A few shots from NAHBS

[reynoldslugs]

I stopped by the show for a short bit on Friday, to say "hi" to some
builders I've known over the years. My shots are not the greatest
quality, but see below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41563482@N06/sets/72157629499867669/with/6948065325/

A few comments: The show was kind of overwhelming for this old dog.
But, great to see some old and new faces, and reacquaint old
contacts. The show was more about saying hi and connecting for me, so
I apologize I don't have a lot of technical bike content. But,
anyway, here goes:

The Six Eleven -- Aaron and Michelle - - a very nice young couple.
Their bikes are not terribly flashy (that's a good thing), but have a
solid, classid appeal. Vendetta and Six Eleven, along with Shamrock,
are on the top of my list after talking with them.

Vendetta - very much enjoyed talking with Conor and Garrett. Low-key,
knowledgeable. Their purple bike ought to be in contention for best
in show, "ATMO."

And speaking of ATMO (Sachs): nice chat with Richard S. He's so
knowledgeable and gracious, recalled the details of the frame he built
for me (and our discussions) from back in 2003. A very interesting
fellow.

Roland Della Santa - - this guy is great. No b.s., quick turnaround,
should get the award for "Framebuilder Least Likely to be Lampooned on
the TV Show Portlandia."

Tony Pereira - - also a gem of a fellow, with jewel-like bikes. ATMO,
he's the real deal - - solid builder, no b.s., beautiful stuff. A
regular guy who builds very cool stuff.

Mo Rebolledo - - local boy makes good - - another really nice guy.
The paint schemes on his bikes are classic, lovely, and unique.

Shamrock - - another very knowledgeable guy (Tim), great to talk
with. Beautiful work.

Tom Ritchey - - never met him, not likely I ever will -- he looked
like a rock star with the crowd three-deep around him. Wanted to ask
him about one of his limited editions, but the crowd was just too deep
in his booth. Happy to see Ritchey is now producing nice new silver
seatposts, handlebars, and stems.

The Brooks Saddles booth looked like an over-the-top set from
Portlandia. The whole knickers, tweed, and handlebar moustache
thing... I'm just sayin. Still, Brooks is Brooks, and I love their
stuff.

Hope those that made it to the show had a good time.

RL

[Aaron Thomas]

Thanks for posting. The Ritchey commemorative bike looks awesome (though I'm not crazy about the massive Classic decal on the top tube). The Della Santa and Rebolledo stuff is refreshingly classic -- no fuss, no muss.

It is interesting to see that a lot of the road bikes in your set were designed for standard reach brakes and displayed with Challenge Parigi-Roubaix.