Nearly three years ago this week, Josh picked up a custom titanium singlespeed Oddity hardtail that was originally Burnsey‘s show bike for the 2021 Philly Bike Expo. It’s become his most-ridden bike and has been subject to plenty of component swaps over the years, yet it hasn’t been fully documented with a dedicated article here on this site. Josh recently outfitted the bike with Ignite Components and (finally) shares a review and breakdown of the build below, including an interview with Ian Colquhoun of Ignite…

One of the many aspects I enjoy about the custom and bespoke bicycle industry is that there is something available for everyone. Want a classic lugged track bike? There are plenty of builders out there who can make you one. How about a Fancy a streamlined road machine with hidden cables and components produced by a giant printer? You can get that too.

And, for weirdos like me who ride singlespeeds and gather at events on the far fringes of cycling culture’s continuum, Oddity Cycles exists to contort metal into shapes that conjure feelings of macabre artistry and striking beauty.

Two years ago, when I wrote about Oddity Cycles’ founder and builder “Burnsey,” I described his dark arts approach to building bikes and components: “he pictures what the design is supposed to look like and can hold a tube up to a frame, draw a few Sharpie lines, cut them on a mill, and 98% of the time the tube fits. Fabrication in the dark arts, then, is not merely an adopted method for Sean, but rather an innate way of having complete creative control.”

Many of Oddity’s designs are inspired by BMX and klunkers/cruisers of the 70s and 80s, along with more modern interpretations from builders like Curtis Inglis of Retrotec and James Bleakley of Black Sheep (one of Burnsey’s mentors). Mine is certainly fitting of this progeny, but I can’t take credit for having any design input.

Design

In my opinion, some of Burnsey’s best bikes are the ones he designs for himself, typically to experiment with new forms and/or techniques which he then displays at framebuilder expos like NAHBS, PBE, MADE, etc. A case in point was this “All-Mountain Cruiser” he built for the 2021 Philly Bike Expo. It was a collaboration of sorts with multiple component brands and featured unique parts from Hope, Thomson, and Velocity. Soon after that PBE show, the bike flew with the Thomson team to Sedona where I documented it in my event coverage. I, of course, threw a leg over it and cruised around the festival grounds quickly realizing it was pretty much my size. In the days post-event I couldn’t get it out of my mind and once Burnsey announced he was selling it, I pounced.

While I had considered getting in Oddity’s queue for a dedicated singlespeed to replace the old Niner ROS 9+ I’d been riding since 2014, I didn’t have the patience to wait for what would likely be years for a bike. At the time, Oddity had just emerged from a pandemic hiatus so the line was longer than usual. Buying his show bike provided instant gratification.

We’ve documented various show/personal/customer bikes from Burnsey over the years, each of which share his unique design language

I sold a bunch of bikes and camera gear to justify the purchase. And I’m glad I did. I get inspired just by looking at it and I ride it more than any of my other bikes, three years in.

The design and craftsmanship is incredible. Using twin mirrored tubing sections, the rear triangle has the appearance of bifurcating the front via the seat tube and is connected by a small bridge just beneath the collar. Reminiscent of Joe Breeze’s first purpose-built mountain bikes, this also creates a sort of “gas tank” element on the top half of the front triangle.

Alpine Luddites made me custom frame bags early on, which fit the double triangles. I typically use just the small triangle bag, in addition to the Rogue Panda Alamo top tube bag, with bottle cages in the lower triangle. But, just in case I get a wild hair and want to join Matt Mason in singlespeed touring, the second bag will be there for me.

Originally, the frame was adorned with Oddity decals rather than a more permanent alternative. Burnsey does most of his finishing in-house these days, including media blasting and anodizing. I brought the frame with me to Fort Collins when I visited two years ago for its “forever” finish.

The subdued blasted graphics seem more fitting from the original contrasting black decal lettering now, as the frame design speaks for itself without the need for excessive branding.

Geometry and Ride Characteristics

It’s long and slack, especially by 202o standards when it was built. In a dedicated singlespeed, this is exactly what I want. Sure, when racing XC I’m not winning, but I wouldn’t be winning on a more aggressive geometry either. I want to show up to any trail and have a pretty solid chance of making it down comfortably. The kicked-out front center and 150 mm Pike fork help with that considerably.

We talk a lot about titanium here on this site and how it can have some advantages over steel or carbon in terms of weight, flex, and vibration damping. However such characteristics are all dependent on tubing, butting, construction, etc. This frame is not particularly noodly. While the rear end features fairly thin tubes, the bridge at the seat cluster is hefty and isolates some lateral movements. The chainstays do offer some compliance, similar to other titanium hardtails I’ve spent time with, but when mashing up steep climbs it feels planted with plenty of traction. Plus, this bike was built with some light touring in mind so having a solid platform to start with prevents it from feeling like a noodle when loaded.

