Every year the North American Handmade Bicycle Show sees the gathering of dozens of niche bicycle designers and builders to share their latest bikes, from mountain bikes to road bikes and quite a lot that falls somewhere in the middle.

This year the show headed to Austin, Texas and, as we expected, there’s been some real stand out bicycles on show. We’re not there, obviously (as much as we kind of wish we were), but that doesn’t stop us brining you news of the mountain bikes that the NAHBS Awards shindig singled out.

In the Best Off-Road category Black Sheep Fabrication, based out of Fort Collins, Colorado picked up the award for its Black Sheep Stellar. The frame uses twin tubes that hark back to the cruiser bikes that spawned the mountain bike as we know it.

Independent Fabrication picked up an award for the Best TIG Welded Frame. The company has built up a solid reputation for its beautiful frames over the past couple of years. It’s clear from a look at the company’s website that it’s no ordinary bicycle company, instead eschewing the mainstream by carving its own direction in design and finish.

At the show IF showed a prototype of a Ti Factory Lightweight single speed mountain bike. We don’t know much about it currently, but we’re frothing at the mouth just from these photos alone. God knows what’ll happen to us when we see it in the flesh!

Rosene Hand Built Bicycles won the Rookie of the Year, an enviable award for any new brand to collect. The new company showed its Stainless Swinger, a handbuilt frame made with a stainless steel tubeset based around 29er wheels and featuring a singlespeed belt-drive setup.

See the rest of the award winners here. http://www.2011.handmadebicycleshow.com/2011/02/27/2011-nahbs-award-winners/