The world’s largest custom bike show, MADE, held its first Australian edition over the weekend with nearly 50 exhibitors showing off their craftsmanship.
A vision of industry veteran Billy Sinkford, MADE is an international handmade bicycle show that is proving that interest in handmade bicycles is alive and well, despite the bicycle industry’s struggles in recent years. When MADE made its debut in August 2023 in Portland, Oregon, USA, it instantly became the world’s largest handmade bicycle exhibition, showcasing the art of 200 global bicycle builders and brands and attracting over 5,000 consumers. during the three-day event. Check out our favorite builds from the 2023 show here.
Before the dust even had a chance to settle on the debut event, planning for a second edition of the MADE show was set in motion, and an unexpected expansion opportunity quickly emerged.
“It wasn’t our plan from the start, but a good opportunity for us to work with people we care about in a market that makes sense with a vibrant community of builders and an extension of what we’re already doing.” Sinkford told Cycling Weekly.
“But I’m excited. [MADE] it’s been our dream for years, and to see our dream grow to be able to showcase and highlight more builders and more brands on a larger global scale is fantastic.”
This expansion came to life over the weekend thanks to a partnership with SHUT UP and the 17th annual Melbourne Roobaix community cycling event.
Although smaller than the US event, the one-day Australian edition still attracted 1,000 visitors, who came to admire dozens of drool-worthy custom bikes. For those of us not lucky enough to attend the event in person, feast your eyes on a sampling of the bikes on display.
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Wondercross – Rambler
(image credit: MADE)
This beautiful plum colored titanium steed is called Rambler and was produced by Wondercross in Melbourne, Australia.
The Rambler is built “for long days on the road and rugged off-road adventures alike” and features S-bend seats to seamlessly combine road and trail compliance for a smooth ride, while sporting up to 38mm tires. This frame was built with a nicely matched Enve fork, fenders and cockpit; a 1x SRAM Eagle drivetrain; and Zipp 303 rims wrapped in Rene Herse Stampede Pass tires.
@wondercrosscycling
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Integral Test
(image credit: MADE)
Red never goes out of style, right? And this LW Integral Trial is sure to be a head turner.
Siblings Mark and Kelly Hester are behind Melbourne-based Prova Cycles and together, they design and manufacture stunning horses from a mix of carbon, titanium and CNC machined parts.
Integral is Prova’s take on the clean aesthetic of the hidden cable bike. It features Prova’s 3/2.5 wireless butt tube, in-house designed and manufactured carbon ISP, and 3D-printed titanium hub, seat and head tubes. It mates the frame to an Enve integrated fork and cockpit, Partington R-SERIES MKII R31/31 wheels and a Dura Ace Di2 groupset with an SRM power meter.
@provacycles
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Palmer’s Expressway
(image credit: MADE)
The rim brake bike is not dead yet! This carbon stunner is the Palmer Speedway handcrafted by Chris Palmer in the Macedon Ranges of Victoria, Australia.
The Fast Road is a pure road bike designed around 30mm tire clearance, rim brakes and a large head tube, down tube and tapered chainrings for pure speed. Stiff and light and fully bespoke, it’s meant to climb with the best of them. And just look at that beautifully exposed weave.
@palmerbikes
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Cute Bunyip
(image credit: MADE)
With the tagline “dare to be different”, Simpatico Bicycles titanium bikes are sure to stand out.
The model shown here is the Bunyip, the brand’s adventure bike, which features a so-called titanium “TrussCage” fork. Not only does the fork offer a smooth ride, but it can also carry a large amount of cargo and accommodate tires up to 29 x 2.6”.
This build consists of a GRX 1×12 mechanical groupset with a Unite MTB crankset and a Garbaruk 36T chain ring. The sprocket consists of NVISAGE MTB belts connected to a Son Dynamo hub at the front and an NVISAGE wheel hub at the rear.
