The BNG team made our way out to Boston last weekend for the Really Rad UCI cross race in Falmouth, Massachusetts. With gorgeous weather and warm temperatures, our trip out east was a true vacation and we had a blast. The Really Rad venue delivered a fast and flowy course with excellent competition and a day in Boston provided some sightseeing shenanigans. But maybe more exciting than anything else, our six beautiful titanium BNG Firefly bikes made a visit to the mothership and were put on display for a fun happy hour event at Firefly’s headquarters in Boston. When Dani, Emily, and I planned our race schedule for the year, we were excited to put Really Rad on the calendar so that we could visit Firefly. This amazing custom bike company has been a huge support to the BNG squad over the years and we wanted to visit the shop and learn more about the bikes that we all love so much. So, after a successful weekend of racing at Really Rad, we loaded up our six titanium babies and made the trek up to Boston. Wiping off the mud, dust, and maybe a little snot from our bikes, we helped display the bikes for our happy hour event and then proceeded to ask a million questions of Tyler, Kevin, Ellen, and Jaime of Firefly. We learned about the custom building process from raw tubing to finished bicycles. We learned about welding, bending, machining, and anodizing, and we learned a few secrets along the way too! When you realize how much work and attention goes into these bikes, it just makes you appreciate them even more. Besides learning about the building process, we actually go to take part in the process! Don’t worry, no imperative tasks were performed by the BNG team. Instead, we helped pull bits of vinyl masking off a frame that was in the finishing stages. The mesmerizing focus and complete satisfaction that comes from pulling small chunks of masking off a frame is a strange but wonderful feeling. Once we pulled ourselves away from the unmasking process, we got to geek out with other Firefly customers and show off our builds. It’s so interesting to see what other people choose for their builds, what their designs looks like, and all the little details they’ve added to make their bikes special. For me, I love the big 42mm+ tire clearance I have on my gravel-cross bikes and love to show people the 3D-printed chainstay yoke that makes this much clearance possible without sacrificing short and snappy chainstays. After some serious time in bike nerd heaven, we wrapped up the event and packed up our magical bikes and shipped them off to Chicago for our next race. We’re hosting another happy hour event in Chicago at the Tenspeed Hero office so be sure to check in and come chat about bikes and gear this Sunday!
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2022
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