Firefly or Mosaic

[brendanfoo]

Hi folks, I am in the market for a custom Titanium/Stainless Steel frame. I have a hard time on deciding on a builder. Anyone have any experiences or recommendations? I have read some threads on this forum on how Firefly uses stock tubes and paragon parts? Can anyone elaborate more on it?

[AttacknowAttackoften]

I would vote for firefly based on their unique anodization.

[CrankAddictsRich]

As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with either of them.... they both make beautiful bikes.

[DJT21]

http://www.strongframes.com/

[fromtrektocolnago]

I have a firefly. Very satisfied and the bike looks great. But honestly you cannot go wrong with either both are great builders. Go with the one that sings to you more. The important thing will be the conversation you have with them and making sure they build a bike to your weight, size and riding style. Both are more than qualified at doing just that but you might have a better rapport with one over the other.

[kode54]

yup. i'd be happy with either one. if you can tolerate the wait times...see who has the shortest line to get one.

[morrisond]

For wait times it will most likely be Shorter with Mosaic - it would be 8-12 weeks not 8-12 months(purely guessing on this I haven't checked with Firefly lately) unless you want to pay Firefly a Premium for an early spot if they still do that.

That being said I'm just in the process of Ordering a Mosaic but i love the Firefly Drop-outs - Works of art.

[shimmeD]

For stainless, go with English

[fromtrektocolnago]

For wait times it will most likely be Shorter with Mosaic - it would be 8-12 weeks not 8-12 months(purely guessing on this I haven't checked with Firefly lately) unless you want to pay Firefly a Premium for an early spot if they still do that.

That being said I'm just in the process of Ordering a Mosaic but i love the Firefly Drop-outs - Works of art.

I got my firefly in way under that time. you don't need to wait 8-12 months. Got mine in under 3. i paid the fee. I love the drop-outs and the anodized treatment. but if i was simply looking for a solid titanium bike and the aesthetics were not the top priority I'd probably go Seven Cycles.

[jbaillie]

Some of this is just repeating what others have said but definitely ask both about lead times. I love my Firefly and will always recommend them to someone looking for a top notch Ti or SS frame. That being said, a few things to consider:

Aaron Barcheck at Mosaic started at DEAN before opening Mosaic. Tyler Evans fabricated at Merlin until the late 90's, then Independent Fabrication before starting Firefly (Jamie and Kevin also came from IF). Not sure if the lineage of either of those means anything to you.
Also, if you're thinking about paint, Mosaic uses Spectrum Powder Works in Colorado. Firefly has used different painters over the years but Hot Tubes did their most recent TenSpeed Hero project bikes.

You'll get a crazy nice bike either way. I got a no-frills Ti Road from Firefly back in 2011 and it's been my bike for everything from crit racing to D2R2 to long charity rides to commuting. I love that thing and it's probably going to be my bike for all those things for another 10 or 20 years.

[ewwhite]

No.22 Bicycles?

https://22bicycles.com

[duende]

Tough choice. But there are key differences that may matter to you so do some research. Check out the rear drop outs, chainstays, tubing diameter choices.. There's reasons why the two builders chose different paths here. You might find that you align more with one over the other.

Just my .02

[eric01]

+1 for carl strong. Don't have the flashy anodizing as Firefly -- which I admit is really cool -- but a solid, no nonsense, high quality titanium bike.

[Wingnut]

No.22 Bicycles?

https://22bicycles.com

Agree...these guys make cool bikes!

[jrobart]

For wait times it will most likely be Shorter with Mosaic - it would be 8-12 weeks not 8-12 months(purely guessing on this I haven't checked with Firefly lately) unless you want to pay Firefly a Premium for an early spot if they still do that.

That being said I'm just in the process of Ordering a Mosaic but i love the Firefly Drop-outs - Works of art.

I got my firefly in way under that time. you don't need to wait 8-12 months. Got mine in under 3. i paid the fee. I love the drop-outs and the anodized treatment. but if i was simply looking for a solid titanium bike and the aesthetics were not the top priority I'd probably go Seven Cycles.

+1 for Seven Cycles. A crew of ex Merlin folks who really led the Ti evolution.

I have an Axiom SL, and just I built up a 622 SLX (carbon tubes with ti lugs and chainstays). Both bikes are absolutely exactly what I was looking for. Custom process was comprehensive without excessive wait times (about 8 weeks in both cases). Also had a Mudhoney SL, but sold it to partially fund the 622. I definitely would take a look at Seven before making a decision.