Monday, January 3, 2011

My bike: GRIFFEN Vulcan B4C ... What's that?


It is well know by triathletes that yes, our sport is one of the most equipment-heavy endurance sports out there. We love gadgets & cannot wait to get the newest & improved ones. The night before a race, we wash our bikes down, make sure all our gear is in working order, pack our transition bags until they are stuffed to the brim & make sure our lucky gear is there ... in my case, it's my pea green socks & my red Airestream Zeal Optics sunglasses!

Every race becomes a show-in-tell. As athletes, we stroll into TA strutting our stuff and confidently set up our gear. The biggest investment a triathlete has to make is their bike. I was fortunate enough to purchase GRIFFEN Vulcan b4c. What is it? Not many people know. When I walk into a TA, rarely is there another GRIFFEN. Every once in a while, I see a pink camo one ... still don't know who owns that beauty. At almost every race I get asked questions about my bike, "What is a GRIFFEN??" Below are the specs I've got on my bike. I think it's pretty sweet!

The fabrication of the GRIFFEN is much different than most bikes. It starts out as powder and is formed into a very precise Metal Matrix under extreme pressure. When Boron Carbide is produced it needs to be packed, shipped, and fabricated in one week. If Griffen passes one week the metal hardens and it is pretty much down with. The metal manufacturer ships each small piece of Boron Carbide to GRIFFEN in small containers filled with dry ice to maintain its physical state. Then the race is on to build the frame... When the frame is finally fabricated it gets hardened and becomes as stong as steel. Thank goodness it's strong & doesn't shatter or splinter like Carbon Fiber ... I would have gone through about 5 bikes by now if that was the case!

-Frame is handmade in the USA.
-Made from Boron Carbide, reinforced 6092 aluminum Metal Matrix.
-Made in USA from 100 percent US-produced materials.
-Race proven geometry is used for all styles of frames.
-Modulus of elasticity is 14.3 million psi; 4.2 million psi greater that 6061 or 7000 series aluminum.
-38% stronger than aluminum alloys
-40% lighter than titanium alloys.
-Stiffer than titanium alloys.
-Fatigue life is hundreds of times greater than aluminum alloys.
-COMFORT of Titanium, STRENGTH of steel and STIFFNESS of aluminum.
-Metal Matrix powder metallurgy provides best balance vibration absorbing ride.
-Won't flex in sprint or climbs.
-GRIFFEN frames are inspected five times to assure the highest level of quality.
-GRIFFEN is wind tunnel-tested, aerodynamic frames.

Unfortunately, The GRIFFEN is no longer being made. Glad I got mine when I did. I think I'll be holding onto it for a while. =)