2026 Made Bike Show: Black Cat Loma Prieta Road Bike

Todd Ingermanson of Black Cat Bicycles always brings some serious heat to framebuilding showcases like MADE. His creativity, technique, and attention to every little detail and meticulously filed fillets make him one of the best working bike fabricators around. And if you’re tired of seeing the same copy/paste carbon bikes everywhere, his Black Cat Cycles Loma Prieta road bike is the antidote. 

It’s a stunning reminder of why steel is, and will always be, very real. Specifically, in Todd’s words: “I'm certainly not immune to thinking the new-school-super-aero-everything looks cool, but the tubing diameters used for that aesthetic produce an overly stiff and harsh riding bike, with inevitable maintenance difficulties. Personally, I already spend enough time in the shop, so my idea of "optimized" really boils down to a grab-it-and-go bike whose ride/repair ratio leans heavily toward ride.”

The foundational building blocks of the frameset are, according to Todd, a “mixed bag” of premium tubing from Columbus, Reynolds, Dedacciai, and True Temper that he used to mold the ride quality exactly how he wanted; “as part of a package with an eye on comfort and smoothness,” he added. Throw in a sleek Columbus Futura AR fork, some clever in-house designed “Art School UDH dropouts,” and a custom chromoly stem, and you have a machine that amounts to understated beauty with a heavy dose of precision. 

Todd’s intent with the Loma Preita road bike is to lean into steel’s innate qualities, which naturally eschew the shapes modern carbon bikes come in these days. Modern aero-forward bikes use large tube shapes that look and test fast but often lack the pleasant ride quality many riders want. Black Cat’s philosophy is simple: comfort and resilience are already baked right into high-quality steel; why force it to look like a carbon bike just to end up with something that rides worse?

Each tube on the Loma Prieta project was picked to perform in a specific way, with a focus on a smooth and enjoyable ride. Pair that custom-tuned frame with a set of our new lightweight and high-volume SILCA Protocol RCR tires, and the ride gets even better. This combo opens up rougher, longer routes that used to feel too punishing on a standard road bike, making those hidden backroads more fun and accessible.

A build like this deserves components that match its purpose and performance, and a few partners helped Todd bring it to life. The Shimano Dura-Ace kit and CADEX Max 40 wheels are a perfect fit, balancing strength, dependability, and weight savings, while the bits from Wolf Tooth, SILCA (including a color-matched Impero frame pump!), and a custom-molded Reform saddle help buttress it’s overall top-tier panache.

Perhaps unlike a production bike you’d find on a shop floor, the Loma Prieta is totally custom. Todd doesn't just build a bike to fit a particular customer’s body; he tunes the geometry around specific tire preference, a favorite component package, and riding goals. But don’t take our word for it. Rather, puruse the photoset here and see for yourself!