Firefly Bicycles: We Have Them! You Need One

Friday, March 11th, 2011 at 9:17 am | Written by Get A Grip Cycles

Get A Grip Cycles is very proud, pleased, and freakin’ pumped, to announce that we’re on a short list of authorized dealers that’ll be carring the newly formed Firefly Bicycles.

The crew of builders here has a handmade bicycle lineage/resume that’s near sacred and now they’re doing things their own way in their new facility in Boston…where they started things by making the tools and machinery they needed to make their bikes. We know, it sounds complicated. It is.

We talked to lead frame designer Kevin Wolfson about the goings-on at their facility; he obliged and they happened to be photographing their first completed frame. Not only was the paint not dry, it wasn’t even applied yet; now, they’re off–literally.

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  The first frame off the table at Firefly Cycles. Too cool!

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  Drills rock!

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  Getting serious about making serious bikes, that's Firefly Cycles.

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  Tools and cycling go hand in hand.

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  Firefly Cycles in Boston, making their own tools. Their bikes are custom, so is their table.

Wolfson took off on a Bikes Belong fundraising ride to Washington, D.C., on the bike the day after we spoke (on Facebook here). Firefly is also donating the frame to a raffle for the cyclist-friendly organization. “We believe it’s important for any cycling company to support the community; it’s morally right and the more cyclists, the better off we are,” says Wolfson.

Who Is Firefly?

The proverbial “they” begins with Jamie Medeiros, co-founder and director of R&D; also, Tyler Evans, co-founder and creative director; and Wolfson (more about who they are here).

Jamie Madeiros

Tyler Evans

Kevin Wolfson

The first thing we liked about this company is that every single one of these guys is a cyclist first and foremost, so they know what they’re talking about and ride the ride. Far as that lineage, Medeiros was with Indepenent Facbrication a.k.a. IF for about 13 years, as was Evans, who also put in time with Merlin Metalworks.

According to Wolfson, Firefly came to life for two reasons:

1.

“The three of us all have a lot of ideas and collected knowledge, creativity that’s built up in all of us. We’re making custom bikes for each customer and we have total control over what we’re making and how we’re making it. We make it all in-house, leaving lots of room for us to take all these ideas we’ve had and make them reality. “The goal is to make best possible bike for the customer, but we also want to make it special and make the experience such that it separates Firefly from what’s been before.

2.

“We all have very strong ties to Boston–family and friends. We wanted to stay here and making custom bikes is what we do. The idea of keeping custom frame building in Boston is really important to us. We’re working hard to stay connected to the city.”

New Capabilities Online–And Off

So, why’d they have to make their own tools and machines to make bikes? Because they can and: “We’re offering shaped tubing, which meant all new tooling to hold it” says Wolfson. “Nothing extreme, but we know that lightly shaped tubing will improve the ride quality. It’s a simple thing, but can make a bike more dialed-in to something the customer wants and we haven’t had the freedom to do that before.”

The goal is to produce two to three bikes per week, distributed only at top shops. Each build will be documented for the client and the Firefly team’s attention will be highly focused on every project.

“We’re letting customers into the entire process, the goal being intense, responsive customer service,” says Wolfson. “If they have a question or want a tour of the shop, we’re going to be there for them. We want it to be personal for the customer because I think in the end personal connections are a lot of the reason people buy custom bikes.”

We agree. Come in to Get A Grip Cycle Shop: set up an appointment for a fitting and let’s get your Firefly experience up and at’em, just like your cycling.