CABDA 2026 Show Chicago: Report

 Last year I was able to post a report from my friend, Ari Andonopoulos, on the CABDA Show. CABDA is an acronym for Chicago Area Bicycle Dealers Association. Vendors from the industry come to show a variety of bicycles, components, and tools which may be of interest to the Chicago area bicycle retail trade, and beyond. 

This year Ari was in attendance again and he graciously sent over several images and a nice report. Folowing will be a plethora of images and a few words. Thanks for checking this out, and a big "thank you" to Ari for taking the time to share this with us!

All images credited to Ari Andonopoulos.  

Chicago, Illinois: Report filed by Ari Andonopoulos - I made the drive to the Schaumburg Convention center for the 2026 CABDA show. I also ran into a couple of people I know in the lobby, got signed in, badged, and looked for the coat check. No such luck! 

 

I did some quick rounds to get a sense of what was there. I immediately noticed the hustle and bustle surrounding all the e-bike booths. Aventon was the busiest, so was Velotric. Young and old were taking bikes onto the indoor test track with smiles on their faces.

 

 I was impressed with the Shimano booth. It was perhaps the largest display in the hall. I want to say they probably had everything on display with a large amount of staff helping visitors. They had assembled mini seminars, explaining bleeding brakes, setting up DI2 and MTB stuff. 

 The new Q-Auto system was also on display. I spent a lot of time there. 

Missing were some carbon bike companies that were there last year, like Factor, Cervelo and others. Park tool had their display and were showcasing some new work stands and manual tools. 

 

Absent were also Velocity , which I wanted to check out some 32" rim they were working on. Also absent was Provision Cycling, importer for Campagnolo and Assos .

Billy Flamingo is a new company specializing in winter tires mainly for fat bikes. Studded tires in 27.5x4 inches seem to be the norm up in Alaska, where the company is from. Other notable mentions were Jamis, Abus, Kryptonite, Giant, Pedros , Risse Racing, Koolstop, and Kenda. 

Vee Rubber is working on 20"x4" tires for e-bikes ,which we use a lot at the shop where I work. I talked to a lot of the vendors and everyone seemed optimistic for a good 2026 bike season. I spent more time this year than last and had better conversations with the vendors. Glad I made the trek out there. 

 

Thanks Ari! It looks as though it was a big and well attended show. Interesting to see the focus on electrified bikes that, for better or worse, seem to be in the crosshairs of governments across the USA now. 

This will wrap up the report section of the CABDA 2026 report. In the next post there will be a photo dump with no words, other than some captions. 

 

Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions, and another shout-out toAri Andonopoulos for providing us with this report.   

CABDA 2026 Show Chicago: Photo Dump

Thanks to Ari Andonopoulos for all the imagery in today's post! There won't be any commentary, but this will give you an idea of what caught Ari's eye at the dealer show held in Chicago earlier this week. I may include a few captions here and there. 

Feel free to ask questions in the comments. Ari and I will do our best to get you answers. In the meantime, enjoy the image show and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! 

Also, look for the report from Ari and more images in the following post for today, (which may appear ahead of this post if you are checking out the blog on your PC.) 

Alloy Giant bike without drive train or brakes.

Bike Rags Apparel is an Iowa based company

A rare and expensive Colnago gravel bike.

Billy Flamingo is a fat bike tire and accessory company from Alaska. This is the 27.5 "Quill Pig"

Billy Flamingo only offers 27.5" fat bike tires currently. 

The company also offers studs in different anodized colors along with a studding tool.

Kenda isn't at the top of most folks gravel tire desires. Kenda hopes to change that with the Crusher.

Here's the Crusher in a black wall version. 

A close up of the Kenda Alluvium Pro gravel tire.

Kenda makes several "e-Fat tires" for various electric bike applications,

Kinekt was there at CABDA showing their vibration absorbing stems and seat posts.

Pedros makes several tools which are mechanic favorites.

A good looking Sage Titanium Storm King with a suspension fork.

The only 32"er at CABDA was this SE Bikes "Colossal Ripper". Aptly named!

Stans on tap? I'll pass....

You may know Thomson for components like stems and seat posts. But did you know they have bicycles too?

This MTB hardtail is decked out in Thomson components. 

This track bike is pretty awesome looking. 

Well, that will be it for this photo dump from the 2026 CABDA show in Chicago. Thanks once again to Ari Andonopoulos for his time and energy in providing this content for Guitar Ted Productions. 

Look for the report from Ari and more images here as well.  

CABDA Photo Dump by Ari Andonopoulous

My good friend Ari Andonopoulous attended the Chicago Area Bicycles Dealer Association dealer only trade show/expo on Wednesday and sent me a short report and a bunch of images. I will share the best of the crop and provide some captions to them. Ari took all the images. 

This is a great look at an event that many people don't realize happens in the industry. Trade shows used to be quite prevalent 20 years ago but they are few and far between in the cycling industry in North America anymore. 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the show!

Schaumberg Convention Center, Schaumberg IL, February 12th, 2025 : I had been looking forward to attending CABDA for a few months now. It’s a good way to break up the winter and have a chance to socialize with like minded people. We had a snow “event” roll thru Chicago so schools were called off and I was able to drive to the show as my wife was working from home.

I woke up a bit late and scurried out of the house. I was excited to take photos with my Canon but I left in such a hurry that I forgot the battery on the charger at home. Luckily I packed a Sony camera and it worked out. I took it easy driving there and arrived a few minutes before opening, completely missing the meet and greet breakfast. I lucked out on a last cup of coffee and fueled up with sugary gels and bars samples. 

An old trade show attendee hack: Living off the free nutritional samples!

The event was well attended with many companies represented. Surprised to see QBP and Giant there. Also Niner, Transition, Factor, Cervelo and other notables. I was impressed with a new Vittoria gravel tire, a Pedro’s Bottom Bracket tool, lots of new lubes and a Krypto lock with a mesh that kills the wheel on angle grinders. 

I met a lot of friends from the Chicago area bike scene and chatted with a lot of friendly vendors.
The bike industry is ever changing and as much as people criticize it I believe it’s driven by passionate people that love bikes and cycling. I would not hesitate going to CABDA again and look forward to attending next year. - Ari

Photo Dump

 A row of swank, sleek looking Factor bikes.

Trudi is from the people behind BERD spokes. This wheel building machine costs $6,999.00

PK Rippers as seen at CABDA. These types of bicycles are big in urban areas.

Reminds me of Tioga Psycho tires! These Vittoria Terreno Pros are made from 92% recycled materials.

Olympic Supply still offers printed dealer catalogs. Old school!

This new Pedros bottom bracket tool uses inserts and one aluminum cup to cover several BB standards in one tool.

Trade shows are great for finding new products to use in a repair shop.

 

It is kind of ironic that Quality Bicycle Products is showing at CABDA. At one time, its Frostbike trade show was the darling of the Mid-West trade show circuit. 

 

Trade shows also allow mechanics and dealers to get face-to-face explanations of new technologies.

One of the hidden gems of Muc Off's range is this Eco Parts Washer. 

Clik Valve shows its wares. I'll have an update on my review of these products later this Summer.

BIKE TUBES was there showing off these colorful TPU tubes.

That's a wrap from the Schaumberg Convention Center, Schaumberg, Illinois! Thanks Ari!