Bikes and Builders of MADE 2026 (Part 6): Schon, Fiddlehead Cycles, Fine Bikes, and More

We’re closing out our MADE 2026 Bikes and Builders series with some of the most sophisticated bikes we saw. From mind-bending custom gravel bikes to multi-person rigs and e-cargo commuters, this year’s show was jam-packed with incredible creations. While we’re sad to wave goodbye to Zidell Yards for the last time, we’ve been bolstered by the ingenuity on display during the fourth and final year at this loation.

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Our sixth roundup is our largest yet, showcasing an extensive collection of amazing handbuilt bikes from Brûlé Bikes, Schon Studio, Sanitas Cycles, Fiddlehead Cycles, Sycip Bicycles, Manzanita Cycles, Baphomet Cycles, Quarry Cycling Co., So Far So Good, After Hours Framebuilding, and Fine Bikes. You’re going to want to give yourself some time to savor all of the details for this one.

Brule Bikeslink

San Luis Obispo, California

Nic Morales: Julian of Brûlé Bikes was back with yet another interesting build this year, albeit unfinished. He ran out of time before he could transport this Moto machine to Zidell, but it was still one of the most eye-catching things in the shipyard. Julian says he built it because he always wanted a motorcycle but never really wanted to commit to a vehicle like that—a sentiment I deeply resonate with. The bike is built around a Bafang motor, and though a customer didn’t request it, he told me part of the reason he built it was that it’s the kind of thing that keeps him interested in fabrication.

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“I really enjoy making bikes to address specific issues. Last year’s tall touring cargo bike went to a customer in St.Louis who had never even ridden one. He knew exactly what he wanted, and I was glad to deliver.” On this year’s tandem seat moto, Julian created a rod-linked, indexed shifter for a Di2-operated internal gear hub he purchased by accident and couldn’t return. Intent on making sure the part didn’t go to waste, this unique stick shifter system required a few different iterations to get correct. Some were too thin and inconsistent in their linkage, so the final solution has been tested extensively.

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The rest of the bike is fillet brazed and has a “junky, basic” linkage suspension up front to keep the ride smooth and consistent. Though he hasn’t gotten to experiment with it a ton, he’s happy about how the rear triangle turned out. Given how it looks unfinished, I think we’re all excited to see how it comes together!

Schon Studiolink

Squamish, British Colombia

Nic Morales: Danielle Schon’s piece at this year’s show goes far beyond your typical big-tire, aggressive gravel bike. Made for someone at Ceramic Speed who will be taking it on the UCI circuit in Europe, the genesis of the bike started on the back of a napkin. They wanted short, clean parallel lines with an elevated chainstay while still being symmetrical. So, Danielle got to work on what was, to me, quietly one of the best bikes at the show.

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Danielle used a series of compound bends to arrive at the final symmetrical chainstay design. As she explained, the various compound bends are essentially a bend within a bend, which was quite difficult to perfect given the geometrical limitations of, well, space and time. The frame is mostly fillet brazed with a few areas TIG welded near the dropouts. It’s made almost entirely of Dedacciai tubing, with a coupler system that Danielle designed herself.

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She also mentioned that a bike frame usually takes her right around three days, but the the complexity of tube bending plus the custom designed coupler joints and rear assembly took significantly longer. But, the result is a bike that can fit 29 x 2.4” tires, a 50T chainring, and just 20mm of space between the dinner plate size chainring and the rear tire.

It’s light, fast, and meant for racing. It’s exactly the kind of project she believes is perfect for custom framebuilding, and had a blast creating it. Left raw, they’re still deciding on the paint scheme. However, given the amount of time craft that went into creating, joining, and bending the tubes, I think it would be a disservice to cover that mountain of work. Chapeau, Danielle!

If you’re interested in framebuilding, Danielle teaches a Framebuilding Foundations class in Squamish, British Columbia. The two-week course takes you through the process of designing and fabricating a bicycle frame, and you’ll finish the course with your very own handbuilt bicycle. She also recently launched Frameset Supply Canada to make supplies easily available severely underserved Canadian market. Check it out at FramesetSupply.ca.

