Josh Ogle is certainly one to sweat the details. After all, it’s probably not by accident that his company, Ogle Component Design spells out OCD. But this is OCD in the best way possible, especially when paired with the creative latitude that 3D printing can combine.
That was on full display at the MADE show, both on Ogle’s own bikes, and on bikes that he’s collaborated with other builders with, like the new Prototype V1 from Firefly. We could have spent all day talking with Josh, diving into the details on every little feature, from creative flair to structural details not possible without 3D printing.
150mm Travel V2 Full Suspension
In addition to intricately machined titanium lockrings, the star of the OCD booth had to be this full suspension mountain bike with a titanium frame featuring 3D printed details including Japanese-inspired graffiti, and the Ministry 3VO suspension platform.
Since we’re talking about 3D printing here, there’s no limit to what you can print on the surface of the tubes, so Josh let his imagination run wild. From graffiti to Godzilla to name tags to torque values to motivation, it’s all there.
There’s even useful frame information like pinch point warnings and the rear axle spec printed right onto the frame.
Out back, the dropouts have been printed in a style to pay homage to the Looptail design of old Yeti frames.
And the one piece seat tube/seat post binder is something that Josh says couldn’t be done without the magic of 3D printing. It was difficult to perfect, but there is a titanium leaf spring that the bolts push against, which secures seat post.
There was also plenty of machined titanium used for the bike, including the 97g titanium stem, which Josh told us the testing lab gave up on trying to break it. The top cap is a good example of the complexity of fabrication used for much of the bike with three-dimensional, multi-layered graffiti that includes multiple finishes straight out of the machine.
Overall, it was just an incredible build with too many details to pick out without a walkthrough from Josh himself.
Firefly Full Suspension Prototype V1
It’s a similar story for the new Firefly Bicycles titanium full suspension prototype V1. Also built with the 3V0 suspension system designed by Chris Currie of Ministry Cycles, Josh Ogle again designed many of the titanium frame fittings which were then printed by Silca Velo in Indianapolis.
Prototype V1 has 150mm of rear suspension travel and is paired with a 160mm fork, though Firefly points out that it has been designed to allow for multiple front and rear travel options and full custom geometries.
Josh didn’t go as crazy on this one with the graffiti, but there are still plenty of unique 3D printed graphic touches. Like the Ogle bike above, there are threaded bosses on the front triangle to allow for a micro rear fender for the suspension.
This frame also forgoes the trick seatpost binder in favor of a standard clamp.
Shown in the Shimano booth, the Firefly was equipped with a full Shimano XTR Di2 drivetrain for a dream build to match the incredible frame.
Firefly mentions that there are two more prototype frames currently in the works, and there is no date yet for a production-ready version. But if you’re interested, they are offering a waitlist for potential customers.
