Eyewater — Holy Moses

Wow. What the heck can we say?! NAHBS Best New Builder of 2018 Eyewater Bikes is all the best stuff that we like. Locally crafted? Tick that box—Corey Lowe builds the frames down Lakeside Ave in Mt. Baker. Fully-custom? Check. Handsome? 110%. Corey's method makes sure that you don't end up with three inches of material above the top tube and a top tube halfway down the head tube. It'll always look like a bike. Performance? Uh, yeah. But like Vittoria Corsas, while the speed is unbelievable, the comfort is what makes it dreamlike.

These bikes have the best carbon layup and molding we've ever seen. Go check out the Eyewater Instagram to see the cross-sections and be astounded. Corey says he could do a colorful finish on the frames, but he prefers to leave the carbon raw so you can see the beautiful iridescence in the tubing. The decals were inspired by a pair of holographic Doc Martens.

The NAHBS judges were understandably blown away by the craftsmanship evident at every seem and joint. These aren't glued like normal carbon lugs—they're wrapped with carbon and cured together so that the frame is stiffer and stronger. Incidentally, it's gorgeous.