These moments don’t come along often, and when they do… jump on them!

For me this moment was probably the highlight of the Bespoked show, for a few reasons.

Way back in 2012 Cherubim exhibited a red track bike at NAHBS, called the Air Line bike, if I recall. Mark Dawson, who’s one of the top photographers in the handbuilt bikes world, shot it at NAHBS. Dominik, from Project D, said he got a poster of that bike back then, and hung it on his bedroom wall. He’d gaze at it thinking about what’s possible in bike design. It inspired him to become a frame builder.

Fast forward to 2026 and Dominik shows up at Bespoked Osaka with a track bike that got everybody’s attention, and I think rightly won Best in Show. If you’ve not seen it yet, here’s the video interview I made with him, talking about his bike.

I was loitering at the foot of the stairs leading down from the awards stage, and that’s where Dominik told me Shini-Ichi is his hero. Well, when he went back to his booth, I walked over to Cherubim, and told Shin-Ichi the story. Of course Shin-Ichi was touched, and eager to meet him. He was impressed by Dominic’s design and fabrication work. “I get it,” he said, approvingly.

For me this was all about an established master unwittingly inspiring, and then welcoming an immensely talented newcomer to the pantheon of frame building greats.

At dinner, chatting with Shin-Ichi, I wondered aloud how many hours Dominik must have had the frame on the fixture to get all those tube bends right. He put his head back and laughed. “I know, I know!” he said. Which said it all.