Celebrating Handmade Bikes with MADE, a Bike Show Designed for and by Cyclists
Bike trade shows have had a rough few years, between already declining attendance and a global pandemic that led to supply chain issues for the booming bike industry. But ECHOS Communication believes a new model for a bike show can reinvigorate the industry.
Their concept? An outdoor show spotlighting framebuilders, domestic production and artisan craftsmanship, with no cost for the builders to showcase their bikes, set to take place in Portland, Oregon, a bastion for biking and bike lovers, next fall. The event, MADE, was carefully conceived to bring cycling consumers and media together with framebuilders from around the world to drool over, test out, and potentially ride away with custom bike builds.
MADE will debut in September 2023, and already, dozens of handmade and custom bike and component brands have come on board. MADE is already supported by industry sponsors and ECHOS Communications, a PR and marketing agency specializing in supporting cycling and active lifestyle clients. Brands already on the roster include Moots, The Pro’s Closet Museum, Bicycling Magazine, Paul Component Engineering, Mosaic, Bike Flights, Schon Studio, Speedvagen, Stinner, Abbey Bike Tools, Chris King, Argonaut Cycles, Breadwinner Cycles, WZRD Bikes, Retrotec, Btchn Bikes, Falconer Cycles, Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, Tomii Cycle, Frontier Bikes, Bender Bikes, Bike Flights, Monē Bikes and more.
Making the show open to even the smallest frame builder was important to Billy Sinkford, the vice president of ECHOS. “MADE is the next evolution of handmade consumer and trade events, creating a format that is inclusive, exciting and supportive,” Sinkford explains. “The event will celebrate and support framebuilders and the culture that surrounds them, and our collective goal is to bring awareness to this segment of the industry. To that end, we will be offering free booth space to all builders for the inaugural 2023 year.” MADE sponsor Bike Flights even plans to offer free shipping of bikes for all exhibiting framebuilders.
However, it’s inarguable that bike shows in the US have struggled in recent years. While the Sea Otter Classic was finally able to run at full capacity this year, large shows like Interbike have disappeared altogether and just a few days ago, the North American Handmade Bike Show announced its cancellation for 2022, citing supply chain and support issues. Does that make Sinkford nervous? Absolutely not.
“We’re doing things differently to address some of the issues that trade shows have traditionally faced,” he says. “We honestly saw room for a new model, and we were asked by multiple builders and brands within the handmade community to help usher in something that would provide exposure and the ability for us all to get together because we have not been able to do that in several years. So if this was a direct ask from the community that we just happened to be in a pretty unique position to help facilitate.”
The new model—inexpensive for builders to attend and exhibit, and outdoors for a heightened ability to actually ride versus drool over bikes—is what will set MADE apart from other trade shows.
“It’s critical to us that everybody is able to attend and that it's super inclusive of the entire builder community,” Sinkford says. “And doing something outside where more people can come and feel comfortable will really add something to the event. Consumers come to a handmade bike show to develop a relationship with the builder and decide if that that's the person they want to build their dream bike. So being able to do that, and then having the builder be able to give that potential customer a bike to go test out is going to be exciting for everyone. We all want to be outside. And we're all in this to actually get out and ride bikes. So as close as we can get to that in a trade show environment, that’s the goal.”
Similar to past shows like Interbike, MADE will feature industry and media days, but then host two open days for consumers to come and play on bikes, test ride and enjoy plenty of events put on by the brands in attendance. “Our top priority is to spotlight the bikes and the builders for a global audience, as well as for the people who are in attendance at the show,” Sinkford adds. And as a public relations company, ECHOS is in the unique position to do just that—while putting on one heck of a party.
Registration for the 2023 show will open in the Fall of 2022, and more information is available at MADE.bike.
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