Win a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate. Contest details below.

Russell Jobs, aka “The Shed Master,” is the guy who is so kindly covering NAHBS 2009 for me in Indianapolis this weekend. You can also see additional vignettes from NAHBS over at his blog: Life in the Rusty Toolshed.

Over 3,000 people filled the show halls Saturday to gawk at the pretty bikes, like the the amazing, handpainted art on this Kirk Lee carbon fiber bike created for Florida triathlete Rachel Gross.

If you like the classic simplicity of lugs on steel frames like I do, there’s plenty of that at the show.

The 2009 NAHBS features clothing and bags like this made in Japan Ostrich canvas saddle bag.

The show runs from 10 AM to 5 PM on Sunday. If you’re anywhere in the Midwest you owe it to yourself to see this wonderful collection of great bikes and great bike stuff. Why look at bike porn online when you can see it live and in the flesh?

NAHBS is consumer friendly, the builders are open and available to chat with, and it’s a great opportunity to meet up with people in the bike industry. The lovely Canadians from Momentum Magazine are there, as are the Urban Velo crew, along with Velo Orange with his wares (like the above mentioned Ostrich bag), Courtney The Shop Girl, and several other good people.

CONTEST If you’re at NAHBS 2009, see if you can ambush any of these people and tell them hello from Cyclelicious, snap a photo of them holding a “I LOVE CYCELICIOUS” sign, and post it somewhere, and leave a link in the comments below. I’ll select a winner at random and send a $20 Amazon gift certificate. Some people I know at the show that you can try to catch: almost anybody from Momentum, Urban Jeff from Urban Velo, Mark Nobilette and his daughter, show organizer Don Walker, Jon Norstag of Thursday Bicycles, one or two of the people from Calfee, the Wheeltags people, Jack of Sillgey, Renold of Yipsan,Tom Martin of Velo Orange, Courtney Chambers of Shop Girl Inc, and, of course, Russell Jobs who is covering the show for Cyclelicious.

I completely missed this important bit of news until Murph brought this to my attention: The maximum amount of the pre-tax transit benefit has nearly doubled from $120 to $230 per month!

I currently get the maximum $120 benefit from my employer but still pay $92.75 each month out of my pocket for public transportation. I need to ask if this extra benefit is available at my work.

BART news has more information.

In other news, at least one company that processes transit commuter checks now offers commuter checks for the bike commuter benefit. Accor Services is one of many HR outsourcing providers that manages a commuter check benefit program for businesses. Similar to current Commuter Check programs for public transit and parking, employers can offer the bicycling benefit as a pre-tax salary deduction, saving on taxes for the individual and the company or as a subsidy, which is also tax deductible for the company. Commuter Check for Bicycling vouchers are valid for all IRS allowable purchases using the bicycle benefit including new bicycle purchases, bicycle parts, equipment and accessories, as well as bicycle storage costs. Vouchers are redeemable at a number of dedicated bicycle shops and bicycle parking and storage locations across the country (thought I have’t identifed what these bike shops are, yet).

I’ll post this news again on Monday, when people are actually browsing the web from their offices for those fortunate enough to still be employed. Unemployment in California is now at 10.1%

I’ll have a larger report this evening.