Triple Crankset

A Beautiful Mind

A link between genius and madness has long been postulated. But, the romanticized view of the classic “mad genius,” whose psychopathology fuels an insatiable creativity, and was so aptly portrayed in the movie A Beautiful Mind, may be a bit erroneous.

Psychologists today suggest that heightened creativity is not necessarily predicated on possessing a mental disorder. On the contrary, “all significant creative leaps have two very important components—talent and technique. By far the most universal and necessary aspect of technique is dogged persistence, which is anything but romantic…Even acknowledged creative geniuses find that endurance must follow intuition. Einstein's ideas were not worked out in a day. It takes a great deal of discipline, and often many bouts of trial and error, to work out an idea. Follow-through is critical to the realization of an idea. Discipline is not a hallmark of minds in the throes of emotional distress.”

It is in this respect that Nick Frey, founder of Boo Bicycles, is considered a mad genius of the most talented and persistent kind. Truly, a beautiful mind.

A Beautiful Bike

Unlike his Princeton University predecessor, “The Phantom of Fine Hall,” whose inspirations were drawn from game theory, Nick Frey was inspired by the bamboo creations of Craig Calfee.

Light, stiff, strong, and eco-friendly, bamboo possesses all the necessary and sought after properties that frame builders look for in materials when fabricating their creations. So during his pursuit of a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering degree, Frey and his classmates set out to create their own version of the bamboo bicycle. But rather than follow Calfee’s lead into the genre of touring and utility bicycles, the Des Moines, Iowa native currently residing in Fort Collins, Colorado set out to design a bicycle with the racer in mind.

What emerged from almost two years of research, design, and testing was Boo Bicycles: race ready machines unlike anything you have seen on the start line.

In my conversation with Nick Frey, we take an in-depth look at bamboo, and discuss the 22-year-old’s future endeavors with Boo Bicycles and aspirations as a racer.

Lenny B (LB): Why bamboo? Where do you get?

Nick Frey (NF): Bamboo is an incredible material--it's actually a composite with high-strength fibers running through a matrix of softer material called lignin. The fiber density is greatest at the very outside of a bamboo stalk, maximizing the bending strength, and the inner material is softer and less dense and accounts for the amazing vibration dampening properties. Boo Bicycles have bored-out tubing, specific to each tube of the frame, and this actually controls the ride properties: increased stiffness in the down tube and chain stays, increased vibration dampening in the seat stays and seat tube. We've done many, many prototypes for testing the ride characteristics and have arrived at a frame that is very stiff yet smooth and completely devoid of any harshness. Bamboo has been optimized by nature over thousands of years, and it must be stiff enough to resist wind (at over 60 feet tall) while having enough compliance to not snap in a typhoon.

LB: Calfee has been working with bamboo for some time, how is Boo Bicycles different?

NF: Craig's amazing creations inspired me to create a bamboo bike as a design project for my junior year Mechanical Design course at Princeton (I graduated in 2009 in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering). To build a bike out of such a unique, different material simply blew my mind, and a few classmates and I decided we would try to do it ourselves. Almost two years later, I've teamed up with an expert craftsman (James Wolf, in Vietnam) and tested countless designs and prototypes to arrive at a stiff, relatively light bamboo bike that is incredibly smooth and lively. Craig's bikes are a bit heavier and meant more for touring and, many people believe, as an interesting novelty if you want to really stand out from the crowd. When I started Boo, I decided it would be the only builder working exclusively with the material and building high-performance frames competitive with Ti and carbon. I know the properties of the material, I know as a racer what the top bikes feel like and what customers expect, and I made it my goal to have a bamboo bike with no compromises--that's why our tag-line is "Stiff. Light. Smooth. PICK THREE."

LB: I would imagine that you would get bamboo tubes with some varying diameters, could you say that every one of your creations is essentially a one-off? How do you choose the bamboo used for your bicycles and what sort of standards are there for bamboo?

