Handcrafted frames, paint schemes, saddles and more
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A variety of frames from Llewellyn Cycles(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
A collage of the Baum x Rapha collaboration(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
McCulloch illustrating further the amount of filings that goes into his lugs in order to give them what he describes as "Nigella Lawson Curves".(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Darrell McCulloch explaining the filing process that goes into every lug.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Llewellyn's Darrell McCulloch displays the before and after versions of his lugs.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Darrell McCulloch was on hand to explain the intricacies of his Llewellyn frames(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The Randonneur from Llewellyn included integrated racks, dynamos and lights, and was cleanly wired inside the forks.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Llewellyn's Darrell McCulloch perfected this fork in order to increase stiffness but maintain comfort.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Exceptional detail was the hallmark of each Llewellyn bike.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
A selection of lugs from Llewellyn(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Llewellyn's Darrell McCulloch had this jig handbuilt to further perfect his integrated rack designs.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
More eye-popping paint on this Kumo road, by Sun Graphics.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The Kumo road also featured fastback stays and some of the fattest lugs available.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Baum may too be at the forefront of the 650b revolution(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Out of the ordinary - this 650b titanium mountain bike turned heads.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The Baum x Rapha collaboration(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Further detail from the Rapha x Baum collaboration(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The attention to detail on this Baum extended to the 3T stem.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
This custom Baum was made for Rapha ambassador Anthony Fewster.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The entrance to the Australian Custom Bicycle Show(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The Kumo tourer featured S&S couplers for easy transportation.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
A touring bike from Kumo cycles(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Handmade stems adorned a number of Llewellyn bikes.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The Llewellyn selection included a number of bikes from builder Darrell McCulloch's personal collection(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Another exquisite Baum road.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Llewellyn Cycles brought down a number of bikes, all of which displayed their commitment to impressive lugwork(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The design included sections of the Rapha Gazette pressed into the paint.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Darren Baum estimated he spent a total of 80 hours getting the paint and design perfect on this collaboration with Rapha.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Baum cycles brought a number of titanium models, including this custom bike made for Rapha(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Busyman saddles provided custom leather for a number of exhibitors, including this for Kumo cycles.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
A selection of custom kangaroo leather saddles from Busyman Bicycles.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Custom Leather grips and cork bar ends from Paterbury.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Paterbury leatherwear leant a classy touch to a number of frames.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
This eye-popping Kumo Cycles Road bike was the first thing to catch eyes upon entry.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
A Busyman Bicycles saddle set off the colours on this Baum track bike.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
A custom Busyman saddles for a Benson Cycles Custom frame in New Zealand.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Busyman Bicycles exhibits their tools of the trade.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The Baum Track.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Darren Baum illustrates the complex process involved in painting the Rapha collaboration.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
There was a broad variety of bikes on display, including these serious looking gravity bikes.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The Paterbury stand.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Handmade bamboo bidon cage on a Cog Bicycles frame.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
Ewan Gellie of Gellie Custom Cycles test rode his own bikes before exhibiting.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The integrated stem and bar combo on this Baum track drew attention.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
The craftsmanship of Ken Evans was on display in every fine detail.(Image credit: Brendan Bailey / Future Publishing)
This weekend marked the first Fyxo Australian Custom Bicycle Show, with bike builders and craftspeople from all over Australia converging on a South Melbourne studio to share their expertise and display their wares.
With bikes from pedal-free gravity models to classic steel racers and stands by everyone from experienced leatherworkers to paint enthusiasts, the show drew thousands of attendees over the course of the weekend. For more images, see our image gallery.
Kumo Cycles
Patrons were greeted by a shock of brightly coloured frames, the first of which was this 'circuit board design' road bike from frame-building newcomers Kumo Cycles road bike.
Kumo Cycles’ unusual looking road bike.
The company’s Keith Marshall described the bike as a “fun project” made for his younger brother. Marshall Junior had demanded a strong, stiff frame, which meant Marshall was forced to use Columbus Ego tubing with some of “the fattest lugs I could find”.
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As one of the earliest frames built for Kumo – and with exceptional paintwork by Melbourne’s Sun Graphics – the bike didn’t go unnoticed by more experienced builders at the show.
Llewellyn Bikes
Of course, when it comes to experienced builders, there are few more seasoned than Llewellyn Bicycles’ Darrell McCulloch, who was on hand to speak at length about the bikes bearing his middle name.
Particular enthusiasm was saved for his own randonneur frame, which features internal wiring via a front wheel dynamo, plus wireless light sensors and integrated front and rear racks.
Declaring his unhappiness with the usual racks available on the market, McCulloch extended the theme of the weekend by showing BikeRadar a custom-made jig from his workshop. The machine enables him to construct stainless steel racks that attach seamlessly to the frame without straps.
The handbuilt jig designed to perfect McCulloch’s integrated racks
McCulloch also outlined the attention to detail that’s gone into the construction of his road bikes. He found that a majority of carbon forks on the market were dampening vibration from the road but lacked stiffness, but that if he layered carbon at the top of the fork crown while marginally increasing the weight, fork stiffness could be increased without impacting on comfort.
Busyman Bicycles
Local leatherworker Mick Peel brought his Busyman Bicycles saddles, bar tape and toe straps to the venue, only to discover that a considerable amount of his work was already on display – a number of the custom-builders had added Mick’s artistic eye and impressive needlework to their own frames.
A custom saddle for a Benson Cycles custom frame
Working mostly with vegetable-tanned kangaroo leather, Peel produces saddles with a number of intricate patterns and designs, all in close partnership with individual clients.
Baum
Drawing patrons like moths to a flame was the Baum display, with relative newcomer Darren Baum’s perfect welds, distinctive paint and titanium frames drawing admiration from builders and attendees alike.
He had a variety of frames on show but it was the road bike collaboration with Rapha that gained the greatest attention. Baum explained the process of integrating the clothing label’s promotional newspaper, the Rapha Gazette, within the overall paint scheme, without losing the individual Baum aesthetic.
The Baum/Rapha collaboration bike
The bike took more than 80 hours to produce, with a lot of trial and error involved in stripping back the frame, laying down the print, smoothing it out and clear-coating the frame before perfecting the look. The bike was set off with Enve wheels, new SRAM Red and 3T components throughout.
Baum told BikeRadar that one of his favourite things about the weekend was the growing sense of community between Australian frame-builders.
Organizer Andy White agreed that this was one of his main aims for the weekend: “The builders have been really excited for someone to do this. They’ve reacted in the same way as the public. Like any community, it thrives because you get all these creative heads together, and the net result is always greater than the sum of the people in the community.”
