Annual Bike Shed London Show brings 16,000 custom bike fans into the capital

The London Bike Shed Moto Show attracted thousands of custom and classic fans to the nation’s capital late last month, with 16,000 attendees visiting the Tobacco Dock venue between May 24-26. 

Showcasing 270 curated custom motorcycles, from 450cc rally machines and classic cafe racers, to old school sports bikes, there was something for everyone, with plenty of food, drink and live music thrown into the mix, too. 

“It’s the hardest thing we do,” said Bike Shed co-owner Anthony ‘Dutch’ van Someren, “It’s incredibly sapping of time and energy but when you open the doors to the public come in, it’s all suddenly worth it.” 

The event saw its inauguration 11 years ago, gaining size and influence considerably since.

“When we started back in 2013, it was all about cafe racers and scramblers. It was that uber cool, beard and tattoos type event,” Dutch continued. “We didn’t have any manufacturers onboard, they’d sponsor it, but they weren’t building the bikes. Now though, they’re paying attention to us and creating bikes based on what the custom community is doing.” 

Ducati, BMW and Royal Enfield were all present at this year’s gathering, showing off their custom programs to gauge market interest. This included the unveiling of two new Ducati concepts which could make it to market later down the road. 

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“The thing for us now is to bring families in, not just the aficionados,” he continued. “You get a different crowd here than a lot of other bike shows. One of the reasons we do this show is because I’m a biker who doesn’t like bike shows. We’re not a trade fair, we’re here to celebrate biking culture.

“There’s definitely a different vibe. We blend custom builders with manufacturers,” Dutch added. “But they’re all enthusiasts, just like our audience, it’s all one crowd – we’re here to celebrate all that and make it inclusive and friendly. I’d love to see 30% of visitors this weekend to not be biker, yet.” 

With the success of this year’s event and the growth of the custom scene, MCN were told that a third, as yet undisclosed Bike Shed location would be announced soon.

That’s not all however, and organiser Dutch also revealed Bike Shed hope to replicate the show in the US, although no date was given for when this could come to fruition.