The Best Bikes of the 2026 MADE Show: Aero Steel, 32-Inch Wheels, and a 13-Pound Steel Climber

Welcome to Velo’s MADE bike show coverage, where we share our favorite things we’ve found at the 2026 show. If we think it’s cool, you’ll see it. See the rest of our coverage here.

The MADE show is a celebration of handmade frames and the truly special builders who craft them. Far from the rigid demands of racing, this Portland-based show highlights a vibrant niche in the cycling ecosystem that rarely gets the same spotlight as the latest factory pieces. Not everything on the floor is traditional round-tube metal, but it is all built by people deeply passionate about pushing the limits of design. This is where art and engineering mix.

Walking the show floor to track down the best builds, I narrowed it down to five standout examples: two 32-inch gravel bikes, a 700c gravel build, and two custom road bikes. I also had a chance to follow up on the 3D-printed titanium aero bike from No. 22 that I covered at both last year’s MADE show and Sea Otter this spring.

Watch the video to catch the vibe and hear how the builders describe the bikes themselves. You can also check out the details in the photo galleries below.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro
0:28 – No. 22’s 3D-printed titanium aero road bike
2:30 – Big Block 427 integrated road bike (Steel & 3D-printed joints)
4:48 – Prova Cycles titanium integration & Mavic Allroad wheels
6:55 – Mosaic Cycles GT1 i55 32-inch gravel bike
9:41 – English Cycles custom stainless steel road bike
11:15 – Rare Earth Cycle 32-inch aero gravel bike with Berd Sparrow 50 wheels

Big Block 427 road bike

What if high-tech and custom come together? Big Block bikes is leveraging CAD and 3D printing to design and scale bikes for every project. This one also has a 1×13 drivetrain with a Garbaruk crank and a Ratio system that kills the need to charge anything while still keep 1×13 shifting. For more information visit the Big Block website.

Prova Mostro Integrale

Groundbreaking titanium integration is the defining feature of this build from Melbourne-based Prova. Long before it became an industry standard, the brand was figuring out seamless internal cable routing for metal frames. This specific one-off showcases that clean aesthetic while rolling on a 1450-gram set of Mavic Allroad SL carbon wheels wrapped in Ultradynamico tires. For more information visit the Prova website.

Mosaic Cycles GT1 i55

So far, 32-inch bikes have been a compromise. The limiting factor has been the fork, and it’s been a race to find a solution. Mosaic just won that race with the GT1 i55 and the new, proprietary carbon fork the brand designed. After just a few pedal strokes, you can feel that it’s different. It feels like a traditional 700c gravel bike, just with the advantage of bigger wheels. Is this the turning point? Visit the Mosaic website for more information, or check out our dedicated GT1 i55 coverage.

English Cycles 13lb steel climbing bike

For me, this is the star of the show. While it tips the scales around 13 pounds, Rob English built this full stainless steel, fillet-brazed frame as a highly capable long-distance machine. It is packed with clever custom details, like a Bjorn carbon seat tube and repurposed FSA shifters that hide SRAM wireless blips inside for optimized ergonomics. Between the clearance for 35-40mm tires, a third bottle cage mounted to the seat mast, and brazed-in bosses for a frame bag, this is a lightweight build meant to be ridden. For more information visit the English Cycles website.

Rare Earth Cycle 32-inch aero gravel bike

How do you get carbon-level aero shapes out of a steel frame? Brian Hall at Rare Earth Cycle tackled that by building a skeletal frame using thin 3/8-inch tubing and wrapping it in a sheet metal skin. The result is a 32-inch aero gravel bike that pulls inspiration from modern superbikes but is built specifically for the dirt. To solve the lateral twisting issues often found on larger wheels, the brand partnered with Berd. By using the new Sparrow 50 Gold deep-dish rims, the spoke length stays similar to a standard 700c wheel to keep the build stiff and responsive. Paired with a high trail number for better descending, this build blurs the line between a gravel rig and a rigid mountain bike. For more information visit the Rare Earth Cycle website.