With the North American Handmade Bike Show right around the corner, the Bikerumor.com International Handmade Bicycle News Team is hard at work to bring you a preview of the good stuff you can expect to see this year in Hartford. As it is the first time NAHBS has taken place in New England, this show is sure to have a unique flavor when compared to those of the past.
One of the big themes emerging for this show is the arms race that seems to be taking place among custom carbon framebuilders. Everyone is upping their game, eschewing off-the-shelf frame parts in favor of custom molds and bonding strategies. The result is lighter, deeper custom, and more versatile carbon frames this year than probably ever in NAHBS history.
One of the fresh faces in this movement, Matt Appleman, has been one of those builders leading the curve in deep customization. This year, Matt has made the leap to flat mount brakes on all non-mountain bikes– giving him the opportunity to revisit some strategies and refine his road, cross, and gravel design.
BIKERUMOR: What are you bringing to NAHBS this year that you’re excited about?
MATT: I’m unveiling a new model, the “FR-213”. It’s an adventure bike designed for rides like the Tour Divide, BC Epic 1000, and other such bikepacking excursions. Robustness is the name of the game and I developed a brand new extra tough tube set that increases damage tolerance. It’ll fit up to 27.5 x 4″ tires, utilize Rohloff and dynamo hubs, have a standard MTB Q-factor, and be world-travel ready with couplers.
BIKERUMOR: What are your current challenges in adopting and implementing new standards?
MATT: The hardest part for me is that the new standard isn’t always better than the old one. I recently implemented flat mount disc brake mounts on all non-mountain bikes. I wasn’t happy with the prescribed way to mount rear brakes and thought outside the sphere for something better. I designed a system using the front style mount on the seat stays. This has a number of advantages in strength, ease of installation, and long term adjustability. The stainless steel insert will not wear, warp or “bed in” like a carbon surface may.
BIKERUMOR: What new or upcoming standards are you excited about?
MATT: I’m really excited for the yet to be adapated standard of better fitting bikes and components that better suit the proportion of the rider. Bikes built with proper set back, crank length, wheel size providing a well balanced fit regardless of the size of the rider. Mass producers and component companies are welcome to contact me about reducing SKU’s and increasing customer satisfaction.
BIKERUMOR: What type of bike have your customers requested most in the past 12 months?
MATT: Disc road is getting more popular while the 42mm tire All-Road do it all bike is my most popular.
BIKERUMOR: What is the next bike you’re building for yourself?
MATT: A FR-213 adventure bike. It’s the perfect bike for just about anything, but especially the sand roads of northern Wisconsin where I ride a bit in the summer.
BIKERUMOR: …and if someone else were building your next bike for you, which builder (of all time) would you choose and why? What would it be?
MATT: Cio. Their frames have all the right lines.
BIKERUMOR: What is your “blank check” bike?
MATT: Demon Frameworks.
BIKERUMOR: If you could exist in another period of framebuilding, what would it be and why?
MATT: Probably the 2060’s. Freshly retired, I’d love to be in an advisory resource for young framebuilders. Forever forward.
BIKERUMOR: If you had to stop building in your current material, what new material would you choose and why?
MATT: I’d work with nature’s composite: wood and bamboo. There’s a ton of versatility and unlimited options. Metals seem a bit claustrophobic to me.
BIKERUMOR: If your shop was burning down, what one or two tools would you grab to save? Why would you save them?
MATT: I inherited my grandpa’s Huot tool chest right about the time I started framebuilding full time. He was an aircraft landing gear mechanic for Northwest Airlines his whole life and bought the tool chest in the 1950’s. It’s still got all of his vacation/time-off requests under the lid!
The North American Handmade Bike Show will take place from February 16th to 18th in Hartford, CT. For more information, visit the NAHBS website.
