Spoken 2026
Over the weekend of 19-21 June the hand-built bike show, SPOKEN 2026, was on at Carriageworks in Sydney. The vibe was fantastic, with people coming to admire and discuss some amazing bikes. The venue was a great location. It was very easy to get to, especially for people who were riding their bikes, there was even indoor bike parking. On the Saturday, when I attended, the regular farmers market was in full swing just outside, so there was also a lot of incredible food to try, if the choices in the venue hadn’t tempted the visitor.
The gallery below shows some of the general shots that I took at SPOKEN 2026.
It was really nice to meet Chris from Mooro Cycles and to see the amazing bikes that he builds. He had travelled all the way from Perth to exhibit at the show.
I loved photographing all the detail on his bikes, especially the way that he had incorporated the first nations' history into his bikes. They were beautiful machines and Chris was great to speak with.
It was also nice to catch up again with Keith Marshall from Kumo Cycles and also wonderful to meet Zoe. I am glad that Keith mentioned Spoken to me when I first me him, because I really enjoyed my visit to the show.
His bikes looked fantastic, especially the Overlander, which he had just used to ride the Attack of the Buns, on his way to Sydney.
I enjoyed chatting to Marty, the Australian representative for ACOL bikes. I really loved seeing the Italian heritage and the Korean technology blended together. The Tuscani gravel bike was a thing of beauty.
In addition, the mother of pearl wheels that were made in Korea were next level. They were true art and looked magnificent. My Korean wife was very proud to see them and to hear the story of ACOL.
It was also great to see the selection of bikes that Surly had on display at SPOKEN. The fat bike looked fantastic all decked out for business.
I had a really nice chat with Chris Palmer of Palmer Bicycles about gravel bikes and about hard tails.
His green gravel bikes were scene stealers, and looked fantastic. I loved the way the green and gold combined, especially up close with the texture of the carbon.
After finishing at SPOKEN for the day, I went for a wander, before catching the train back to Canberra later that afternoon. I walked from Carriageworks back to the city, up to the Queen Victoria Building, where I rewarded myself with a slice of chocolate mud cake. Walking back to Central Station, I came across three fantastically dressed cosplayers who were happy to have their photograph taken. These last two photos seemed to sum up what a wonderful day it had been.
I had a great time at SPOKEN 2026. The location was great, with an equally amazing vibe. The weather for the day was glorious, a sunny, Sydney winter day that got to 20 C. In the show, I could see so many in depth discussions happening about bikes, with much pointing at various bikes and specific components. It was a great experience and I am looking forward to SPOKEN 2027.