If you had piles of cash to spend on a custom-made packable bike, what kind would you get? Well, Malaysian horologist Ming Thein got a titanium number that can be taken apart to fit inside his own Rimowa suitcase – it's called the Firefly MiniVelo.
When he isn't busy running self-named luxury watch brand Ming, Thein is an avid photographer, world traveller and bicycle aficionado.
He obviously likes to have an easy way of getting around wherever he goes, but lugging a conventional bike from airport to airport would be a hassle. Doing so would also be hard on the bike … unless it could be protected inside a compact hard case, that is.
With that thought in mind, Ming commissioned Massachusetts-based Firefly Bicycles to build him something that was fast, light, and able to fit inside one of his aluminum-bodied Rimowa suitcases (which are themselves a luxury item). The one-off MiniVelo was the result.
First of all, yes, the bike does indeed sport a custom titanium frame, fork and seatpost. The frame can be separated into two pieces via connectors in the top tube and down tube. Its wheels and various other components are then removed and wrapped in foam padding, allowing the whole shebang to fit nicely inside the luggage.
The bike rolls on SMC Govan 406-TW3 carbon fiber wheels (with ceramic hubs) clad in Michelin Pilot SX Slick 20 x 1.7-inch tires. A 56-tooth Alugear Round chainring, 170-mm eeWings Allroad cranks, Crankbrothers Eggbeater 3 pedals and Chris King T47 bottom bracket make up the front end of the drivetrain.
All those bits and bobs are linked via a SRAM Red AXS chain to an electronic-shift SRAM Red AXS derailleur in the rear, along with a SRAM Red AXS 10-33 12-speed cassette.
Other features include a custom titanium headset, a Blacksheep bar/stem and a Specialized Power Pro with Mirror 3D-printed saddle. Stopping power is provided by internally-routed Hope RX4+ brakes and Carbon-Ti SteelCarbon rotors. A coupler in the rear brake hose allows the two halves of the bicycle to be separated without losing any fluid.
The complete bike weighs in at about 17 lb (7.7 kg). But how did Thein like it?
"He wanted a bike that he could pack in his Rimowa case and that would ride as much like a normal road bike as possible, in terms of gearing and handling feel, and he was thrilled with how it came out," Firefly director of operations Kevin Wolfson tells us. "We don't currently have any on order, but we'd love to build them for more riders."
Source: Firefly Bicycles via Yanko Design