NF: Every frame is definitely a one-off, although our consistency from frame to frame is quite good. We use plantation bamboo (meaning it grows in a controlled location in rows, like corn) and cut it green and age it ourselves for four months. James and his team control every aspect of production, meaning we can really perfect the entire process. Bamboo is surprisingly uniform in height, diameter, and thickness--the key is to pick the bamboo at the proper time of year and at a specific point in its maturity. Bamboo shoots from the ground at the same diameter it will be at maturity, meaning it grows from the outside in, but the fiber density changes throughout its lifetime and it is crucial to pick it at the right moment. There is also an incredible amount of bamboo that is NOT used, meaning only the best tubes make it into our frames. You may think this is wasteful, but remember: bamboo is a grass and it will just grow back and spread! It's been an honor working together with James, he the builder and I the engineer/tester, because his knowledge of building with bamboo is unrivaled--the subject of his very first email to me was "Bamboo Master"! James and his workers have incredible skill (James has been working with the material for over 15 years with his custom furniture business) and their attention to detail and quality is like I've never seen in my life--every time I get a new batch of frames at my doorstep, I'm just giddy and can't stop smiling!

LB: Calfee Design heat-treats their bamboo to prevent it from splintering. Aside from boring your bamboo tubes out do you do anything else to them?

NF: Back when we started to project in 2007, Craig was not (to my knowledge) heat-treating. We heard through the grapevine that he was having serious warranty issues with splitting, and we experienced it ourselves when letting our Jersey bamboo air dry. The problem is that bamboo is not a homogeneous material: the inner growth is young and has a lower fiber density, and the lignin shrinks when it dries while the fibers do not. This creates a stress differential inside the tube, with the inside shrinking and the outside not, causing a longitudinal split.

We had a deadline approaching in Jan 2008, when our presentation to the class was scheduled, and we needed treated bamboo ASAP! We scoured the internet for answers, assuming Google would know the answer, but bamboo—while incredible popular and used around the world—has little information written and is basically a Third World miracle material that has not been tested or standardized by the First World. Luckily we ran across an article mentioning, “Traditional methods include treatment over an open flame” and we were off to Home Depot for some propane torches!

After some experiments with treatment and baking (making a few different test samples and testing the results for stiffness/strength), we got our treatment method down pat.

This brings me to Boo Bicycles today: we do NOT torch/bake our tubes. Why? We’ve done testing on James’ drying methods versus my torching/baking methods, and because the dendrocalamus strictus is so incredibly stiff, the torching/baking does not improve its strength. James has been working with this species for over a decade, and it’s one of the strongest bamboos in the world—we’ve had no issues with splitting, and we are even boring out our tubes for weight reduction. The key is WHEN the bamboo is harvested: when during the growing season, and when in the plant’s life. This obviously requires 1) incredible control over plant selection, including knowing how old the bamboo is, and 2) harvesting and treating a vast amount of bamboo at one time. We believe it is imperative to have complete control over the build process, as the best frame builders in the world have specific tubing and alloys for their steel and Ti frames, or an exact modulus and weave for their carbon. We are definitely perfectionists, and that’s why our frames require 50 hours of hand labor per, but I’ve got very high standards for Boo and we do everything it takes to make a beautiful, stiff, durable, and light bamboo/carbon frame.

As the company progresses and our experience grows, we are decreasing tube wall thickness and continuing to test for splitting and stiffness—the goal is to further reduce frame weight while preserving the incredible durability and stiffness that Boo prizes in our frames today.

LB: In the building process you chose to utilize hand wrapped carbon joints, was it the best way to join the bamboo tubes, rather than some prefab joints?

NF: Hand wrapped carbon is actually done because it allows us to work with a non-uniform material. We miter all the tubes to fit perfectly, tack them together with high-strength epoxy (similar to tacking a Ti or steel frame before welding), and then wrap 12k hundreds of times around each joint before sanding and polishing. It's very labor-intensive (every frame requires 50 hours of hand labor!) but it allows us to control the layup and work with an imperfect material. Most of our R&D has actually gone into the wrapping process and the fiber layup and orientation, and it's the only thing we never photograph or discuss because we've made a remarkable advance in wrapping technique. Our process allows a majority of our carbon fiber to align parallel to the load path, decreasing reliance on the weaker epoxy matrix, and increasing stiffness by THREE TIMES compared to our first carbon joints.

LB: Have you raced on your R…how does it compare to other bicycles you have used?

