Griffen Vulcan B4C

Frame:
For Sale! Griffen Vulcan B4C (50) Frame (1300g) (Made from Boron Carbide reinforced 6092 aluminum Metal Matrix Composite)

Fork/Headset:
Reynolds Ouza Pro Aero Carbon 1" Fork (395g) /

Crankset/Bottom Bracket:
ROTOR 2D / ROTOR

Front Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Specialized 650c Trispoke / Specialized + Campagnolo 650c Shamal / Campagnolo

Rear Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Campagnolo 650c Shamal / Campagnolo /

More Info:
Griffen was owned by Tony Free and was in operation for 15 years before shutting its doors in 2009. Their frames were handmade in Decatur, Texas USA and were limited in production, costing around $3500 new. The mix of materials in Griffen frames, known as Boron Carbide Metal Matrix Composite, is not melted; but rather sintered. The raw material is a fine powder squeezed together and formed into shape under extreme pressure. After the Boron Carbide was made, it had to be packed, shipped and fabricated into a bike within one week, or it became unusable. The microscopic structure created by this process is like a honey comb, which absorbs shock and vibration while maintaining a rigid structure. When the frame is finally finished, it hardens and becomes as strong as steel, provides the comfort of titanium, the stiffness of aluminum and has a fatigue life 100’s of times greater than aluminum alloys. The frames were said to be 38% stronger than aluminum alloys and 40% lighter than titanium alloys while also being stiffer than titanium alloys. "Because of the powder metallurgy process, the material has inherent microscopic pores, which is absorbent to vibration. This results in a smoother ride. Also, because we use more material by volume as our competition (our material is one half the weight of normal aluminum by volume), we achieve better comfort, lateral stiffness and power transmission all at the same time." - Griffen Bikes