Upcoming NAHBS Seminar

This month I've been very busy preparing for the 4th annual Handmade Bicycle Show which takes place Feb 8-10, 2008 in Portland, OR. Ahrens Bicycles will have a 10x10 booth and we'll be displaying a host of new frame designs. And of course there will be plenty of WiseCrackers for sale for those of us who like bikes and beer.

Don Walker, the show organizer, was looking for new seminar topics and I offered to discuss my experience designing aluminum frames over the last decade. Since the show has a heavy steel focus (no pun intended), I thought it would be great to discuss the benefits & challenges of developing custom aluminum mountain, road and cyclocross frames. Aluminum is a viable, lightweight and highly-tunable material well-suited to racers and enthusiasts alike.

If you plan to attend the NAHBS event next month, be sure to set aside an hour or so to hear about "Aluminum Frame Design Considerations" by Mike Ahrens. Since I'm a hands-on learner, I plan to make the session as interactive as possible. There will be a brief presentation, sample frame components to pass around and plenty of time for group discussion. Hope to see you there!