes a crankarm-integrated InPower meter. Standard setup is a 38-54t single front chainring with a choice of four rear 13-speed cogsets that range from 10-36 to 10-52.

2019 will mark Rotor America’s third visit to the Philly Bike Expo. Their six U.S.-based employees, all active cyclists, work from an office in Salt Lake City.

For more information about the full-range of high-quality, innovative, Spanish-made Rotor components, visit Rotor America’s website at www.rotoramerica.com.

Master Soapmaker and Teacher Eryn Hughes returns for the second time to the Philly Bike Expo with her Apothecary Muse line of Pennsylvania-made adventure skincare made for your skin, your sport and your weather. Utilizing resources in exercise physiology to formulate increasing levels of care through the entire product line, you can have a semi-custom experience without burdening yourself with single use plastic or ingredients with questionable origins.

Founded in 2013, Apothecary Muse Adventure Skincare products are carefully formulated by an industry veteran and former professional cycling coach, with special focus on seasonal exposure, body chemistry and types of outdoor sports. All products are 100% vegan and packaged in compostable or reusable containers with eco-friendly ink, these products are safe for the environment and safe for your skin

PBE: What did you do before starting Apothecary Muse?

EH: In thebike industry, I’ve been a coach, buyer, mechanic, done sales, marketing, been a manager. In the health food business – I’ve done marketing and education.

PBE: Do you have any particular education/training/experience that prepared you for where you are now?

EH: I have certifications inSports Nutrition, Coaching, Wilderness First Aid, and Soapmaking

PBE: How did you choose your location or did it choose you?

EH: My family brought me to Pittsburgh.

PBE: What’s the derivation of your company name?

EH: Formerly DJ Muse, then founder of women’s mountain bike organization, VeloMuse, then Apothecary Muse; I’m always learning, musing.

PBE: What’s your favorite part of your work?

EH: The multi-sensory experience.

PBE: What’s your favorite ride/route/destination?

EH: Currently, I really like the afternoon rides that I can sneak in between errands to the bank or local deliveries.

Established in 2017, returning exhibitor pratt Frameworks is a Rhode Island based bicycle company created by designer / maker Max Pratt. pratt Frameworks specializes in high performance steel bicycles for fixed-crit / velodrome racing, as well as cyclocross and road racing. Max Pratt is a framebuilder, metal fabricator, and furniture designer who studied at the Rhode Island School of Design. He designs furniture and bicycles with the same values in mind; simplicity, function, and elegance are at the heart of every pratt frame. pratt Frameworks designs each bike to be simple, elegant, and functional. Says Max, “We shed all unnecessary elements, to reveal a beautiful form and high performance bicycle hiding below. Our new line, including the basic track, basic road, and basic CX framesets, is an effort to simplify not only the design of a bicycle, but the process of having a custom fit. We believe that ordering a custom bike should be fun, simple, and fast. Each frame is made for its rider, and will last them for lifetimes to come.” 

PBE What did you do before starting pratt Frameworks?

MP I make custom and contract furniture and woodwork, as well as contract and custom metal fabrication. A degree in furniture design from the Rhode Island School of Design gave me the skills, eye, and mind to get where I am today.

PBE How did you choose your location- or did it choose you?

MP I grew up in New England, but after school, Providence seemed like the place to be for me. With Brian Chapman nearby and a strong cycling community, the neighborhood my shop is in has a great history and a wealth of resources and good people.

PBE What’s the derivation of your company name?

MP My last name, Pratt, is the origin of our name. My family used to be under the name Rapaport, but my grandparents changed that name after coming to the US.

PBE What’s your favorite part of your work?

MP My favorite part of making bicycles is the look on someone’s face when they get their new frame. As far as the process, definitely pressing headsets.

PBE What’s your favorite ride/route/destination? 

MP My shop is around the corner from India Point Park in Providence, which is the start of the East Bay Bike Path. This takes a rider from downtown Providence to the southern coast of Rhode Island and Newport. It is a coastal bike path and is really a wonderful ride.

Medford MA, framebuilder Bryan Hollingsworth has been faithfully exhibiting at the Philly Bike Expo since the beginning. Founded in 2008, Royal H Cycles was at the very first Philly Bike Expo in 2010. It’s like we grew up together! Bryan has this to say about bikes, framebuilding, and his brand: “Royal H Cycles is about connecting people to their love of cycling. The bike is a means to that end. Anyone who has commissioned a bicycle knows this undeniable truth- that a custom bike is more fun to ride! The goal as a framebuilder is to offer a truly unique experience, not just the bike. Royal H Cycles is about inspiring people to be better riders and putting a larger smile on their face every time they ride. A custom bike is about creating a relationship between rider and builder that helps bring their vision for the perfect bike into focus. This vision is what is put into the tubes and lugs that are going to become their bicycle. Royal H Cycles is about the big picture as much as it is about the fine details.” Bryan goes on to say, “I have built track bikes that are shockingly fast, and touring bikes that are incredibly functional; road bikes that can handle a double century, and courier bikes for short sprints through city traffic; tri bikes for the amateur enthusiast, and racing bikes for seasoned athletes. Each frame as unique as its owner, and built with the same exacting levels of craftsmanship. If you love to ride, you will love a Royal H.”

PBE: What’s innovative, or distinctive, or otherwise special about a Royal H bike?

BH: The focus of Royal H Cycles is on custom steel frames and forks- the fit is a huge part of it, but so are the custom details. No two frames are ever the same. I now have a new line of Hollingsworth frames that feature unique, hand cut lugs that take this customization to a whole new level.

