The North American Handmade Bicycle Show, long regarded as the spiritual home of custom framebuilding, has confirmed a further delay to its revival. Organisers had pencilled in a return for 6u20138 August 2027, but the show will now not take place until early 2028 instead.
No detailed explanation has been given for the shift, though such shows typically require lengthy lead times to secure venues, confirm exhibitor lists and coordinate with the wider trade calendar. NAHBS has been dormant for several years following a pandemic-enforced hiatus, and its previous attempts to relaunch have already slipped more than once, so this latest adjustment will come as little surprise to those who have followed the show’s on-off fortunes closely.
For UK readers, NAHBS matters more than its geography might suggest. Several British framebuilders and boutique component makers have historically used the American show as a launchpad, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Independent Fabrication and Firefly Bicycles while picking up valuable transatlantic exposure. It has also long served as a bellwether for wider trends in steel, titanium and lugged construction that eventually filter down into mainstream road and gravel bikes sold here.
With bespoke builders in Britain enjoying something of a renaissance – from track frames to adventure-ready gravel rigs – a healthy, functioning NAHBS gives smaller domestic workshops another stage on which to showcase craftsmanship that rarely gets airtime at the big-brand trade shows. Until the rearranged early 2028 dates are formally announced, though, framebuilders on both sides of the Atlantic will simply have to keep their diaries open and their expectations in check.
Sam Allcock is a digital PR entrepreneur and publisher with over two decades in SEO, content and media. He founded PR Fire, the pay-as-you-go press release distribution service, and has worked with brands including Red Bull, Nokia and Liverpool FC. He contributes to HuffPost, HubSpot and The London Economic, and owns a portfolio of news and media titles, of which On Track Magazine is one.
