Refinishing my Firefly frame

[GuyGadois]

I purchased a sweet, practically new Firefly on eBay last year. It is an amazing ride. After riding carbon for a few years the return to Ti is beautiful. The finish is plain bead blasted with the Firefly logo in brushed --- stealth and very non-Firefly. I would like to have Firefly re-finish it with something more Firefly using their anodizing method (no paint or decals).

I have a couple of ideas but I wanted to ask the fine Paceline community for their ideas.

Fire away.

[staggerwing]

Not to be that guy, but certain you don't want to build it, and put a couple hundred on it, just to make sure it will be a long-term stable mate?

[Louis]

He does say that the ride is "amazing."

[velotrack]

There is some beauty in stealth.

[GuyGadois]

Not to be that guy, but certain you don't want to build it, and put a couple hundred on it, just to make sure it will be a long-term stable mate?

Already built up and ridden for about 10 months.

here it is while I was building it up

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5604/15460861499_ea07e528ea_z.jpg

[dustyrider]

I kinda like this MTB trend of oversized gaudy letters spread up, down, and/or all around the down tube. I find my eye drawn to asymmetry and places often overlooked. Might be cool on a skinny tube bike...shrug?

[velomonkey]

You gotta make these things yours. There is, literally, no other bike like it - so go for it.

I put the first names of my family on the top tube - seems to be well-liked.

I put something else on the seat tube - something special to me from when I wa young and made me who i am.

i put the bars on the seat and chain stay - tyler lines them up perfectly.

I wish I put the firefly number on it. Only so many of these. I also wish I put the logo/sig of tyler, jamie and kevin - they don't tell you about this, well they didn't me, but I figured it out later. Firefly is those 3 and if grows bigger it won't be firefly.

Stealth is good - i go ti and black. All business. I did the blue "i" - just that was enough to have someone chase me down in their car and ask me if that was a firefly. I pulled over and let him check it out - the "i" was all he needed.

[eddief]

on their recent builds pages. Your bike could be dolled up simply with some red parts in all the right places.

http://fireflybicycles.com/recent-builds

Or even more pronounced white tasty downtube decals with one sharp brightly colored letter of your choice.

[FlashUNC]

I would go nuts with the ano. That stuff is too cool.

[eBAUMANN]

I would go nuts with the ano. That stuff is too cool.

agreed, get em to do some sort of cool geometric pattern or something :banana:

[jbrainin]

Give them a ring, talk to them a while about what kind of look appeals to you, set a budget and let them loose to do whatever they decide. It will be awesome!

[Matthew]

Panels, in your favorite color. Can never go wrong with panels.

[Steve in SLO]

Just have them ano "Hey wait up Steve!" on the top of the top tube.
That way you'll know what to say when we are riding next.

Or

You could do rainbows and unicorns… your choice.

[fogrider]

I purchased a sweet, practically new Firefly on eBay last year. It is an amazing ride. After riding carbon for a few years the return to Ti is beautiful. The finish is plain bead blasted with the Firefly logo in brushed --- stealth and very non-Firefly. I would like to have Firefly re-finish it with something more Firefly using their anodizing method (no paint or decals).

I have a couple of ideas but I wanted to ask the fine Paceline community for their ideas.

Fire away.

what color do you like? I recent had a frame resprayed, I started with a soft green paired with a grey and black decal. I knew I wanted a third color but wanted to keep it simple. but this would be too many colors. I eliminated the decal color by using the same grey for the decal and the third color I matched it to anodized brakes and minimized it to a couple of accents. https://www.flickr.com/photos/72776081@N03/sets/72157635239066004

[bewheels]

In order for me to give a proper opinion, I would need to ride it for a year. It looks like it will fit me - so feel free to send it to me for evaluation...don't worry, I am a trained professional.

[soulspinner]

I would go nuts with the ano. That stuff is too cool.

Ya blue ano..........

[holliscx]

Collect inspiration, things that inspire YOU.

Share these with Tyler.

The sky's the limit.

#EveryFFIsAShowBike

For starters get a glass of wine and click through these but bring new ideas to the table that speak to your bike not someone else's.

http://fireflybicycles.tumblr.com

https://www.flickr.com/photos/fireflybicycles/

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=105319

G'luck and enjoy the process.