@simpaticobikes
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Enve Fray
(image credit: MADE)
This Enve Fray had some extra special decorations. These pink highlights were made for Enve-sponsored rider Tadej Pogacar after his victory at the Giro d’Italia this year.
“High-traveler, low-groadie,” the Fray is Enve’s answer to an endurance bike that aims to meet the demands of the modern road rider by pairing a road racing pedigree with all-road features such as wider tire clearance, inside frame storage and a comfortable fit for all-day adventures in the saddle. Cycling Weekly I had the opportunity to test ride the bike in the spring and you can read that review here.
@envecomposites
Some special Giro d’Italia paintings to celebrate Pogacar’s victory
(image credit: MADE)
Curve AIR Belgium
(image credit: MADE)
Curve Cycling created the Belgie series of road bikes to bridge the gap between racing and endurance bikes. Belgie AIR was co-founder Steve Varga’s birthday present to himself with the aim of exploring innovation while showcasing Melbourne’s cycling culture and celebrating his 40th birthday.
AIR is designed to celebrate sophisticated art, performance and a bike for those who want something elegant and decorative. It features a carbon tube with a visible weave and a 3D printed titanium tip from Australia’s Bastion.
This build consists of a Curve G5T paintless prototype wheel wrapped in Continental Grand Prix 5000 tires and a SRAM Red AXS groupset.
@curvecycling
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Wilde Dream Engine
(image credit: MADE)
This steel standout is Wilde Bikes’ Dream Engine, a go-anywhere, do-anything adventure bike. It’s designed with the Tour Divide in mind and is hand-built in the USA.
It features clearance for 29 x 2.6″ tires and mounts throughout, including: three-pack top and bottom tube mounts, seat tube bottle mounts, top tube bag mounts, rack and fender mounts.
The steel frame is built around Salsa’s Cutthroat carbon fork, which, in addition to providing a smooth ride, features three-pack mounts on each leg and internal dynamo and brake steering. This bike is built with a Shimano GRX mechanical groupset with a 1x White Industries crankset.
@Wilde.Bikes
(image credit: MADE)
Baum Orbis+
(image credit: MADE)
‘Why not both’ is the tagline of this bright Baum Orbis+, which was built to handle road and gravel with equal skill.
“Taking the latest – wider wheels, we designed the Orbis + around the demand for a platform that would allow for larger tires while still retaining the spirit of a road bike,” says the renowned Australian titanium brand.
This quiver killer features a semi-integrated head tube, an Enve road disc fork and is built around a road group. However, it also accommodates up to 40mm tires and is built around wider bars and a shorter reach for control and bigger tires. The build shown here has a Shimano Dura Ace Di2 groupset and Enve 3.4 wheels wrapped in Goodyear Connector tires.
@baumcycles
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Lost Workshop – Yellow
(image credit: MADE)
This steel beauty is Lost Workshop’s Cento road bike. All Lost Workshop bikes are completely custom, designed from the ground up and built one at a time. This car is built from threaded Columbus Cento tubing and has a very clean, minimalist aesthetic and a paint job that is not to be missed. The build includes a Shimano Dura Ace 9270 groupset and Creative carbon Ultra 45 wheels.
@Lost.Workshop
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Woods Road Runner
(image credit: MADE)
Although designed for rugged, off-the-beaten-path terrain, the Woods Nomad couldn’t look cleaner. With not a cable in sight and with the brand’s distinctive polished brass head badge proudly on display, this is a stylish yet modern steel workhorse.
The Nomad is made with Columbus tubing and a Columbus Futura Cross fork and features a tire clearance of up to 43mm. The build on display featured a Shimano GRX 12-speed mechanical groupset complete with Shimano RX870 carbon wheels and Panaracer GravelKing SK finishing kit and tires.
Woods Bicycle Company is a family business run by bike-obsessed brothers Josh and Zac Woods, and based in Northern Rivers, NSW, Australia. Each bike is custom made.
@woodsbicycleco
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