European custom bike builders get a show platform

European fans of custom bikes will be able to see what's on offer at Europe's first dedicated exhibition (BikeRadar)

After the success of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, Europe is to get its very own version next year.

The event will take place at Schwäbisch Gmünd, near Stuttgart,Germany, on May 8 – 10 and organisers anticipate the presence of frame-builders and custom bike makers from all over Europe. They say bespoke manufacturers of mountain, road,  touring and city bikes will be present along with those catering for less mainstream styles including singlespeeds, 29ers and recumbent bikes. Machines produced from a wide variety of materials will be on show, inluding aluminum, cro-mo steel, stainless steel, carbon and titanium.

'It is hoped the EHBE will do for the European framebuilding community what the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) has done for the US framebuilding scene,' Neil Hassan of Frameforum.org told trade website BikeBiz.

'In just four years, NAHBS has turned custom frame and bicycle manufacturing in the USA from an almost forgotten sector of the bicycle market into a booming, vibrant part of the US bike trade.

'Many builders are reporting full order books and some builders can now boast a five-year waiting list for their services. Components manufacturers too, from small-run producers to global brands, have also benefited from the renaissance of the custom bicycle sector.'

Interested parties can register for the event via its website at www.e-h-b-e.eu/. The deadline is August 20.

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