For the past 11 of past 12 years, the Philly Bike Expo has been bringing together cycling consumers and industry veterans to buy and sell all manner of bikes, components, and accessories, as well as to share knowledge, trade tips, and just have fun on and around bikes.
On display at the show this year were tools and accessories, frames, and complete bikes — all with beautiful artistry in aluminum, steel, titanium, carbon, and paint.
Craig Calfee was in the house with a rear-suspended Manta that rolls on Lightweight Meilenstein wheels.
While the Manta has a unique cluster joining the top tube, seat tube, and seat stays, the rear suspension was most unusual, too.
Colorful anodized options to liven up any ride.
A Hoefer Cycles frame with a Whiskey fork.
The front end of this build from Hoefer Cycles — with its external, articulated cable housing, and high-contrast colors — invokes feelings of a mechanical machine that has a life of its own.
The minimal finishing of the seat tube on this Hoefer is a nice contrast to the hot-pink paint of the top tube and seatstay yoke.
Mid-ride snacks were on display — and on hand — at the 2021 Philly Bike Expo.
Richmond, Virginia hosted the 2015 world road cycling championships and is also home to Swood cycles.
The seatmast on this 4130 steel endurance bike sits below a topper of the same material that will take an Enve single-bolt saddle clamp.
The Zipp SL Sprint stem was long Peter Sagan’s choice, so it must be good enough for this Swood bike — but with a splash of green instead of polished carbon, like the bars.
Reinforcing the seatstays: twice as nice.
Titanium framebuilding skills can be practiced and honed in any number of practical applications.
There’s a lot of artistry in — and skills required to make — this titanium manifold.
Wahoo was on hand to showcase an assortment of products. But notably absent from one of the largest displays at the 2021 Philly Bike Expo were the Atlanta, Georgia-based company’s forthcoming power meter pedals, and rear-wheel-on “dumb” trainer.
A negative drop stem on this Bishop trackie sat atop a head tube and fork that have a very steep geometry.
What this horizontal dropout lacks in ornamentation — other than the tiny but recognizable Bishop logo — it makes up for in clean aesthetics and pure function.
We loved the color-complementing shades of purple/violet/grape on this Bishop bike.
Bossi is an Australian brand that specializes in bespoke titanium road, endurance, and gravel bikes. The Schmolke carbon wheels are a product of a small German company that makes components for road and mountain bikes.
The tubes on this Bossi look stout, but have rather thin walls to keep weight at a minimum.
The fabrication artistry in this top tube and seat tube junction give the appearance of being molded, not joined.
The shaped titanium is as striking as it is aero.
The massive titanium threaded bottom bracket shell should hold up to nearly any flex put to it.
The finishing on the junction of the non-drive side seatstay and chainstay looks literally seamless.
Silca was on hand to display some of its printed titanium tools: a chainwhip, a lockring removal tool, and a deadblow hammer. Each of these tools is available for $165, or a set can be purchased for $445. If you prefer the naked edition, without the copper cerakote, the tools can be had for $150 each or $399 for the set.
The titanium chainwhip body took about eight hours and 6,500 passes — each an individual layer — to print. And it feels amazingly light.
No detail is overlooked in these printed titanium Silca tools.
Silca representatives said the printed titanium lockring removal tool should hold up even for commercial use.
Shhhh. This is Silca’s Super Secret Chain Lube.
This Silca lube demonstration pitted its Super Secret Chain Lube and its SecretChain Blend hot melt wax versus the most common competitors — TriFlow, WD-40, Muc-Off, White Lightning, and others.
The mechanical device on the right displayed resistance when different lubes were applied to the simulated drive train.