MADE 2026: Bishop, Jammer, Thomson Prototype, and Brûlé Bicycles
After a string of recent bike shows, I’ll admit I had stopped actively looking for track bikes. Not for lack of interest, far from it, but because they seem to have disappeared altogether. And believe me, I’m as disappointed as you are.
So imagine my surprise when, moments after walking into MADE’s main hall, Chris Bishop, absolute legend in the craft, rolled past on his show bike and headed straight for his booth. Better still, he wasn’t the only builder to bring my favorite kind of rig to the show.
Here’s a closer look at the track bikes that caught my eye at MADE this year.
Bishop Custom Track Bike
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Bishop Custom Track Bike
Drive Train 51×17 Gear Ratio with Euro Asia Cog
Crankset
DuraAce
Seatpost and Saddle
Flite carbon post, Flite evolution carbon sadde
Stem and Handlebar
Custom Bishop Stem, Titanium handlebar
Wheels
Custom Rolf Ares FX set
Let’s start with what is purely and simply my absolute favourite bike of this show! To Chris, this is a proper track bike built around a simple idea: keep the tight geometry and low-pro silhouette of older track machines, but make it fun to ride outside the velodrome. Clearing up to 32mm tires is a big step towards that, so while you could fit tubulars and take it to the track, it is equally happy spending a full day out in the sreets.
The frame mixes Columbus Max and stainless XCR tubing, with traditional Max head lugs, Max fork blades, oval seat stays, and stainless XCR chainstays and headtube. Details are pretty much everywhere: a Samson CNC fork crown, custom-machined Cherubim dropouts, a totally unique and bespoke seat lug, an ovalised top tube, a tapered seat tube and a stainless “rear cap” etched with the Columbus dove.
It is finished with titanium bars, a custom matching stem made from Gilco tubing, and, of course, a custom-machined Bishop top cap. The 51 × 17 gearing feels suitably track-inspired, while the Silca Protocol RCR tires measure a claimed 29 mm.
Chris made it slightly too small to keep for himself, so this one will eventually be for sale. A dangerous thing to tell me and my very thin wallet, but I mean… Just look at this thing!
Jammer Track Bike
Detailed Parts List
Frameset
Jammer
Drive Train 49×17 Gear Ratio
Crankset
SUZUE Pro Max Track
Seatpost and Saddle
Thomson Elite, Brooks C17
Stem and Handlebar
Sim Works Ronda, Jammer bars (yet to be released)
Wheels
Custom set with Paul Hubs
If you haven’t heard about Jammer yet, you might be missing something very special. Jammer is a collaboration between James Newman, you know him from his legendary part in Macaframa, and Rick Hunter of Hunter Cycles. In 2025, James simply asked Rick to recreate the frame he’s been riding for over two decades: an incredibly steep and compact track bike, built around the signature Hunter wishbone seat stay and a steel fork made to the exact dimensions of James’ original Track Woundup fork from the era. And yes, we’re talking very steep geometry: the size 55 I tried runs a 75° seat tube angle and a 75.5° head tube angle.
Both Rick and James have marked their time in their own ways, and seeing them come together for this project couldn’t make me happier. This is small-batch US production at its most intentional: a track bike designed purely for street shredding, with thoughtful details like a NOS True Temper head tube, raw finish, improved tire clearance to fit up to 30c rubber, and even a specific Japanese batch coming soon for riders who want to run brakes.
What a time to be riding a track bike.
Bishop Butterfly Track Bike
Frameset
Bishop Butterfly Track Bike
Drive Train Euro Asia, Golden Medal, Cog
Crank
Custom black Campagnolo record
Seatpost and Saddle
Wound Up post, Flite Ti
Stem and Handlebar
Nitto
Wheels
Campagnolo Bora Track
Known as the Butterfly Bike, this one was originally made for a rider named Nicole, with the entire project growing from a single reference image of a butterfly wing. She wanted something colorful and expressive, and you can’t argue that the finished result is genuinely impossible to reproduce.
