While many long-term Canberrans have fond memories of riding the city streets on a locally built Spokesman bike during the 1980s, those traditional frame-making skills were all but wiped out by decades of cheap, mass-produced imports.

But a small, dedicated band of frame-builders is fighting back and starting to find a receptive audience in the capital. Since 2011 a new band of custom bike builders have begun opening their doors to customers, who are increasingly willing to pay a premium for a tailor-made ride.

Keith Marshall of Kumo Cycles has watched his waiting list grow to more than 12 months, and thinks Canberra cyclists are developing a better understanding of the advantages of a custom, locally constructed bike.

''I was building frames for myself and friends and putting pictures on the internet and suddenly people started asking, 'When can I buy one?''' he says.

Inspired by legendary frame builders such as Japan's Yoshiaki Nagasawa and Australian Darrell McCulloch, Mr Marshall says for many customers the process of fitting, tuning and designing a one-of-a-kind ride is as important as the final product itself.

A complete bike can take anything from 25 to 150 hours to build, depending on the complexity, and is not a process for the impatient, with only one bike built at a time.

While some frame builders, such as Gundaroo-based Wayne Kotzur, have been building custom frames for years on the back of word-of-mouth, several are becoming more mainstream.

One of the most visible is Goodspeed, with more than 50 of the distinctive, elegant sloping top tube design frames gracing the streets of Canberra.

Luke Laffan, who builds Goodspeed frames in his one-man Queanbeyan workshop but also puts out bikes under his own brand, Fikas, describes the change as less of a revolution and more a rediscovering of a more traditional approach to buying a bike.

''Before the mass-produced bikes it was a bit of a thing, you'd get your bike made from the local bike shop, and that obviously died off a bit, but I think it's now making a resurgence,'' Mr Laffan says.

''It's an experience; you're talking to someone who's going to make something for you, you're involved, they see it as it's being made and when they finally get it, it's something they can't just walk into a shop and get.

''Once they have it they feel attached to it because they've been through that process.''

Rent, Australian standards of living and the cost of importing materials make it all but impossible for local bike-makers to compete on price, with some budget Chinese manufacturers now offering custom designs in addition to off-the-shelf models.

''You don't try to keep up with it,'' says Mr Laffan. ''I was talking to a guy the other day who paid $800 for a custom frame, and it costs me well over that just to buy the tubes.''

Noticing the growing trend two years ago, Andy White organised the first Australian Custom Bicycle Show in Melbourne. This year the show received several thousand visitors and will move to Adelaide in 2014 to be alongside the Tour Down Under.

''They haven't been doing it for long but guys like Keith are pioneering the way in Australia, and while they look to the US, my hope is in 10 years time other people will look to them as inspiration,'' Mr White says.