Do you speak bike? Of course you do – and so do we. Just like the thousands of passionate enthusiasts who attended Sydney’s SPOKEN bike festival over the weekend.
An evolution of the highly-respected Handmade Bicycle Show held annually in Melbourne for the past six years, the 2025 edition took a bold new step – heading north to Sydney for the first time. Hosted in the expansive Carriageworks event centre, it was a big move in both distance and ambition.
Relocating a well-established show more than 1,000 kilometres north was always going to be a gamble, and I’ll admit, I wasn’t entirely sure how Sydney’s cycling crowd would respond.
But by late Friday afternoon, with the show open for just an hour, any doubts were quickly gone. The halls filled fast as enthusiasts poured in to marvel at the hundreds of stunning bikes on display – from bespoke builds and high-tech innovation to timeless designs and labours of love.
From handcrafted timber bikes made in a back shed in Western Australia, to a fascinating dual chain ‘jack shaft’ MTB from Northern NSW to road, gravel, kids, urban and touring machines – nothing escaped the imagination.
Camaraderie was one of the standout highlights of the show, thousands of like-minded enthusiasts gathering to celebrate the most beautiful creation ever invented, the humble bicycle.
Former professionals such as Phil Anderson, Chloe Hosking and Mitch Docker mingled with the crowd, global leaders such as Josh Poertner from Silca freely shared years of knowledge and wisdom, and attendees ranged from lifelong riders through to fresh-faced beginners.
The common bond was the bike, and SPOKEN Sydney was – without a shadow of a doubt – a standout success.
Gallery – SPOKEN Sydney
One of the titanium offerings from Sydney-based Bossi bikes. Simpatico also had this all-road machine at SPOKEN – check out those slick 38mm tyres.One of the original aero gravel manufacturers, OPEN featured this UP with an adjustable one-piece bar/stem.A versatile gravel and all-road machine in timeless titanium.Another of Omnium’s well thought out cargo offerings.It wasn’t just road and gravel bikes, some dreamy MTB’s were also on show.Foldee offer this storable urban transport solution.Another of Chainsmith’s dream Italian roadies – more atwww.chainsmith.com.auMelbourne bike brand Simpatico had several very versatile gravel bikes on show. More at https://simpaticobikes.comA replica of Simon Yates’ Giro-winning S5.Some of the bigger brands were also at SPOKEN including Italian Willier.Cervelo’s popular new Caledonia 5 race gravel machine was also there.OPEN featured this gravel all-rounder with an adjustable one-piece bat stem.A pimped urban cargo machine from www.omniumcargo.comPenny Farthing Dan had several very cool bikes on show – check out his wares at www.pennyfarthingdan.com.auGroupe Sportif had a stunning stand complete with this dreamy LOOK 795 Blade RSProva have built up a formidable reputation over the years and their SPOKEN display was super popular. More at www.provacycles.comThis BAUM bike was painted with a unique glow-in-the-dark finish from Smarterlite. No UV light source is required, and it remains illuminated for hours.Another of the Simpatico’s on show – more at https://simpaticobikes.comAnother of the H-Tech timber bikes – more at https://htechbikes.comWondercross had this lovely little titanium balance bike there – more at www.wondercross.com.auThe father and son H-Tech timber bike team from WA – more at https://htechbikes.comPinarello was another major brand at SPOKEN – this stunning red Dogma F being incredibly popular.Curve had several droolworthy gravel offerings at SPOKEN Sydney. The elegant simplicity of this carbon steed from Palmer.A custom Tour de France edition Brompton – more at https://bromptonaustralia.comChloe Hosking was at SPOKEN with this Hosking HR5 as reviewed by Ride On magazine.Aussie brand Wondercross had a wide range of beautiful titanium bikes on display – more at www.wondercross.com.auNSW manufacturer Woods Cycles had a range of models on show – more at www.woodsbicyclecompany.com.auSydney boutique bike shop Chainsmith had this stunning Sarto on showwww.chainsmith.com.auFrom modern bling to classical beauty – this versatile all-rounder.A handmade Japanese kieren bike custom-built for commuting.Australian manufacturer Sugarloaf had this eye-catching roadbike on show – it’s worth checking them out at www.sugarloafcycles.com.auWithout a doubt, one of the bikes of the show, the Bastion Archangel. This one is valued at around $43,000. More at https://bastioncycles.comThe third of the H-Tech timber bikes – more at https://htechbikes.comA comfortable and capable gravel steed from NSW-based Chimera Frame Works.https://www.chimeraframeworks.comApart from bikes there was new gear on show including SRAM’s latest Force & Rival groupsets.H-Tech is a West Australian brand specialising in timber bikes – this one is 8.2kg!
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