Sanitas Cycleslink

Durango, Colorado

Nic Morales: Brad attended the show representing Sanitas Cycles and brought one of their new models. Based around 32-inch wheels, it’s essentially a 32-inch version of their existing Root hardtail. It’s of titanium in collaboration with Manitou, featuring their unreleased 32” suspension fork. This specific build is race-ready, made for a customer looking to take on the Tour Divide: something the brand sees as the ideal use for the 32” Root. The bike was also sporting Industry Nine’s recently released 32” Hush wheels, with their new anodized fade color option in gold.

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The bags were made specifically for this bike by Beans Outdoor, a maker Nic covered in our fourth MADE roundup. The handlebar bag system is a prototype Beans is developing for the Old Man Mountain Manzanita. It’s made to work flawlessly with their cradle system, with the front detaching as a separate hip pack.

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All of Sanitas’ offerings are built-to-order in Durango, Colorado, with the 32-inch version of the Root available later this year. Currently, customers can expect a turnaround time of about 12 weeks.

Fiddlehead Cycleslink

Portland, Oregon

Nic Morales: Justin Foote is a builder based in Portland, Oregon, who stunned the show with a series of cargo bikes. Though the others were something to marvel at, this massive mid-tail e-cargo bike was something special. Despite its flashy paint job, it has clearly been used and is much more than a show bike. The Gullfriend, as it has been named, is a custom, one-off e-cargo bike he built for a customer with young children. The customer wanted the bike to resemble a pelican, so they used this yellow, white, and light blue paint scheme that undoubtedly delivers on that concept.

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Built for former skateboarder, the Gullfriend has three separate locations to store a board: two on the rear and one on the front. They all use the same C-shaped resting area and just require two voile straps to be secured. The bike also features one of the many head tube-mounted rack systems we saw at the show, with a removable, integrated front carrier. The Gullfriend employs an MRP Baxter fork to smooth out the rough sections of Portland’s bike lanes and uses a Gates belt drive and Rohloff rear hub.

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The rear design is complex and took a while to develop. It features custom marine plywood decking with protective plastic covers so there’s no risk of feet getting caught up in the spinning wheel. It also has rear foot rests, an extra set of bars, and plenty of room for all kinds of storage—not just skateboards. The complete build took Justin almost a year, and it came directly after he swore he wouldn’t do another cargo bike.

At the end of the day, he says he’s happy to build something for someone who wants more time with their kids. “Mine are too old, or too cool, to ride with Dad. So, I’m happy to do it for someone else.” Given the quality and utility of the build, the Gullfriend will likely run long after the children have outgrown the rear platform.

Sycip Bicycleslink

Santa Rosa, California

Nic Morales: Jeremy Sycip is a name many will recognize as he’s a mainstay of the MADE show. Building since the 90s in Santa Rosa, California, he always brings something both understated and impressive, and this year is no different. For 2026, Jeremy hopped on the 32-inch bandwagon, but only after a customer asked for it. Knowing exactly what they wanted, Jeremy built the bike around the customer’s measurements, but had to make some accommodations for the 32-inch wheel size. In addition, the offset seat tube leaves plenty of room for whatever tires end up being released. The customer also added a unique twist on Jeremy’s classic coin-topped, fork-crown-like rear end by supplying a pair of mid-century-era steel pennies. They also wanted the bike to have partial internal cable routing, with external cable guides that followed the lines of the seat stays.

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Aside from the pennies, the frame is constructed from high-quality steel tubing and has the bike’s nickname printed on it. According to Jeremy, the owner’s name on Strava is “Apex Predator,” so PR32ATOR was born. They also wanted it to feel somewhat analog, so they kept everything mechanical. Other than that, the bike is a relatively standard drop bar mountain. It has a square taper bottom bracket, mechanical brakes and shifters, and barrel adjusters at the seat stays.

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Speaking to Jeremy about the 32er, he said, “I expected it to feel quite slow. It’s so large and cumbersome, I couldn’t imagine it would feel particularly good once it was built. But, once you get those wheels going, it really turns on. They haven’t ridden it much, but the customer was super pleased with the build and found it to be exactly what they wanted.”