NF: I have raced on a Boo R twice—I did the Highland Ranch Criterium (14th in a sprint) and recently WON the Vuelta Miami Road Race on November 8th! In the Highlands Ranch race, there was one particularly nasty section in the middle of the second turn, at the bottom of a fast downhill every lap, with two large cracks right in the middle of the turn and a bunch of chip-seal strewn about. While other guys on super-stiff carbon monocoque bikes had their rigs skip inches outward every time through the corner, the Boo just sailed right through without any twitches or sketchiness.

In the Vuelta Miami, the bike was simply incredible. It is very stiff and accelerates like a rocket, and over the course of the 70 mile road race I really put it through its paces with many sprints to get into the front break through 20-30mph sustained winds. The bike really showed it can win at a big ($7k prize purse) race, and spectators and fellow racers alike were just blown away.

LB: Did you have an opportunity to race while you attended Princeton?

NF: I did! I actually did an event (the 2008 Rutgers Season Opener) on the bamboo bike we built for class! It was VERY eye-catching and made warming-up difficult: I was speaking to a crowd even on the starting line. The bike was very smooth, but not as stiff as I was used to, and it was at that point that I understood the difference between building a frame made of bamboo and building a racing bike. We had the bike to 80% of what it needed to be—we thought. That last 20% has taken over 18 months!

LB: You’ll be racing for Jamis/Sutter Home presented by Colavita next year, and most likely contractually held to using their bikes. Could you see outfitting a professional team with Boo bikes in the future?

NF: I will indeed be racing for Jamis/Sutter Home, and I'm VERY excited! Jamis makes incredible bikes and I really look forward to mounting their top-end Xenith SL. I've definitely considered having Boo ridden by a top amateur or pro team, but for a start-up, that's a huge bite to chew and I don't want to choke--to that end, I've actually "sponsored" my good friend and teammate Tyler Wren (Princeton '03) with a Boo CX for the cross season and he's successfully raced it already at Wissahickon and Granogue (taking 10th!). I'm also looking into sponsoring another friend in triathlon, and of course my first customers are all going to be representing Boo in various capacities on group rides. Right now the focus is to get the word out about Boo as a top-end, high-quality, handmade bamboo bike, but I've definitely been following how smaller companies have transitioned into sponsorship roles (like Parlee with Fly-V Australia) and I think the feedback they receive, as well as the exposure and legitimacy as a top-end racing bike, is incredible.

LB: Aside from the R and Wren’s Boo CX does Boo have any other models…do you intend to have a model for every type of racing discipline?

NF: We do indeed have other models: the T and the F, for Touring and Fixed. The former has a very beautiful integrated bamboo/carbon rear pannier rack that easily holds 200 pounds, and the latter has a quicker geometry, traditional horizontal top tube, even stiffer bamboo tubing with very thick walls, and no stops/derailleur hangers/bottle mounts. We launched both of these models alongside our R and CX at Interbike this year.

We are going to launch two more models at the North American Handmade Bike Show in late February in Richmond, Virginia. I’m keeping these close to the chest, but you can probably take a good guess at what markets they will address! The NAHBS is an incredible event and is the source of much of our inspiration. The show definitely suits Boo better than Interbike, and the buyers of our frames will be looking closely at this show, so rest assured we’re going to be pulling out all the stops. We will, however, be showing production frame models, rather than one-offs just for the show—I believe in showing people what they can buy today, not simply what we’re able to create once.

For now, Boo Bicycles are exclusively handmade and high-end. Our least expensive frameset, the F, still retails for over $3,175 with an Edge track fork and a King headset. It’s a bicycle for connoisseurs of the sport that want something beautiful, smooth, and amazingly well made. I’ve looked to companies such as Serotta, Moots, Independent Fabrications, Parlee, Calfee Design, and Vanilla for inspiration, and James and I are on the same page: we are building Boo into an extremely high-quality brand known for top-notch quality, design, and innovation.

That said, we are surely going to bring a bike to market with a more affordable price point. My goal is to have a Boo frameset that retails for half of our current Boo R, at $1,650. The same quality and design found on current Boo models will of course find its way into this more affordable version, but the junctions will likely be pre-fabricated because the currently require 60% of our labor. The hand wrapping, sanding, and finishing is an incredible process and results in the stiff, light, beautiful frames we have now, but I believe we can preserve the ride quality and stiffness with pre-made joint lugs while reducing our costs and reaching a wider audience.

