Archive for the ‘Touring’ Category

h1

NAHBS 2013 – A great success for Paketa

February 26, 2013

I can’t say enough about the tremendous show that was hosted in Denver last weekend. The 2013 North American Handmade Bicycle was a huge success. The people of Denver came out in full force to show their love of cycling. We are proud to be a part of the Denver cycling community. We were also impressed with how many people traveled from all over the US and all over the world to come to the show.

Thank you to every person that stopped to chat with us about our bikes. We love showing off our amazing rides, and we hope you keep in touch with us. We also want to thank the event organizers for doing such a great job and driving a big crowd.

The Bikes we showcased at the North American Handmade Bicycle show this year in Denver:

1. D2r Magnesium tandem bike with two couplings for easy travel. The D2r was shown with a right-side Gates timing belt and a compact crankset. We also showcased our new finish option, which is a nano particulate ceramic coating. Ceramikoat is extremely hard and scratch resistant, and also very thin. We had the insides of the frame and BB shell coated for extra protection. We chose a matte finish for the show bike, and I have to say that the matte finish from Ceramikoat is extremely smooth and continuous. It looks much better than a matte finish powder coat. This incredibly versatile tandem weighed in at 22.5 lbs for the show.

2. WAC Corporal 29er:  A mountain bike with a double/double belt drive. This bike simply rocks. It’s a single speed, but with more versatility so you aren’t always stuck with one gear. And you still get to use the Gates belt drive. The rear wheel simply drops out and you can switch the belt manually to a different combination of sprockets. Switching the belt takes less than a minute, and you don’t get your hands greasy. This 29er weighed in at 22lbs for the show.

3. 18th Street Scorcher: This super fast singlespeed tandem was displayed with no chains. Adhering to the Gates philosophy, we used a belt for the drive and also for the timing. It rides so quiet and clean. The most unique thing is that we built the bike to allow the drive and timing belts to both be mounted to the right side, allowing the use of any crankset.

4. Scud All-road bike: The Scud road bike we presented at NAHBS is a slick looking bike. It’s matte black finish mates perfectly with the finish of the ENVE carbon fork, rims, handlebar, stem, and seatpost. JP built this bike with Campy Record EPS, and did a fabulous job of concealing the wires. The bike also featured Hayes road disc brakes, and the entire brake line was routed inside the frame, leaving no cable clutter on the bike.

5. V2 Time Trial Tandem: The V2 time trial tandem is a speed machine. I can’t keep track of the number of people who have won races on this setup. Everyone at the show loved the Sweet Wings titanium tandem cranks that are on this bike too. What a great touch.

6. D2r Tandem with four couplings: This bike is a sight to behold. It’s flashy paint job really brought a lot of attention at the show. The frame is powder coated with a super chrome base coat, then Lollipop Berry faded to Ink black with a clear vision top coat. It has matching pink American Classic 420 Aero wheels, metallic pink bottle cages, and some other pink flare parts that really bring it all together.