Philly Bike Expo 2025 (Part 3)

I left Philadelphia with a newfound sense of appreciation for the Philly Bike Expo and what it means to our community. In part, it’s always going to be a platform for brands to showcase their new wares and get people hyped on upcoming products. That’s how the sausage of this industry is made. The never-ending churn of “innovation.” But, having been to a few trade shows and expos in my day, the gathering place Philly offers is unlike many others.

I’ve yet to fully put my finger on the “why,” but Philly is a meeting point for a certain kind of bike person. Devoid of the hype cycle that comes with the novelty of being a new event, Philly Bike Expo 2025 was as much a homecoming and reunion for those who value a certain ideal as it was anything else. It’s special, and I feel lucky to have been able to document it. So, thank you, Bina Bilenky and everyone involved, for making such a great show happen. Without further ado, here’s part three:

Haute Bicycle Co.link

Richmond, Virginia

After much internet messaging, it was a pleasure to meet Stephen Wood (or Swood Cycles) and Wilson Hale in person. Together, they make Haute Bike, an eclectic joining of two friends who are indicative of the modern framebuilding business. They’re talented welders and makers who have some interesting, realistic ideas as to how make the monetary side of things function. You probably know Stephen from his most popular production, the twisted T-Bar. It’s through the sales of these and other bits and bobs that he and Wilson have been able to come together and produce larger projects.

Chief among them is the Haute Sauce, a “production bike” of their own making that allows customers something of a stock geometry to build from. With limited customization of their eight sizes, customers wanting some Haute Sauce of their own can personalize the modern gravel frameset to their own liking through custom stack, reach, and head tube length for an additional $200 USD. Depending on how you slice it, that’s a “custom,” US-made frameset for roughly $2,000 USD, and it ships in four-to-six weeks, provided the tubing is in stock.

That’s pretty incredible. For all the talk of what could be regarding US manufacturing in a post-free trade world, Wilson and Stephen seem to be putting the rubber on the road when it comes to making it happen. Though various conversations about the quality of steel used to production hurdles and plans to potentially bring on an in-house machinist, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to check back in out Haute in five years only to see them quintuple in size.

Velo Orangelink

Glen Burnie, Maryland

Velo Orange has a wide range of new products hitting the market this year, with the most exciting being the prototype I’ve been riding since MADE last summer. It’s an aluminum alloy frame gravel bike that comes with a triple-butted steel fork, sliding dropouts, clearance for 650 x 2.25″ or 700 x 50mm (though I’ve crammed a 2.25″ in there as well, sorry Igor), and dropper routing. We’ll have a full review coming to the site, but it’s a bike I’ve massively enjoyed riding and one I’m excited to ride single-speed Ozark Gravel DOOM. Look out for an official release by June of this year.

A newer development for VO is a re-rollout of their complete offerings. Initially tested in their new, green colorway of their well-known Neutrino mini velo, they will likely be expanding these affordably minded completes to their other offerings as well. It’s a cool concept, given how many companies in the same space typically opt for either just a frameset or a build that can exceed the budget of most average consumers.

They also have the Riddle Rack, a newly released bag standoff that clamps onto the seatpost, and a slight change to their existing Porteur Rack that expands the existing capacity. Beginning this summer, Porteur Racks will have a four-point attachment system that allows for fitment of a larger platform for more carrying capacity.

Aside from those new offerings, you may have noticed the new logo work. The Maryland company hasn’t changed their logos in 15 years, so this is a big shift. Having some intimate knowledge of their inner workings, it’s indicative of a more exciting and progressive change while maintaining the quality and affordability we all know and love.

Luma Cycleslink

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Started by NICA coach and father, Robert Vander Veur, LUMA Cycles is a new brand offering titanium bikes. Catalyzed by what Robert saw as an opportunity to bring Ti frames to customers at a more affordable price point, LUMA is attempting to take the opportunity provided by an uptick in titanium manufacturing to bring their bike-centric dreams to life. Made in China, the Star Party is a modern adventure bike with suspension specifics that raised a few eyebrows. Primarily because it’s supposedly designed around and gravel suspension fork, and there is no rigid option. This modern adventure bike is the bike Robert uses to pedal around supplies and medical kits as he teaches kids about cycling and mountain biking near his home just outside of Philadelphia. With framesets starting around $2,500 USD and completes sitting just over $5,000, it’s an interesting proposition that begs the question, why not?

Brian Chapmanlink

Rhode Island, USA

Dubbed the Michelangelo of the show by another builder’s mother, I must say I find it hard to disagree. Brian Chapman is a builder of quite some experience out of Rhode Island, making classically styled modern randonneuring frames. What does that mean? Well, look at it. From the gorgeous lug work to the inverter that allows the dynamo hub to power the Shimano Di2, Brian’s work is impossibly good. That’s to say, his work strikes the balance of modern performance and traditional wonder like few others.

