The Philly Bike Expo resumed after a year hiatus due to the pandemic.
And throughout the past year, while frame builders have been locked away, they’ve been busy too.
We took a walk through the showcase in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to check out all the custom bikes and gear. Here are five that caught our eye.
Providence, Rhode Island-based Pratt Frameworks bikes all have a simple aesthetic.
This Sugino 75 crank is custom-finished for the custom-made Pratt track bike.
Classic lines and a clean aesthetic are signatures of Pratt bikes.
If that dropout looks less-than-showroom clean, it’s because this bike sees some action.
Dropped seatstays are not just for mass-produced carbon bikes.
A wide, cylindrical head tube joins a skinny top tube.
Another identifying feature of Pratt bikes is the flattened top tube.
The top tube offers some compliance, which may be nice on a bike that does not have dropped seatstays, and which may have a more firm ride.
Vicious Cycles Rabbit Fighter’s gray palate extends to the Ultradynamico tire tread.
This is one of our favorite head badges of the 2021 Philly Bike Expo.
A Shimano XTR rear derailleur with a Dura-Ace crank makes for a mullet build on this drop-bar bike with GRX shifters.
This Rabbit Fighter was handmade and hand painted in New Paltz, New York.
Tire clearance? Um, sure.
A Columbus fork with beefy blades promises a firm front end.
Any guesses as to who the component partner is for this Rabbit Fighter build?
Festka is a Czech-based bike manufacturer. They are designed and built by Michael Mourecek, who uses altec, magnesium, scandium, and titanium.
The carbon cockpit and seatpost are Darimo, a boutique Spanish brand.
Get your protractor out to measure the angle of this head tube.
Art first, components second.
The Dyneema fiber saddle rail anchors are minimal, at most.
The seatstays yoke sports an artsy aesthetic in construction and graphics.
Is this a brake bridge I see before me? Nope.
The brake caliper will be mounted back here.
La Marche Bike Co. is a Philadelphia frame builder that specializes in mountain bikes and gravel bikes.
This commuter bike built on a gravel bike frame is well fit for commuting in the city.
This gearing seems to indicate a really challenging commute.
(Philadelphia is a mostly flat city, which sits at 39 feet above sea level.)
There is something pleasing about the look of this non-racing, non-gravel-grinding cockpit for days when you just want to get from point to point and enjoy the ride.
Avid is a sibling brand of SRAM, and provides a cable-actuated disc option.
Junkyard Cats is another Philly-based framebuilder.
Junkyard Cats merch? Check.
External cable routing is definitely still a thing.
As impressed as we were with the painting and finishing on this bike, we were nearly as impressed with the finishing on the Velocity wheels.
Few details were overlooked on this build, with hubs finished to match the Junkyard Cats frame.
An Ignite Catalyst crank and SRAM flattop chain drive a Red rear mech.