Texas bike makers gather in Austin for custom bicycle show

Looking for a bike you won't spot anywhere else on the road?

Texas is home to nearly 20 custom bicycle frame builders, including Austin's own Alchemy Bicycle Company, Crumpton Cycles, True Fabrication Bicycles and Violet Crown Cycles.

This weekend you can get a close-up look at bikes from those makers, plus other frames from around the state, at the Texas Custom Bicycle Show. The free show will feature road, mountain, city and track bikes made of steel, titanium and carbon. Local component and accessory manufacturers also will be on hand.

The show started three years in Frisco, near Dallas. Last year it was held in Austin, as part of the expo for the LiveStrong Challenge. This year, it's gone solo.

"All of the frames are hand-done," says show organizer Glenn Thompson, who runs his own bike-making company, Daltex Handmade Bicycles. "It's beautiful artisan work — the quality of these frames is the highest of anything on the planet."

A custom bicycle will set you back anywhere from about $3,000 to more than $20,000, but makers like Thompson say it's worth it, because you'll end up with a sweet ride that is tailored specifically to your riding style.

"It'll fit you like a suit. You can get a great suit off the rack, but if you get a suit that's done just for you, you can see the quality across the room," Thompson says.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Austin Music Hall, 208 Nueces St. An outdoor cyclocross race and show will be staged Sunday at PureAustin, 4210 W. Braker Lane.

Want more? The Texas show is just a warm-up for the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, scheduled for Feb. 25-27, 2011, at the Austin Convention Center.

Days are getting shorter, and daylight saving time ends on Nov. 7. That means commuter cyclists like me spend more time on the road when it's dark.

I recently spotted a cool lighting system called Flashbak that'll make you glow like a really, really bright Christmas tree.

Brad Beneski, 41, an avid Austin cyclist, says he designed Flashbak after several of his friends were hit by cars despite wearing little red blinky lights on their backs.

"I thought to myself, these lights just aren't working, or my friends wouldn't have been hit from behind," he says.

The battery-operated Flashbak is made with 1-inch webbing and small bright amber-colored lights. It clips to your T-shirt, hydration pack or bike bag and blinks in an erratic pattern, so it catches the eye of drivers. Beneski also makes a light-up collar for dogs called the SeeSpot Collar.

Flashbak sells for $35 to $45 at most area bike shops, including Bicycle Sport Shop, Mellow Johnny's, Fast Folks Cyclery, the Peddler Bike Shop, University Cyclery and Clown Dog Bikes. It's also available online at www.flashbakonline.com.

Cyclists can show their support for breast cancer awareness throughout October by making a $10 donation to the Austin affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure at any location of Bicycle Sport Shop. In return, they get a pink wrap job or pink grips for their bike handlebars.

Paul Carrozza, owner of the local RunTex chain of running stores, says he's in the business of preventing and reversing obesity.

The key, he says, is starting easy. If you haven't been exercising, try walking — one hour just once a week at first. After a month, add another day. After two months, add two days, and so on.

In its Born to Run programs, RunTex tells newbies they need to do four things to be successful — get the proper gear, because you can't walk if your feet hurt; find friends or a team to join you; get a coach; and pick an event you care about to train for.

"Most people running 5Ks are doing it for a cause that is bigger than their own fitness," Carrozza says.

The motivation of running to raise money to build water wells in Africa or provide services to homeless or working poor people in Austin spurs plenty of people to get up and get moving. Some of them even find an endurance athlete hidden inside.

"The beauty of endurance athletics is all you have to do is finish," Carrozza says.

If you're looking for a race, Austin's got plenty to choose from. A few suggestions? The Gazelle Foundation Run for the Water 10-Miler, 5K and Kids K on Oct. 31; the Komen Austin Race for the Cure on Nov. 7; or the ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot benefiting Caritas on Nov. 25.

Another tip? Try Carrozza's latest drill — running with your arms held behind your back. That helps prevent overstriding and strengthens core muscles.

pleblanc@statesman.com; 445-3994