I successfully made the trek up to Sacramento For NAHBS, 36 hours, 800 miles round trip, one state agency, at least 50 laps around the floor one way and then 10 more in the criss cross direction. I met almost all of the people I intended to and a few more that were a surprise. The ironic part is that I took almost no pictures, and the only one to share was a guy outside the show, more on that later this week. There were hordes of people with cameras, tripods the works, and the pictures on the web are likely better than what I would have been making. The bikes were everything you would imagine, photography and video both fall short of what the bikes really look like with respect to color. The lighting in the main hall was not doing the photographers many favors either.
The people were the main reason I went. I was able to spend time with the Reynolds tubing reps, Kirk from Bikelugs, Dave Kirk, Dave Wages and many of the other notable builders, the friendly people at White Industries and Paul Component (whose components will be gracing the bikes I will be offering in the coming months), and then I ran into Ely of Ruth Works SF. It was great meeting another bag maker face to face, comparing notes and looking a tall the bags in the show. There was a wide range of work, and some of it was stunning. Part of me wanted to stay another day, but an even bigger part wanted to be home in my own bed. If you ever have the chance to attend one of these shows, do not pass it up, the experience is worth it.
For me the trip was a success, and I hope that it went well for all of the builders. If the crowd volume is any indication, this is likely going to be a good year for these guys. I learned more than I expected, made some new contacts, met face to face with vendors I previously had only talked with via phone and email, and was ale to see the full range of booth styles in action as I plan on heading down that path on my own.
Glad to be home before the week starts up again. I made my regular ride to the Farmer’s market, on what felt every bit like a summer day in March. The crowds at the market and beach were almost as thick as the show. The ride was refreshing after all of that windshield time, and gave me some time to percolate ideas I have.
I hope your weekend went well, that NAHBS was great if you made it, and you were able to get out and make some time to ride.