Every year, artisan bicycle builders from all over the world descend upon a different US city to show their wares at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. This year, we traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, to take in the event. We decided to begin our coverage with a very eye-catching one-of-a-kind bike that was built especially for the show, by Copenhagen-based Cykelmageren.
Besides its swoopy, pointy stainless steel frame, one of the most unique features about the bike is its handlebars.
Instead of the usual horizontal rubber grips, its are oriented vertically, and made from a composite that has a marble-like appearance. That same material is used to finish the sculpted custom wheel hubs.
The brake levers take the form of cables strung in front of those grips, covered with stacked steel rings – to activate the brakes, you just pull in one on one of those cables.
The custom-made shifters, meanwhile, utilize an arrangement of chains and gears located on the underside of the bars. These ultimately link up to traditional shifting cables, one of which leads to a vintage rear Campagnolo derailleur that’s been modified to work with modern indexed shifting.
Cykelmageren owner/designer Rasmus Gjesing estimates that the bicycle weighs about 15 kg (33 lb). While it’s hard for him to say exactly how much it might cost to buy, he did tell us that it’s insured for US$150,000.
Company website: Cykelmageren