But there is more! All the paint came from a collection of tiny experimental color samples, passed on through the painter’s connection to Harley-Davidson. There was not enough of any one color to paint an entire frame, so Brian Myers of Fresh Frame built the finish layer by layer with an airbrush, creating a shifting mix of colors that changes in the light. It apparently took dozens of hours of work, and because the paint samples were all one-offs, there will never be another frame quite like it.
Underneath is an equally special mix of classic tubing, with the top and down tubes being rare four-flute Gilco tubing straight from the Rossin factory. These were apparently even harder to find than the more common five-flute version. The seat-stays are Columbus SL, while the seat tube is a custom Columbus SLX with its famous internal rifling on the bottom. And if you thought this tube set didn’t feel unique enough, Chris also decided to flute every tubing that wasn’t originaly, including the seat and chain stays.
The fork uses Columbus Max blades, paired with Kalavinka front fork dropouts. And the rear are the rare yet so sexy MKS rear track dropouts, with a custom Bishop stainless faceplate. Finally, that rear bridge was machined to intentionally create a butterfly wing sillouette.
Thomson Track Bike Prototype
Frameset
Sanita Node Cambium
Drive Train 49×17 gear ratio with Sugino chainring
Crank
Sugino 75
Seatpost and Saddle
Thomson Elite, Selle Italia SLR
Stem and Handlebar
Thomson G2, Thomson Drop Bars
Wheels
Boyd wheelset
Garrett from Thompson brought the latest version of a project we first saw as a prototype last year. The ambition from the beginning was that rather than simply sourcing frames from Asia, Thompson wanted to bring manufacturing home and develop the knowledge, tooling, and production capability in-house. And since January, the team has been pushing hard to establish its own in-house production at the Thompson facility, with Nate Zukas helping set up the welding process, tooling, and workflow. Third-party testing has been one of the biggest stages of development, but it seems that the frames have passed and are now moving toward production. There have been a few geometry changes since the first version, but this iteration feels more focused for the street, but with tighter proportions, 32 mm tire clearance, and a more track-bike attitude.
The project is also part of a larger shift for Thompson. With Paragon no longer supplying its familiar framebuilding hardware, the brand has started developing its own dropouts and bottom brackets in-house. They have also become the US distributor for Dedacciai tubing and Void wheels, creating something of a one-stop resource for other American builders looking for tubes and machined parts.
Brûlé 650 Track Concept
Frameset
Custom Brûlé Track frame
Drive Train 60×19 gear ratio qith Affinity chainring
Crank
SUZUE Pro Max Track
Seatpost and Saddle
FSA, Selle Italia SLR Boost
Stem and Handlebar
Terravail stem, Shimano Pro LT drops
Wheels
Custom-built Spank set with Continental 5000 STR
This is Julian of Brûlé Bicycles with an interesting track bike. Rather than just chasing a classic track-bike silhouette, Julian is thinking about wheel size, gear size, stability, and toe overlap clearance, basically all the things that matter when you’re riding in the city.
The whole bike is stretched out around a huge 63 cm effective top tube on a 55 cm frame, allowing him to run a tiny 45 mm stem with a very stable, high-trail front end. With around 81 mm of trail, it has basically the hands-off stability of a touring bike but still responds quickly when you put some input into the bars. And bonus: zero toe overlap! It is also built around a slightly lower bottom bracket and clearance for up to 36 mm tires.
The gearing is probably the wildest part, with this 60 × 19, which works out roughly the same as a familiar 47×17 on 700 wheels. Julian’s point is that the ratio may be standard, but the larger drivetrain gives more leverage and makes accelerating or slowing down feel easier. again an interesting concept, and definitely a unique silhouette.
Thank you to Old Man Mountain for making this coverage of the 2026 MADE show possible.
💾 : Leica SL
📍: Portland