LB: How and when were you introduced to the sport of cycling? Did you have cycling role models growing up?

NF: I was introduced to cycling by my father--he had always ridden RAGBRAI and the Denver Children's Hospital Courage Classic. We would ride bike trails together, and I got interested in serious mountain bikes--the technology behind bikes like the 2000 Trek 9.9 SL carbon hard tail and Cannondale F5000SL just fascinated me. My good friends Neil Neumann, Rob West, TJ Fort and I would ride in the woods behind my house for hours on end, enjoying crashing and mud and catching air.

Soon, Neil started training on the road with a local under-18 cycling team led by Keith Wells and Tim Abramowitz. Keith worked at our local shop, Bike World, and encouraged Neil to start racing road bikes to compliment his MTB racing. After racing throughout the summer of 2000, while I was playing soccer (my eighth season), Neil convinced me to come over to his house for indoor training. Incredibly, the indoor training was both challenging and gratifying--I was hooked.

I completed a full season and took 6th place in the 13-14 National Road Race, a case of being in the right place at the right time, but very encouraging nonetheless. I stopped playing soccer and focused on cycling, later getting 2nd in the 15-16 National Time Trial and getting a spot on Hottubes, the best 17-18 junior cycling team in the country. We traveled to France, Belgium, Holland, and Canada, as well as all over the US, winning some of the biggest junior races on the calendar. I wrote over half of my college admissions essays about my two years with that amazing program.

I wouldn't say that I had one real role model starting out--Lance would obviously be one, though--but over the years I've admired many different riders that work hard and rise slowly through the ranks. I really value hard work mixing with talent, and seeing riders overcome setbacks to ride faster than before is truly what inspires me.

LB: What are your strengths as a rider?

NF: As a rider, I am quite tall (6' 3") and built a lot like George Hincapie and Rory Sutherland. I have similar skills as well: I am a fast time-trialist, a good leadout man, and a strong rider in big one-day races. I can climb fast on short to medium length climbs, but I'm not a fan of climber's stage races or altitude (although that may change after living in Colorado for a while!). I really enjoy epic races like Philly, the Tour of Battenkill, USPRO road race, and the Univest Grand Prix. However, I'm getting more experience with stage races and I really look forward to growing as a rider and improving my ability to recover day-to-day.

LB: What are your goals and aspirations as a rider for...next year & long term?

NF: My biggest goals for 2009 were to 1) successfully graduate from Princeton, 2) get good enough results to secure a contract with a top professional squad for 2010, and 3) launch and grow Boo Bicycles as a top-quality handmade frame building company. I did all three! Honestly, back in January I had no idea how I could do it all and I had many sleepless nights and stressed nerves--I cracked on multiple occasions, but managed to keep it between the lanes.

My new goals for the short term are to successfully race with my new team, Jamis-Sutter Home, meaning top-10 at races like USPRO TT and Nature Valley Grand Prix overall, but I really want to grow as a racer, learn from my teammates and director, and help them win even more than they have in the last two years.

Over the longer term, like the next five years, I want to build Boo into a great company like Serotta, Parlee, or Independent Fabrications. I want to become one of the top professional cyclists in North America and secure a contract with a European-based team (like Garmin, BMC, and likely Team Type 1). Cycling in the US is growing very quickly, the level is rising, and winning a big race in the US means you can be competitive across the pond--that would not have been true just a few years ago. Seeing domestic riders make the leap, like Tom Zirbel, Ted King, Phil Zajicek, Hilton Clarke, Dominique Rollin, and Ivan Dominguez, is very inspirational. At my age of just 22, and now able to focus--for the first time ever--on racing my bike, I have intense motivation and desire to strive and reach my potential.

We'll see--I've written these goals down, and I think each day of what I can do to get me closer to achieving them. At the same time, I've found it incredibly important for me personally to really enjoy the process and have fun. It's cliché to be certain, but enjoying what you do is a constant goal, and I believe it's important to enjoy the process just as much as the result.

For more information about Boo Bicycles, visit their website, or follow Nick on Twitter.

Photos: Courtesy Nick Frey & Boo Bicycles

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Tagged as: Boo Bicycles, James Wolf, Jamis/Sutter Home, Nick Frey, Tyler Wren