Manzanita Cycleslink

Reno, Nevada

Miles Arbour: Nick Jensen has been building custom bikes frames since 2007 and doing so under the Manzanita Cycles name for seven years. The name Manzanita comes from the bush. Nick’s wife is a landscape architect, or a “plant nerd” as Nick puts it, and some of that nerdiness has rubbed off on him. Manzanita bushes grow alongside some of his favorite trails in the Sierra Nevada range. He thinks the bush, which has beautiful red bark but lives in harsh environments, exemplifies both the beauty and ruggedness of a bicycle.

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The 32-inch gravel bike Nick had on display this year was commissioned by Charles of Verum Velo. Charles wanted a test mule for his 32-inch wheels, and Nick jumped at the opportunity to design a 32-inch drop-bar bike. As Nick explained, the larger diameter wheels makes packaging the entire bike around them a little more challenging, hence the extreme bend in the seat tube. Similar to Neil’s and Miles’s thoughts after riding 32-inch bikes, Nick said, “when you ride it, it just feels like a bike.” The extra rollover and traction are definitely noticeable to Nick, but he said it might not be his first choice for tight, technical singletrack.

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Nick was able to achieve a 441mm rear end, which is fairly compact for 32-inch wheels, but toe-overlap becomes an issue up front. He set the bike up for his riding position, and with a 2.4″ tires his feet just clear the front tire. Charles is just a bit taller than Nick, so they were able to make it long enough, but Nick imagines this would be an issue for smaller riders. He also said there’s a new fork coming with some extra offset, which could help spread it out for shorter riders, but there are still a lot of unknowns. “It’s whole new world for drop-bar bikes. Like, how much trail is too much trail? Do you go with wider bars? Or keep that narrow? We’re all trying to figure it out and test different things, but so far so good.”

Right now, the Whippet is Manzanita’s only production-level bike, but he’ll gladly take orders for custom 32-inch bikes for those who want them. In fact, someone from England recently ordered a 32-inch from Nick, and he’ll be starting on that soon. Once the industry finds that sweet spot for geometry and components, Nick will consider coming out with a production option.

Baphomet Cycleslink

Bellingham, Washington

Miles Arbour: Dillen Wilder of Baphomet Cycles teamed up with none other than Austin Killips to create a fundraiser for the 2026 MADE bike show. Austin, who set a Tour Divide record during an individual time trial in 2024, is the Executive Director for All Bikes Welcome, a nonprofit based in Northwest Arkansas that works to expand equity and belonging in cycling and the outdoors.

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The fundraiser bike Dillen made for the show is called the Rainbow Abomination, and it doesn’t take much imagination to see why. It’s a spicy, singlespeed hardtail mountain bike that’s bursting with color. In fact, every single color Wolf Tooth offers is represented on the build. The bike is fitted with a custom bag from Loam Equipment in Bellingham, constructed using a crazy patchwork of fabric scraps and modified to hold just the right amount of lip chap for long days on the bike. Lip care is important, folks.

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It’s just $5 to enter into the raffle, but you’re also able to purchase more depending on how bad you want the bike and how much you’d like to support All Bikes Welcome. Every ticket sold (or donation) will help them build a charity bike shop to employ disenfranchised youth. Learn more and purchase your tickets here.

Quarry Cycling Co.link

Lisbon, Wisconsin

Miles Arbour: Neil and I stumbled upon Quarry Cycling Co. while sifting their way through the endless booths at the 2026 Sea Otter Classic. Jim Day, owner of Quarry, had a 32-inch hardtail at the Suntour booth there, showcasing the upcoming $350 Suntour Raidon 32 fork. For MADE, Jim brought another Alder 32 hardtail, but this time it was sporting an unbranded prototype 32-inch fork from Fox.

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The Alder 32 is a handmade cross-country 32-inch hardtail with a bunch of interesting details. The dropouts and yokes are designed in-house and machined for each frame they make. This particular build is made from Chromoly steel, with some 1018 Chromoly in the rear end for its ductility and durability. It has a 120mm fork up front, but Jim isn’t sure 32-inch bikes need that much suspension. The seatstay yoke allows Jim to really tune the amount of flex the bike has, which Jim explained takes some additional time, but isn’t as passive as simply choosing tube diameters and calling it a day.

