NAHBS 2012: #ShowMeYourBike

Show me your bike. What started as a relatively simple request has grown quite large (although, it still has room to grow) in its relatively short lifespan. Initially we meant it as a way to pay tribute to Ira Ryan and Ben Leonard's Show Me Your Bike exhibit in downtown Portland. But it was clear after the first few pictures started to link themselves in that it would quickly become something more.

Take a brief minute to click through the ever growing #ShowMeYourBike list on twitter. Even if you are not a twitter follower you can still peruse the wide variety of bikes that people have uploaded in the past week and a half. The tag was started for the Show Me Yours bicycle exposition that took place in Portland last Friday and has been gaining steam ever since.

But it begged the question: Why do people want to show you their bicycles? Well, why shouldn't they? That is the simplest answer, but it is a question that has been hanging around now for a few days. Possibly, the real question is, why do people have these stock piles of photos of their bikes ready to upload? There were photos that were uploaded 14 weeks ago that were sought out and tagged with the #ShowMeYourBike tag.

Note: In fact, I am quite guilty of this myself. More than one time I have found myself in a locale or with riding partners and we have stopped along some roadside for a nature/snack break and I have found myself snapping photos of my bicycle. But why? To show off my bike? Quite possibly (I would not be lying if I told you that I really really like my bike.) However, it seems that there is more to this idea of show me your bike and something that we can continue to explore as we head down to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show this weekend.

We thought it might be good to share this exploration with you all. Why do people want their handmade bicycles and why do they want to show them to the world? Part of it is a personal style choice. The internet has made it increasingly easier for us "bike people" to find each other better and a bit quicker. The tag then becomes a bit like the motorcycles lined up outside of the bar, there to be seen, to be shown off and then hopefully to be ridden just as hard. That's the whole point of all this anyway, isn't it?

The easiest way to follow along is through our twitter account:
Rapha North America - @Rapha_N_America

We will be wading through the beautiful bikes on the show floor this weekend. If there is something that you wish to see, or experience through our eyes, by all means send us a tweet and we will see what we can do to help. But in trade you better #ShowMeYourBike.

If you want to follow along with the other Men and Women of the handmade bicycle business that will also be exhibiting at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (#NAHBS) look no further:

Six-Eleven Bicycle @611BicycleCo

Alchemy Bicycles @AlchemyBicycles

Alliance Bicycles @AllianceBicycle

Baum Cycles @baumcycles

Boo Bicycles @NfreyBOO

Brompton Bicycle @BromptonBicycle

Cielo Cycles @CieloCycles

Cyfac @Cyfac

Festka Bicycles @festabicycles

Independent Fabrication @ifbikes

Ira Ryan Cycles @IraRyanCycles

Majaco Bicycles @majacobikes

Metrofiets @metrofiets

Moots @MOOTSCYCLES

Naked Bicycles @NakedBicycles

Paketa Cycles @Paketacycles

Pereira Cycles @pereiracycles

Pitz! Cycles @PITZCYCLES

Retrotec & Inglis @Retrotec_Inglis

Sarto Custom Cycles @LigerTriBikes

Signal Cycles @signalcycles

Stinner Frameworks @StinnerFrames

Ventus Custom Cycles @VentusCustoms