Last month, I had the opportunity to stop by the 2013 Pedaler’s Fair, hosted this year in Seattle’s Underground Events Space  in Belltown.

The first of the cyclist-targeted clothing lines I was drawn to was Telaio Clothing. The line of designer and maker Katherine Andrews, Telaio’s line of handbuilt wool clothing is comes in colors that seem fitting for the northwest – charcoal greys and khakis, in classic pieces for men and women. The wool blazers and riding pants have a unisex, uniform feel to them – the simple colors and cuts could easily be incorporated into any wardrobe and look nondescript on and off a bike. As Katherine, the designer/tailor behind Telaio expressed, Telaio clothes are intended to easily become a uniform, sewn with the care and intention required for a long-wearing investment piece.

Telaio Clothing

I really appreciated clothing designer Babecycle‘s approach to bike wear for its femininity. Designer Sonia McBride’s recent line included a really beautiful skirt that caught my eye, offered in both a dayglo shade of chartreuse, and a bright orchid / fuchsia color. The feminine, A-line cut and textured fabric are intended to look beautiful both on and off the bike, allowing for movement while cycling, but stylish enough to wear to the office or around town. Personally, the chartreuse color is a bit bright for my personal taste, but I’m really drawn to the idea of incorporating a dayglo piece of clothing into my wardrobe that could serve as a more stylish version of a florescent vest. Pieces from Babecycle’s line are available for purchase in Fremont at Hub and Bespoke, or online in their Etsy shop.

Chartreuse skirt by Babecycle

Of all the exhibitors at the fair, I was most intrigued by the beautiful fleet of cycles that the guys of Seattle-based Bombus Bikes were showcasing. All custom built, each of the 4 frames displayed were incredibly unique – not just in the more aesthetic decisions of paint colors and accessories – but in frame type and use. It was easy to tell how much thought went into crafting each frame with a specific purpose and type of rider in mind, and then in the selection of accessories that make the final builds look so intentionally beautiful.

Bombus Bikes

bombus bikes 2013 from peter bill on Vimeo.

Spotted over at 75grad, this beautiful singlespeed cyclocross bike built by Orlowski is a piece of art and more proof cyclocross bikes just might be the best bikes in the world (even in Germany and Poland). Unfortunately for me (and probably you) the article is in German. Check out the photos of the frame building process and the finished frame HERE. Maybe we can get FLX to translate the article for us…

Some bikes are nicer to look at than others, some are nicer to ride than others. This gorgeous Pelizzoli would be one of the former for me. I am loving the look, bike featured HERE on Pedalroom.com, but that saddle to bar drop would kill me.

Four Portland frame builders recently joined forces to move their passions from their basements to a professional shop. Check out Bantam Cycle Works, Cooper Cycles, Cycles J. Bryant & Telos Cycles. The new venture was recently written up in BikePortland.org. Read the full article HERE. I had a chance to work on a Cycles J Bryant last August (check it out) and I was really impressed with its quality and design. Consider supporting an up & coming builder, maybe you’ll end up with a frame from the next great.

I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw something similar popping up in Seattle or elsewhere soon.

Last week we gave you a sneak peek at what Brian Vernor and the folks at Wilderness put together for Argonaut.  They released a print version at NAHBS for those that had the opportunity to go.  For the rest of those eager to see what they came up with, check it out HERE.  If you are curious about a day in the life of a custom carbon frame builder, check it out.

Carbon is a material that few folks are just “OK” with.  Many have strong opinions.  They love it or hate it.  Sure- it’s expensive, when it fails it’s usually catastrophic, and there are a lot of people that don’t like it because it just seems too modern.  Well, that’s fine for them, but there are also those that love the look and ride feel of carbon, myself included.  Well now there are some fully custom handmade carbon bikes being offered by Argonaut.  Based in Portland, with facilities in the state of Washington (White Salmon to be exact,) Argonaut is doing some amazing things.

Argonaut is down at NAHBS, which of course I wish I could attend- and I’m excited to see what they come up with next because a little bird told me that it’s going to be awesome.  They are a brand to watch for sure.  Keep it up guys.  Here are some snapshots from their lookbook that Brian Vernor shot for them and that they brought to Denver with them.

A digital version of the book that was shot by Vernor and put together by Brian and David from Wilderness will be available March 5th.

Here is a quick little video clip from Faggin Bikes, A Day In The Workshop. I love Italian steel and have owned several Faggin (pronounced Fah-JEEN) bicycles over the years. Handmade in Italy since 1945. Founder and original builder Marcello Faggin’s daughters now run the company and have been building frames since the 1970s when they were 15 years old. Keeping it in the family.

Ant Bike Mike Makes an Antbike from zak lee on Vimeo.

I’ve been thinking about custom built frames a lot lately, and just re-watched this short film documenting the creation of an Ant Bike. Maybe you’ve already seen this video as it is about a year old, but I don’t think it was widely circulated and its worth watching. Probably not a lot of custom frame builders out there that would let this much of their building process be filmed. Say what you will, but I even like the original score by Roger Miller (Chug-a-lug Chug-a-lug), no not THAT Roger Miller.