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The prototype 32-inch fork supplied for the build was apparently a test fork that lived in Fox’s actuator test rig, so he’s not even supposed to ride it. Shimano helped him out with the drivetrain and brakes, and Race Face supplied other small parts for the build. Every Alder 32 is finished with a head badge made from a small piece alder wood, as well as a machined top cap showing the outline of the state of Wisconsin. We’re definitely keeping an eye on Quarry, as both bikes we’ve seen so far are really dialed.

So Far So Goodlink

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We almost literally bumped into Simona Dwass of So Far So Good early on at the show, and Miles distinctly remembers her saying that she “has a way of making everything just a little weird.” In actuality, Simona was one of the kindest, friendliest people at the show, and that’s saying something considering how many great people come to MADE. She was showing off a beautiful lugged all-road bike at the Philly Bike Expo earlier this year, and only started building bikes under the So Far So Good name in March.

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The deep blue basket bike Simona brought to MADE is only her third bike, but you wouldn’t guess it. She made the bike for her dad, who has been commuting in New York City with her mom for as long as she can remember. They’ve always ridden trashy bikes with janky DIY repairs, to the point that even their local mechanic refused to service them. This will be the first new bike he’s gotten in several decades, addressing his many discomforts and complaints after years of commuting on less-than-ideal setups.

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The bike is finished with a collection of parts from Velo Orange, including a stem drilled to run the cantilever brakes with help from Casey Sussman of Mars Cycles. The frame itself is fabricated from mostly Zona tubing with straight gauge seat stays, and the dropouts were pilfered from the drawers at Bilenky Cycle Works and Mars Cycles, front and rear, respectively. “I’m lucky to have great mentors who share their resources with me,” Simona told us. Next up, a bike for her mom!

After Hours Framebuildinglink

Portland, Oregon

Miles Arbour: Bradford Smith of After Hours Framebuilding wears a few different hats at the MADE bike show. On one hand, he’s Billy’s foreman/right hand man, operating as an infrastructure coordinator, forklift driver, and operations manager. We can’t count the number of times we saw Bradford zip by us, presumably taking care of something so the event could continue to run smoothly. On the other hand, he’s also a framebuilder exhibiting at the show.

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Bradford has worked in the bicycle industry for over two decades, honing his framebuilding skills at reputable brands like GeekHouse, Seven, Speedvagen, and Stinner. Last year, Bradford branched out on his own and launched After Hours Framebuilding, a name inspired by the late nights he’d spend in the shop cranking out work.

The gravel bike Bradford had at the show was made for Patrick of Ultradynamico. Bradford calls this specific style of bike a “Dirt Bike.” Forest Park in Portland is basically Patrick’s backyard, and he’s in there every day, so it’s designed for riding from home, tackling trails, and then getting back to work. He also has a big-tired road bike he calls the Road Runner, and a cross bike called the Mud Bath, which pretty much speaks for itself.

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Patrick’s After Hours Dirt Bike was also sporting the yet-to-be-released Ultradynamico carbon rims that we shared in yesterday’s roundup. The Comté rims work for both rim brake and disc brake setups, and the distinct box-section rims have a classy, timeless look.

Although Bradford plays an important role at MADE, I appreciate that he values some separation when talking to us about his framebuilding work. It’s easy for things to blend together at events like this, but he clearly recognized that and made an effort to keep his MADE position and exhibitor component divided.

Fine Bikeslink

Raleigh, North Carolina

Nic Morales: Charles is one of the most talented and knowledgeable builders I know. He’s based in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he also works as the shop manager for Oak City Cycles. This year, instead of traveling with the shop’s booth, he made an investment and brought three different bikes for his own booth. The idea was to display one flavor of each kind of build—TIG, lugged, and fillet-brazed. I got to visit him a few weeks before the show and see some of the bikes before they took their final form, and it was a pleasure to hang out at what ended up being the last few days at his manufacturing location. He’s since moved, so don’t worry if you want a Fine bike, but it was a huge effort to not only put together three incredible bikes, but move all the welding, mitering, and fabrication equipment after years in the same spot. Let’s dig into each build to see his work.

