It hardly seems that I missed the Taipei Show this year (mid-March). The coverage afforded such events is so comprehensive, you nearly see as much browsing blogs as actually being there. Of course, there's nothing like seeing old friends face-to-face, but at least I was able to spend some time there the month before. Nothing beats visiting Taiwan just after Chinese New Year. The country is still festive and the weather cool and mild.
This year's Show featured many memorable machines but I'd like to point out a couple of knockout concept bikes offered by Fritz Jou, the famous bike assembly factory. These folks are masters of the trade, creating and delivering entire bike lines for European and American customers. Part of their strength is staying close to style and design trends and one of their in-house experts is Monie (pronounced "moonie") Gaba, formerly director of Omnium, that performed a similar function to Fritz Jou, but from Oxnard, CA. When their biggest customers (GT, Schwinn, etc.) shut down US production, they closed.
Monie produced two retro style fixed gear bikes that featured Ghisallo wood rims. Check these shots:
I certainly hope we see similar machines available in the market. Any takers?
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