Bikes and Builders of the MADE Bike Show: Part Three

If you haven’t checked out part one and part two of our bikes and builders series from the MADE Bike Show, head there first. We spent the better part of four days meeting up with the builders, learning about their path to framebuilding, and shooting photos of some of the most interesting bikes at the show. It was an absolute pleasure to get to know the folks behind the bikes and to see their creations in person. Each person has a unique history that has helped shaped their signature style and technique, and I made it my mission to uncover as much as I could with the short time I had with each maker.

This time around, we’re showcasing bikes from La Marche Bike Co., HotSalad Bicycles, Retrotec, Crust x Ron’s Bikes, Haute, Swood, Amigo Frameworks, MF Bikes, and Naked Bicycles. Find them all below.

La Marche Bike Co. link

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

La Marche Bike Co. is a one-person operated based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tom La Marche, the owner and framebuilder, prioritizes clean aesthetics and good design. He makes all kinds of bikes, from mountain bikes to track and even dirt jumpers. During my conversation with Tom, he mentioned having a color palette that he likes to stay within, which creates a sense of cohesion between each frame. Outside of framebuilding, Tom works in the TV and film industry and travels between Philadelphia and New York regularly for gigs. He’s jumped around between bike shops for most of his life and also worked for Horse Cycles and Stinner Cycles before branching out on his own with La Marche in 2020.

Town and Country

Tom calls this latest breed of all-terrain-bikes Town and Country bikes because he thought it was a funny term. The Town and Country design has been his most popular bike as of late, offering a light-duty bikepacking and commuting platform that Tom described as “a good all-rounder.” It can fit a 2.2″ for riding dirt or a 650b x 48mm with fenders for the city. For most of his builds, Tom starts with base geometry and customizes the top tube and seat tube, but he’s transitioning to stock geometry options as he finds most people don’t require or ask for a full custom frame.

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Small Singlespeed Mountain Bike

Tom made this stunning singlespeed mountain bike for a shorter customer who wanted to go all out on the build kit. It features a selection of polished Paul bits, titanium Cane Creek cranks, an Aarn chainring, and a Boone Tech cog. The matching components are offset by a splash of red on the fork, which Tom also made. He designed the dropouts too. “It’s a singlespeed mountain bike. Mechanical disc brakes. I mean, it doesn’t get much simpler than that, but that’s the beauty of it. It looks very clean,” said Tom.

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

HotSalad Bicycles link

Portland, Oregon

B Vivit of HotSalad Bicycles lives and breathes custom framebuilding. Before launching HotSalad, she started out as a mechanic, worked at UBI as a mechanic instructor, then got into framebuilding and worked for Seven Cycles in Boston. She wasn’t quite sold on living in Boston, so moved to Portland to work as a fabricator for Simple Bicycle Co. B pitched the idea to her co-worker Sean Eagleton to launch two custom labels: HotSalad Bicycles is the full custom brand, and Lunchtime Bike Co. is a small-batch production brand.

• 
• 

Titanium Klunker

The titanium klunker is inspired by the limited edition SimWorks Doppo High Plains Drifter that HotSalad made. B was so stoked on the design that she decided to make an extra special version with speed holes. It has a suspension fork but was designed to also accept a rigid fork for a more touring-friendly setup that handles loads better. B summed it up pretty well, “It’s a titanium klunker. Welcome to the future.”

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Retrotec link

Napa, California

Retrotec is the other half of the Inglis Bikes brand. Retrotec started in 1992 and Inglis Cycles followed in 1996 as a more traditional straight top tube brand, compared to the curvy tubes Retrotec is known for. Curtis Inglis, the owner of Retrotec and Inglis, joined the service straight out of high school and ended up welding in the Air Force. There, he learned how to TIG weld thin materials, went to drafting school, had an opportunity to start Retrotec, and 30 years later, he hasn’t looked back.

Curtis is thankful for all the different places he’s been able to go with his work. He’s traveled to Japan twice to visit a shop that sells their bikes, and he’s toured countries that he never thought he would be able to go to. “Not bad for a welder making bikes in his backyard,” Curtis explained. “I’ve gone to bike races in Slovenia and before going had to look it up on a map to even know where it was. I couldn’t find it to save my life.” He’s proud of what he does and likes to think he’s making people happy with his work.

• 
• 

Curtis’ Steel Hardtail

Curtis built a new steel hardtail so he could try the new SRAM UDH Transmission out before offering it to customers. One special feature is a 3D-printed yoke, despite Curtis not being completely sold on putting 3D-printed parts on all bikes. He explains, “When it’s feasible and it actually works and does a better job than what I can do with a regular tube, then I want to be able to offer it.” The yoke allowed Curtis to curve the chainstays out and up, flowing with the bike no matter what angle you look at it from.

These modern additions are a way to stay current in an industry that has been evolving quickly, but they’re also a way to test things out himself to see how they go. Retrotec isn’t afraid to embrace technology, but it also isn’t in the business of adding new and shiny things just because everyone else is. “I don’t want to be that grumpy old guy who says, ‘No, I don’t do that,'” he told me.

