We Didn't Go to MADE This Year... or Did We?
If you happen to subscribe to some of the same email newsletters and follow the same IG accounts as I do, you may be aware that the MADE Bike Show took place in Portland, Oregon, over the past weekend. This annual gathering has become the premier showcase of bicycle framebuilders for the past four years since NAHBS bit the dust. It's a fun event in a unique setting. I won't go into detail about Zidell Yards or the show highlights, since there's plenty of coverage already at The Radavist, Bikepacking, and Escape Collective. Their photo galleries overflow with pristine examples of cutting-edge craftsmanship from some of the top torch-wielding artisans of North America (and beyond).
Many folks were asking if Sklar Bikes would be there this year, but Adam and I were both pretty swamped with work, and he had a wedding to attend that weekend, so I went to the show as a civilian to appreciate the beautiful bicycles on display.
I've been attending this show since its inception. Within that timespan, we've seen the rise of 3D printing and additive manufacturing, the growth of metal full-suspension bikes, and the dawn of 32" wheels. I've seen some bicycles so gorgeous that they moved me deeply. But as much as I love seeing the bikes, I have to admit that my favorite part is the people.
So this year, I went to the show with the intention to focus on the people, the afterparties, the group rides, and my own personal favorite part of every bicycle tradeshow: the pre- and post-event road trip.
I decided to drive my 2001 Toyota Sienna from Sonoma County, California, up to Portland. In part, I wanted to help out our friends at Circles Nagoya by transporting their PBJs and belongings to the show. But my ulterior motive was to stop and ride bikes with friends for a good old-fashioned MTB roadtrip. Thankfully, Chris McNally wanted to hop in the minivan with me, so we headed out on the highway.
Our first stop was in southern Oregon to visit my good pal Derek Bolland, a gifted softgoods maker and bike mechanic who teaches classes and helps run the Talent Maker City makerspace in Talent, Oregon.
Derek showed us a great time, brought us to a friend's beautiful swimming pond, made us tacos for dinner, and even took us on a nice mellow mixed-terrain loop in the morning. Then we ate some freshly-baked bagels from Ceremony and hit the road.
Our next stop was in Portland. I'm going to fast-forward through this part because it was a joyous chaotic blur of a weekend, packed full of group rides, parties, art shows, and lots of good food.
The Sklar Roly-Poly Bean Bike was on display at the Brooks booth. This bike made its debut at MADE 2023, and it's still doing its duty as a coffee delivery vehicle in Bozeman, Montana. Nice to see a daily driver on display at the show!
The Double Pinch Flat art show, hosted by Hokem Mag, was a gallery art show and social mixer for bike nerds. There were some cool pieces on display, including this motorized sculpture.
Most of the show featured risograph posters from a bunch of bike- and skate-adjacent artists. There was bike parking in the back room, which felt like its own art show of sorts. I lurked in the bike parking area and checked out some of the pretty bicycles that folks rode to the event.
This Hampsten caught my eye. A perfectly-proportioned road bike with rim brakes, fenders, and a snazzy paintjob will always have a place in my heart.
Sklar parking at the gallery.
This is the only bike I photographed at the show. Nice work, Tom!
By Sunday, I was over-socialized and needed to go ride my bike, so Chris and I loaded up the Sienna and drove from Portland to Oakridge.
We claimed four sites at the Salmon Creek Falls Campground and spent some time cliff-jumping into the freezing cold water. Then we headed out for a sunset ride in search of a hot spring.
No dice on the hot spring. We rode deep into a burn zone and bushwhacked our way along a creek to where we thought it might be, but by that point it was getting pretty dark. Back to camp for the night.
The next day, folks started to trickle in from the show. Todd and Jen from Black Cat Bicycles magically appeared, followed by John Watson from the Radavist. We all decided to go ride Eula Ridge. It was quite a scene in the two-seater Sienna, with five people and five bikes crammed in for our shuttle to the top! The descent was steep and loose. My Sklar 120mm hardtail was the right tool for the job, and I enjoyed finding the sweet spot of sticky traction. After releasing some PSI from my Schwalbe radial tires (Romy TR soft front and rear), I was hootin' and hollerin' all the way down.
We got back to town and were enjoying some post-ride refreshments at the brewpub when everybody else rolled up. The post-MADE party train had arrived: about 18 framebuilders and bike people, led by Rie and Steven from SimWorks USA. I had snagged four campsites for everyone to use, so we circled the wagons and made our camp for the night. Even though everyone had spent the last four days socializing, we were happy to camp together, breathe in the fresh air under the swaying pines, and listen to the sound of the waterfall nearby. It had been a busy weekend.
The next day, we packed up early and headed home.
I've been to every MADE bike show, and as much as I love seeing all the pretty bikes, I only took one photo of a bike from the show. My camera is full of blurry action shots from Eula Ridge and roadside photos from a memorable trip with Chris McNally. My minivan is dirty from a week on the road. I'm tired in that way that only comes from a week of driving, riding, and staying up too late with good people.
Maybe that's the real value of shows like these. More than the pristine showbikes or the builders continually pushing what's possible with a torch and some tubing, MADE is an excuse to pile into a beat-up minivan with a friend and go find your people. The bikes brought us here. The people are why we keep coming back.
See you next year, Portland.
[First and last photos taken by John Watson / The Radavist]