Case and point, Brian’s talent doesn’t stop at framebuilding. The direct-mount carbon cantilever brakes? Brian made those himself out of carbon that he “forged” and put into a vice to test. He was unable to break it. The paint job was also done by Brian. It’s a Cadillac color a customer had asked for roughly a decade prior, and it struck his fancy when thinking of a build for the show. Per Brian Tucker of Yellow Bird Threadworks, “He’s a f*ckin’ wizard, man. I don’t understand it. He possesses the knowledge of someone who is 200 years old, and he looks like a surfer. And he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. And most talented. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Per Brian, Chapman Cycles focuses on mostly randonneuring frames and touring bikes right. Inspired by the back roads of Rhode Island, Brian makes works of art that just happen to be rideable. From the attention to detail to the effort he puts into the components and specs, it’s no wonder why Chapman Cycles was the buzz of an already extremely talented lineup of builders.

Simona Dwasslink

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Perhaps an exemplar of what these kinds of shows should center around, Simona Dwass is a designer who set out with a simple yet complicated goal: to make their first frame. An avid cyclist and trip leader for Adventure Cycling Association, Simona wanted something different from the Kona Rove she’d been using for work and her own cycling exploits. So, she shadowed at Bilenky Cycles and came up with this subtle, solid, simple frameset. It’s a randonneuring bike capable of handling a heavy front load but built around the kind of dependable and serviceable technology she’d come to appreciate. When asked why there was an absence of branding, she said, “Well, I’m not really sure what I want to be yet! I just like bikes. And I liked making this frame.” It was the kind of honest answer that spoke to a greater sense of appreciation for the bike. She wasn’t here to push a brand forward or further some profit-minded idea of a custom business. Simona was simply enthralled by bikes.

“I like that they’re simple. And I like that there’s so much care and attention put into them. I like that all the builders here are so…” I interjected with my own assumption, “Precious?” “Yeah! Precious. That’s a good way to put it. They don’t have to be. They can just crank stuff out. But they care. That’s what I like.” Simona doesn’t know about plans for framebuilding in the future but will update everyone when they use this one to cross the US twice (!) this summer.

Peter Weiglelink

Lyme, Connecticut

We’re going to try something a little different for this section. First, put some headphones on. Now, adjust your volume, and play this. Examine the photos.

With respect to the job I’m doing here and the fact that I’m obligated to tell you things about this bike, Peter Weigle is a storied frame builder and someone who, when asked how old the bike was, simply said, “Older than most of the builders here.” He negotiated to get it back in what sounded like a pretty tense Facebook marketplace deal for around $600 bucks. It was largely ruined by the man who owned it. Most of the bikes Peter had on display were rescues—frames he’d made god knows when and restored to their former glory.

I’ve written a lot of words in my life. Not all of them about bikes, but certainly a fair few about the two-wheeled wonders we obsess over. My friends say I’m overly verbose, as does our beloved managing editor, Lucas, here at BIKEPACKING.com. So, it’s with all that preamble that I aim to tell you: I am at a loss. Words are great. They are the means through which we conceive the world. But there are times whn even those bridges to reality fail us, and those of us lucky enough to have the gift of sight—and you can be sure of your luck today—must simply observe. Peter is a master. What I see here is decades of mastery. Years of experience, craft, and care incarnate. A rarity in the age of mass production. Something created as an ode to an idea: the bicycle. With respect to all the makers and innovators, both here and elsewhere, I’m not sure there are any better.

Chapeau, Peter. Chapeau.

Bits and Bobs: Wren and STAN’S

Closing out our coverage is some cool stuff from Wren Sports. With the idea to offer fat bikers a better wheel option than what’s currently on market, their alloy rims and dedicated single-speed fat bike rims and hubs are truly niche but necessary. A tubeless-specific wheelset, meaning no tape is required, they are natively tubeless, the No-Nonsense fat bike wheelset is easily approaching best in class. The single-speed option is the first single-speed fat bike hub made to handle the torque forces of an e-bike motor, so no more destroying your fat bike wheels with the pedal assist. They also have a valve that is both Schrader and Presta compatible and The Wren Front rack. Since their suspension fork is inverted, the rack doesn’t move with the travel of the wheel or add to your fork’s unsprung weight. It could very well be the best way to carry unsprung weight on a suspension-oriented bike.

From Stan’s, a revision of their well-known DART system makes it such that it can fit inside modern mountain bike bars, giving customers three shots at plugging their puncture. In addition to the DART, their new biodegradable lube is made with entirely organic ingredients, and it was responsible for getting Fergus to the show on time. Apparently, he got three days out of their dry lube in the pouring Pennsylvania rain.

That’s it that’s all, folks. Thanks again for supporting independent bike media, and be sure to re-visit parts one and two. See ya next year!

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info…