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Ron’s Bikes x Crust Bikes link

New England

While the Ron’s Bikes x Crust Bikes Alumalith wasn’t technically part of a framebuilder booth, it was too cool not to include here. The Alumalith is handmade in Vermont by Frank the Welder as a limited edition run between Crust and Ron’s Bikes. It’s a lightweight aluminum ATB made from 6061 tubing that has clearance for 27.5 x 2.6″ tires, standard 100/135mm hub spacing, and internal dropper post routing. They are expected to be back in stock any day now. Troy was helping out at the Ultradynamico tires/Stomp Lox booth with Ronnie Romance, and we pulled him aside to get the scoop on his Alumalith.

• 
• 

Troy’s Alumalith

According to Troy, the Crust x Ron’s Bike team did a lot experimenting with their polishing techniques on the Alumalith, and the end result is timeless. The machined Paul components blend in with the aesthetic of the frame, and there are some fun details like the mushroom head tube badge, Witch Blade fork decal, and 27.5″ Ultradynamico tires. “It’s kind of like the best of the 90s,” Troy explained. “The tires look great on silver rims if you’re certified to ride them, which I am.”

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Haute Bicycleslink

Richmond, Virginia

I was surprised to learn that the Swood hardtail on display at MADE was probably going to be one of the last bikes under that brand. Stephen Wood of Swood and his good friend Wilson Hale are teaming up on a new brand called Haute. The plan is provide fewer custom on-off bikes and more production models released in small batches, which should hopefully help keep the bikes more affordable while also helping the two of them make a liveable wage. They’re close to locking in the first two designs, which include the Haute Sauce gravel bike and a hardtail mountain bike.

Haute Sauce

The drop-bar bike on display at their booth was a prototype version of their soon-to-be-released Haute Sauce gravel bike. It will feature rocker-style dropouts, clearance for 700 x 50mm tires, and a carbon fork. “The relatively long top tube paired with a short stem grants confident handling on rough terrain, without sacrificing the nimble and playful characteristics we value the most.” Frames start at $1,800 for stock sizes and colors, customization is available, and stock complete bikes start at $3,200.

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Haute Dog: The Last Swood Hardtail

The Swood hardtail they had at the show is pretty close to how the upcoming Haute Dog hardtail will look but with a few updates such as sliding dropouts, internal dropper post routing, and some geometry tweaks. The aesthetics aren’t locked in yet, but the general vibe should stay the same.

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Amigo Frameworks link

Nashville, Tennessee

Zach Small runs Amigo Frameworks out of his shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Zach grew up working in bike shops and living in San Diego. He got his first bike shop job after stopping by to get a flat fixed. The shop sold Pegoretti bikes, and he eventually met Dario Pegoretti and was blown away by the idea of people just making bikes. “I just didn’t realize that it existed outside of a factory setting.” The name Amigo Frameworks is an homage to his time in San Diego and the fact that he started out making bikes for friends. The logo and typeface are modeled after a taco shop that was around the corner from where he grew up. Zach has been building frames for 12 years but has been working full-time with Amigo for two years. “It’s tough, it’s scary, but I’ve been enjoying it, and I’m making it work.”

Amigo offers two stock models: a speedy steel road bike called Earth Sucks, which is inspired by aliens crash landing in Zach’s workshop who shared space-age technology with him to help people get off of our dying planet. Then there’s the Bugout, which he describes as an “adventure bike for burnouts and weirdos.” Zach is currently working to get a factory involved to produce these frames overseas so he can keep the price low and focus his time on custom bikes. “I want more amigos riding my bikes,” Zach said.

• 
• 

Custom Hardtail Mountain Bike

The hardtail Amigo had on display at MADE was part of the Industry Nine booth, so it was set up with some stunning custom green and blue tie-dye components. The customer who ordered the bike had a fairly large budget and wanted a special bike for his 50th birthday. The frame features a Cobra Framebuilding yoke, thick chainstays, and a last-minute seatstay plate inspired by old panhead engines.

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

MF Bikes link

Bend, Oregon

Max Anderson Young learned how to weld in high school, has worked various metal fabrication jobs, and in 2020, was inspired to make his first couple of bikes. Things snowballed from there, and MF Bikes was created. Max likes to mix TIG welding and brazing to build each frame. “It would be a lot quicker to just TIG weld each bike, but brazing is a really fun process.”

• 
• 

Max’s Oregon Timber Trail Rig

The hardtail Max brought to MADE was designed specifically for the Oregon Timber Trail. He enjoys long days out on the bike and wants to be comfortable doing it day after day. He added sliding dropouts to enable singlespeed setups and an integrated bottle boss in the handlebar crossbar for mounting a Dynamo light. It’s the only bike he owns, so he commutes, rides trails, and bikepacks on it.

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Naked Bicycles link

Quadra Island, British Columbia

Naked Bicycles is located on Quadra Island, just east of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Sam Whittingham has more than 20 years of framebuilding under his belt and specializes in pushing the limits when it comes to angles and geometry. Over the years, he’s tinkered in art and design, some engineering, and has always been surrounded by bikes. He’s also an absolute beast on a bike, has held several world records on a recumbent bicycle, and is known as “the world’s fastest human.”

• 
• 

A Distilled Singlespeed

The singlespeed hardtail Sam brought to MADE was a distilled version of everything he’s learned during his long career as a framebuilder. He set out to create a lightweight cross-country mountain bike that showcases several techniques and designs he’s proud of and uses in his other frames. Examples include the way the seatstays join the top tube and allow for a clean continuously routed brake hose, the hollow bottle bracket junction to make dropper post routing a breeze, and a truly stunning new finishing technique that he wasn’t willing to spill the beans on just yet.

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Further Reading

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