[enr1co]

Collect inspiration, things that inspire YOU.

Share these with Tyler.

The sky's the limit.

#EveryFFIsAShowBike

For starters get a glass of wine and click through these but bring new ideas to the table that speak to your bike not someone else's.

http://fireflybicycles.tumblr.com

https://www.flickr.com/photos/fireflybicycles/

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=105319

G'luck and enjoy the process.

+1 take your time with it, collect ideas, inspiration and the right design for you will come.

And now, I will stop clicking on those Firefly links before I start getting ideas that I shouldnt ;)

[staggerwing]

Panels, in your favorite color. Can never go wrong with panels.

I'm kinda old school, and love the idea of a classic panel design, updated by anodizing on a titanium frame. Perhaps reverse (bare ti) lettering floating in a blue anodized panel, with complimentary rings top and bottom.

[teleguy57]

I'm kinda old school, and love the idea of a classic panel design, updated by anodizing on a titanium frame. Perhaps reverse (bare ti) lettering floating in a blue anodized panel, with complimentary rings top and bottom.

Mmmmmmm....

[RedRider]

Paint it. Yes, I said it and the idea of painting Ti probably made a few of you gasp. Here's my very personal opinion... natural ti finished frames are so common among the current offering that you can't tell them apart at 5 feet. I look at most of them and my first reaction is BORING. Sure, natural ti the most durable finish but if you are being "practical" you would have bought a "bog standard" stock frame and not a Firefly. I like my bikes to make me smile when I look at them... so, go for it! Personalize it...Add color any way you want...Whatever gets you excited...

[jbrainin]

Perhaps something like this? (But not this:I don't want a twin for my bike!)
http://i.imgur.com/vgPOjt0.jpg

[tiretrax]

I love naked ti with colorful accents - seat clamp, headset, bb, saddle and bar tape. However, do what appeals to you. As an owner of several painted ti bikes and cringing over paint chips, I think anno is the way to go - provided it will be in a flavor you'll like in 10 years. So, I like the suggestions for panels, although the blue one above is enticing.

[Idris Icabod]

Perhaps something like this? (But not this:I don't want a twin for my bike!)
http://i.imgur.com/vgPOjt0.jpg

Winner! Just wow.

[bewheels]

Am I missing something?
I see a rear brake cable hanger/stop but no brake post on the front or rear.
What does the cable hander do?



http://i.imgur.com/vgPOjt0.jpg

[vav]

Am I missing something?
I see a rear brake cable hanger/stop but no brake post on the front or rear.
What does the cable hander do?

Probably attach to this guys :)

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/paulcompimg/products/racer_1_main.jpg

[guido]

Sheesh. It is completely beautiful as it is. Don't touch it! :fight:

[Tony T]

Already built up and ridden for about 10 months.

here it is while I was building it up

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5604/15460861499_ea07e528ea_z.jpg

IMO, leave it! Looks great as is. :)
(Mine is reversed, brushed with beaded logo)

[s_curran]

agreed, get em to do some sort of cool geometric pattern or something :banana:

I'd love to see part of the downtube wrapped in their adventure team branding/pattern, in ano form. I'm assuming this would be difficult though.

[dekindy]

Have been getting a lot of compliments lately on my classic bare titanium frame; but it is a Serotta Legend SE ST & F3 fork so it figures.

[jbrainin]

Probably attach to this guys :)

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/paulcompimg/products/racer_1_main.jpg

I used silver Paul Racer M brakes, now replaced with silver EE brakes.

[GuyGadois]

Great ideas.

I think it would be fun to have Firefly base the design on a 80s vintage paint job like the Pinarello Tri color or Mapei Colnago paint jobbie. Some kind of modern interpretation.

GG

[happycampyer]

My problem with trying to pick a finish on a ti Firefly is that, once I got started, I would need to get five or six in order to be satiated.

That's why I ended up ordering a carbon/ti mix. Much easier to keep it simple.

I agree that you need to find an inspiration and then talk it over with Tyler and team. Something that would look cool is digital camo anodizing, but it would probably cost a fortune and take forever to do. I love the ones with irridescent ano. Ano panels as mentioned above would be very cool. See what I mean?