PBE: What did you do before becoming a framebuilder?

BH: Mechanical Engineer

PBE: Do you have any particular education/training/experience that prepared you for where you are now?

BH: My relevant framebuilding experience was learned at the United Bicycle Institute in 2006, with lots of training picked up during the subsequent years as a finsher/carbon framebuilder at Seven Cycles.

PBE: How did you choose your location or did it choose you?

BH: I certainly didn’t choose it based on low rent! There is a rich history of framebuilding in the Boston area, stemming from older companies like Merlin, Independent Fabrications, Seven, etc. Many small builders came out of those shops, and the community was really supportive and amazing when I started building, and it was impossible to leave!

PBE: What’s the derivation of your company name?

BH: The “H” in Royal H Cycles is from my last name, Hollingsworth. The royal is a little tongue and cheek, but it plays into the Latin on the original head badge- “disce ferenda pati.” Meaning, more or less, “learn to suffer.” Perfect for riding and building!

PBE: What’s your favorite part of your work?

BH: The brazing is pretty fun, involving fire and all, but the final assembly is pretty satisfying (especially when all of your parts are in stock and ready for you to build up!).

Disabled Sports USA was established in 1967 to improve the lives of veterans and the differently-abled of all ages through sports and recreation. In addition to cycling, over 50 different sports are offered, including alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, kayaking, water skiing, sailing, scuba, surfing, rafting, outrigger canoeing, fishing, hiking, golf, athletics, archery, running/wheeling, rock climbing, equestrian and others.

Disabled Sports USA 

serves those with visual impairments, amputations, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, head injury, cerebral palsy, other neuromuscular/orthopedic conditions, autism and related intellectual disabilities.

The sports opportunities that Disabled Sports USA provides are transformational for participants, highlighting the human potential embodied in the organization’s motto: “If I can do this, I can do anything!”

Headquartered on historic Boat House Row, The Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports is the local to Philly chapter of Disabled Sports USA, and Jeff McGinnis is the Executive Director. I asked him a few questions to learn more.

PBE What did you do before this?

JM I’ve been involved in sports for people with disabilities for over 30 years, and have founded a few programs.

PBE Did you have any particular education/training/experience that prepared you for your current position at PA Center for Adapted Sports?

JM Prior to becoming the Executive Director, I was a furniture maker and owned a small visual and product design company. But my parallel track was volunteering as a coach or trainer in sports for people with disabilities. 

My initial experience was in college, working with some kids in a swim program. After graduation, I continued staying involved through volunteer work. I began coaching in adaptive rowing, then in skiing. When Fairmount Park closed MLK to car traffic on weekends, we (PA Center for Adapted Sports) were able to start our cycling program. The cycling program has expanded to three locations. By the way, we are always looking for volunteers to share their love of cycling with people with disabilities!

PBE What’s your favorite part of your job?

JMA couple of things. Our amazing volunteers, our incredible participants, and athletes who refuse to take no for an answer. Generally, people who refuse to go with the status quo. There would be no adapted sports for people if someone hadn’t refused to accept the conventional wisdom about what people with a disability could or should do. It still happens, but that’s what gets me inspired, breaking down the barriers to participation in our community.

PBE What inspires you?

JM Seeing someone learn to ride with us, and then progress to riding independently.

PBE What’s your favorite ride/route/destination?

I commute by bike almost daily. I love my commute, it uses part of the Schuylkill trail. 

The National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) was started in 2001 in CA with the mission of building strong minds, bodies, character, and communities through cycling. There are now 25 leagues across the country, and many clubs within each state’s league. The Camden County Mountain Bike Crew is one on the growing list of clubs in the NJ league. Joe Brescia is Team Director of the Camden County MTB Crew. He also teaches Engineering Robotics at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, NJ.

PBE Did you have any particular education/training/experience that prepared you for your involvement with the CC MTB Crew?

JB As far as training goes, I am a certified Level 2 coach by NICA and also teach grades 9-12 on a daily basis. These will both kind of prepare you, but it also comes with just having riding knowledge and being involved with the right group of people to recruit really good coaches to help work with the students.

PBE How many riders are on the team?

JB We have 14 riders this year

PBE What’s their age range?

JB 11 – 18 years old Female/Male

PBE What’s your favorite part of your work?

JB I love seeing students having fun challenging themselves in this sport. They just see it as getting dirty and riding bikes with other kids. They don’t see the possible future and other benefits that come from riding and racing. You see students struggle with some trail section or a certain technique and then one day the light bulb goes off and they’re able to nail it. For a few students, it was just having the strength and endurance to finally finish a race. Oh, and the races are amazing. Talk about a professional setup with a super inclusive atmosphere. It’s pretty amazing.

PBE What are some of the challenging aspects of a youth cycling team?

JB There are many challenges. We have students of all different riding backgrounds, abilities, home lives, financial obligations, transportation, etc. It’s all about doing whatever it takes to get the students out on bikes. Funding the program takes a lot of effort in order to keep bikes maintained and having everything needed to run the team, but we make it work as a group. 

PBE What inspires you?

JB We have a saying, “I wish this was around when I was in school.” That drives us to give this opportunity to any student that wants it. A bunch of us know how riding has benefitted our lives and that would’ve been amazing if it were around 20 or 30 years ago.

PBE What’s your favorite ride/route/destination?

JB I like riding to someplace new and exploring. Whenever there can be an adventure, there’s fun not too far behind.