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Charles’ Rando

A personal commuter build, Charles’ rando bike has a few special details. The bike follows the ethos Charles likes to use for many of his builds. Each piece was either recycled or a hand-me-down piece of tubing. Effectively, it was built from stuff he had lying around. The lugs were “crappy, stamped lugs I’d been given ages ago,” and that’s the case for the majority of the tube set. Nevertheless, Charles managed to fashion it into an award-winning bike, as it took home second in the Builders Choice at this year’s show.

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Aside from the typical randonneuring style, the chainstay has a spoke holder which he likes to think of as a chain guard. The wheels are 650b Velo Orange Voyagers with their new orbital hubs. He made the racks and stem himself, and then had them chrome-plated at a facility in Kingsport, Tennessee. Right after the show, as I write this, he’s starting the bikepacking trip he and his fiancée planned last year. He proposed to her on a bike ride at Crater Lake just after last year’s show, and they are eloping this week. Adeline’s rack was also custom built by Charles, but we’ll get to that in a second.

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Aside from the fantastic fabrication work, Charles also does all of his own paint. Inspired by the pin striping on Brian Chapman’s bikes, Charles did a custom lined paint scheme along the lugs and fenders as a final cherry on top of his new commuter. Along with Adeline’s bike, this will be used for a bikepacking getaway just after the show. Serving as something of a honeymoon, they’ll be doing a custom loop around the wilds of Oregon that should be exceptional.

The UFO

The second is the kind of bike Charles is more closely known for. A rigid mountain bike, it’s typical of the style he likes to both make and ride. Many in the tri-city area are more than familiar with his prowess on a mountain bike, as he’s competed in more than a few cross-country races and has a particular penchant for singlespeed mountain bike courses.

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This bike was built as a demo for a “production” line he’s looking to release in the coming months, where he’ll make about 6-8 bikes. It’s made of high-quality, double-butted steel tubing, and according to Charles, can handle anything from your daily commute to a multi-day rugged bikepacking trip.

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Adeline’s Groovy Tourer

Not to be overlooked, Adeline is the other half of Fine Bikes. Ever the supportive partner and an essential part of the Fine Bikes show experience, Adeline is Charles’ long-time partner and now wife. She’s a talented mountain biker herself and helps Charles however she can with Fine. This build was made for their bikepacking getaway, and it reflects her groovy, carefree attitude.

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Given her smaller stature, it couldn’t quite carry the standard rando form, but it’s a smaller person’s version of that with a 70s-era, shag carpet paint job. Like the racks on Charles’ bike, they were fabricated by Charles and chrome-plated in Tennessee.

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As a fellow resident of North Carolina, it was great to see him get the recognition he deserved this year, as we’ve struck up something of a friendship since I started covering his bikes in Philly a few years ago. Charles brings a depth of quality and passion to his framebuilding that is unlike many builders his age. At his shop, we talked for hours about tubing quality, how it affects the build, and what he wants to put into every bike he makes. While that could take up an entire article in and of itself, I think I can sum it up with one small quote: “I’m not in this for the money, man.”

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Goodbye, Zidell

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As Neil covered at the very start of this year’s show, 2026 is the last year MADE will take place at Zidell Yards. While I (Nic) can only speak for myself, it was a little emotional saying goodbye to this iconic venue. I’ve attended the show for the last three years, twice as a member of the bike media, and Zidell holds a special place in my heart. Though it’s not the first bike show I ever covered, it’s where I cut my teeth doing so in bike media. As a venue, I can’t imagine a better location. Directly beside incredible, titanic works of infrastructure, the old shipyard made sense as a place to showcase the love, craft, and dedication these builders put into the metalwork they create with their hands. Dingy, hot, and potentially dangerous at times, Zidell Yards is a liminal place. It only exists as a plane for 48 to 72 of the craziest hours of our year. But, undoubtedly ones that we’d be poorer without. I don’t know what the next venue will look like or how it could possibly live up to the unique standard Zidell set, but the bike industry has a way of making anywhere special. Zidell Yards, with its long walkways, sharp corners, dimly lit interior, and distinct crustiness, will be missed.

That’s it for all of our roundups from MADE 2026! What an incredible show. What was your favorite part? Are there any builds, here or in another roundup, that caught your eye? Be sure to let us know in the conversation below. We’ll also have some bonus MADE content coming to the site soon, so stay tuned for that! Until next year!

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...