Already two days in the hole on sleep, I departed Boulder, CO on Friday afternoon to board the now akin-to-Greyhound Southwest flight to Austin, Texas--yeehaw! I left Boulder on a snowy 15 degree day and got off the plane in Austin, a balmy 60 degrees! I found the Mosaic Cycles crew at their Super 8 motel. We piled in the Mosaic van and headed for the SoCo (South Congress) neighborhood. Out the back of the van I could see the crowds of fellow bike nerds in town for NAHBS. We found our friends at the Continental Club. The bouncer had an amazing Texan accent- I could not help but comment on it. Cheap or free music poured out of almost every bar we walked by. We got pizza and beers, ran into friends, then piled back into the van and arrived at Don's Depot (a honky tonk piano bar full to the brim with cotton heads in what I'll call "Texas goin' out clothes"). Many of the 60 and 70 year old women wore cheetah print boots or dresses--some with fringe. My favorite from the guys were outfits of leather pants, a button-up shirts, cowboy hats and of course, mustaches. After a couple drinks there we stopped at Austin Bikes where the party was winding down. I worked on some tricks on their little fixed gear on the shop floor while Aaron and others talked bikes and NAHBS.
At 12am I went to meet up with some of the Rapha crew at the Mellow Jonny's party (a bike store owned by the one and only Lance). On the way to meet them I found a metal bar called Head Hunters, which, of course, had free live music. A death metal band called Cerebral Desecration was about to start their set--bad ass! After listening for a while I found my friends at a gay bar called Kiss and Fly. Inside the bar we hung out with some locals, danced and drank. By 2:30am we made our way to the street, ate slices of pizza and laughed our asses off by smelling each other's armpits--a day of humidity, traveling and bike riding will do it. When the guys realized they were leading the gentleman's ride at 6:30am (in 3ish hours) we had to split. 
In bed by 4am, I slept until 7:30, got up showered, ate and went the NAHBS where I deliriously "volunteered" for 4 hours. I did actually work for about two hours but then the distractions of visiting friend's booths began. By 1pm my head was in a cloud and I walked around and absorbed as much of the show as I could. After a nap, I went for a bike ride and tried to get lost. Austin was 70F by then and I was LOVING it! Back at NAHBS with more energy, I had a chance to take more time at the booths. I'm a sucker for trendy, clever aesthetics so I couldn't help but drift to Vanilla Cycles. I spent some time talking to those guys and drooling over details. Things that caught my eye: Cysco Cycles' twisted downtub, Dario Pegoretti's frames, Gaulzetti Cicli, Richard Sachs, Sheila Moon Apparel, Six Eleven Bicycles, Sylvan Cycles, and Bishop Bikes. I wish I had the chance to stay one more day and chat with more of the builders, particularly Richard Sachs. As the clock struck 6pm, the show ended for the day and my evening festivities were in the works. 
A few of us with the Mosaic crew hit up the NAHBS BBQ at Bicycle Sport Shop. I rode around the city and actually did get a little lost before making my way back to the hotel room, unclear of how humidity works. I was ready to hit the pool only to find that it closed at 10pm. After a second shower and a change of clothes, it was time for another night out with the Rapha crew. This time we headed away from the city center to a cafe/bar called the Spider House. After two rounds of drinks, it was time to hit the dance floor. Our group of ten had the bar to ourselves and a couple of guys played some old school funk. We finished the night out dancing our asses off as we drank. At 6am I departed for the airport wishing I had the balls to miss my flight and spend more time at the show and ride around the city. NAHBS brings together just the right kind of people and Austin is a gem.
--Stephanie, 27, rides, climbs, hunts, and tries not to work in Boulder, CO.
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