You lot love bicycles. From the hipsters on their fixies, Prenzlauer Berg parents transporting five toddlers around in a cargo bike, to that death trap that you picked up from an honest gentleman in Mauerpark for 20 Euros, Berlin is full of bikes. For many, owning a bike is more than just about Getting From A to B and has become their hobby, lifestyle or sport of choice… and even an obsession. Once a year during Berlin Bicycle Week, the Berliner Fahrradschau opens its doors to the hobbyists and obsessives to showcase international bicycle culture.

Despite being a mountain biker, I had never been to the Fahrradschau before and to be honest, I was expecting it to be full of hipsters sipping espressos. Despite being very quickly out-bearded, I found that the exhibitors were very balanced in terms of riding styles, and everyone was catered for.

Many big name brands were present but what really stood out for me were the number of custom bikes. There is a growing trend of cyclists looking for a bicycle that fits their exact needs or something that stands out from the crowd. If you have the cash, why not? Alongside the exhibitors was a full programme of races and events: cyclocross, trials and bike polo to name a few.

Here are some highlights:

Ruff Cycles

If you want a bicycle that wouldn’t look out of place at a Hell’s Angels club ride, then check out Ruff Cycles. They can deliver you a complete bike or you can just get a frame and build your own monster.

“Dragon” by Woodster

There were many wooden bikes to be seen and, to be honest, I am getting quite bored of them. However, this one from Woodster stands out from the crowd. This model, the Dragon, was born in A.D 303, around the time that St. George slayed the dragon. The frame is coated in a veneer made from petrified oak, dug out of a marsh in some far corner of Europe. I asked how much this unique bicycle costs. Apparently it is priceless, although he did go on to say that if someone made an offer upwards of 10k it would be considered. Time to get saving?

Ass Savers

Ass Savers are passionate about keeping your ass clean. Seriously. They offer a variety of easy to install mud guards and can print them with your own design. We made this one-off Berlin Loves You Ass Saver.

Competition!
Win the BLY Ass Saver by simply sending us a photo of an ass that needs saving to win@staging-berlinlovesyou.kinsta.cloud. It’s that easy.

Erman.Bike

Erman.Bike is an Italian company made up of seriously passionate bike builders and adventurers. They build trekking bikes for long distance on- and off-road expeditions. I especially liked their creative solution for bar end caps.

Fick Dich

If you are after some well designed cycling clothing, then fick dich!

“ICB 2.0” by the Internet Community Bike Project

Give the people what they want. That was the thinking behind the Internet Community Bike project. Hundreds of riders were involved in discussing how the perfect trail bike should be. The ICB 2.0 is the second version to emerge from this project, and custom frame builders Portus Cycles were displaying their custom steel version of it. With the cleanly made frame and unique brazed-on logo, this mountain bike really is a work of art. Alex even let me have a go at brazing…

A guest post by bike-mad Rich Bailey.

http://berlinerfahrradschau.de/en/