I recently added the wheelset originally built for my rigid Bender touring bike to the Oddity. These BC360 rims from Industry Nine have an internal width of 36 mm and give my favorite tire, the Teravail Kessel 29×2.6, a borderline “plus” profile. With the addition of Cush Core inserts in both front and rear, I feel like the plump wheel/tire combo provides more vibration absorption than the frame itself.

More kudos to i9 for making driver swapping so easy. I quickly replaced the Hydra hubs’ Microspline driver with XD to continue using the WheelsMFG Solo-XD singlespeed kit I picked up for a review last year.

While I was at it, I replaced some other parts on the build as well…

Ignite Components

Last year at MADE I linked up with Ian Colquhoun of Ignite Components to document his personal Acoustic Cycles and quite a few other bikes that were equipped with his parts. Ian is fairly new to the realm of custom bike parts but, nevertheless, he’s made a pretty big splash. While the prominent tooling lines and proud shapes of Ignite parts might not be for everyone, they certainly speak to me and demonstrate Ian’s commitment to his craft.

And I loved his “booth.” Attending MADE was a last-minute decision, so he packed a bunch of parts into a carry-on bag and set up a folding table wrapped in butcher paper to display and label his goods. Simple and effective. Just like his parts appear to be. 

Ian runs a machine shop in Allamuchy, New Jersey, and has created a unique design aesthetic for his custom cranks, bottom brackets, cogs, chainrings, and more. I thought they looked at home on Burnsey’s MADE ti+steel show bike so I pinged Ian about creating a selection of parts to adorn my Oddity and spotlight his one-person show making interesting stuff in the US. 

With even a quick glance at the copy on the Ignite website, it’s clear what Ian’s brand is all about. He draws on his prolific career as an engineer and machinist to make bike parts that are durable, high-performing, and look good on a wide range of bikes. And because he’s a small operation, he can take on even the deepest of custom jobs.

Catalyst Cranks

• 168 mm Q-factor
• 30 mm spindle
• 510-550 g including arms, spindle, and all hardware (bolts, extractor caps, and preloader)
• 3-bolt splined chainring mounting
• 155-175 mm lengths (custom lengths upon request)
• ISO 4210-8 tested and certified by an independent testing lab
• $529

HEX BSA30 Bottom Bracket

• 7075-t651 aluminum
• Bearings are NTN 6806 LLU or 6806 LLB
• Stainless setscrews cover rear extraction holes while BB is installed
• Socket, press, bolt, washer, and seat included for easy servicing
• 105g installed weight with spindle washers/dust shields
• $289

Fire Rings Direct Mount

• 7075-t651 aluminum
• Sram 3-bolt or 8-bolt direct mount
• 28, 30, 32, 34T are MTB-specific with 2.5 mm offset
• 40, 42T are gravel 1x specific with 4 mm offset
• 76g for 32T 3-bolt ring
• $99

Checking In With Ian

I recently caught up with Ian to inquire about his background and path toward making interesting bike parts. Find our short interview below…

JW: What is your background and history with bicycles?

IC: I have raced BMX, XC MTB, DH MTB, and dual slalom MTB since the early 90s. I have also spent time racing CX, gravel, road crits, and most recently MTB stage races. Bikes have always been a fun way to enjoy and explore the outdoors.

Professionally, my background is as a mechanical engineer. I have designed and worked on everything from secondary spill containment for the petroleum industry, to commercial high-rise buildings in Manhattan, and Porsche race car suspension, braking, and chassis development. I spent 18 years teaching mechanical engineering technology at a large college here in NJ. Recently, I designed over a dozen patented devices primarily used in the research and development of pharmaceuticals including for the Covid vaccine.

JW: How and when did you get into machining bike parts?

IC: I machined a stem and some headsets for my own bikes waaay back, as well as a set of cranks maybe in 2005-ish. When people saw my stuff they usually asked for me to make them cool stuff as well. I have designed, prototyped, and manufactured for several small and large brands for about the past 10 years behind the scenes. Everything from small parts to stems, and even a few frames, both rigid and full squish.

JW: Your cranks and chainrings in particular have a unique and identifiable profile. How did you land on the design?

IC: I want to make rad stuff that is unlike anything else out there visually while using sound real engineering and testing to ensure they perform as intended. I often take visual cues from classic parts from the past. The toolpaths my parts are known for are “love it or hate it,” but I geek out for entirely too many hours to make sure they blend seamlessly between surfaces and add to the look of the parts. Function dictates form largely, but you can also play and have fun with shapes and surfaces within reason. The shapes of my parts are rooted in stress and load paths, not just to achieve a special aesthetic.

JW: Who is your typical customer? Since you can make custom parts, do you get a lot of people asking for things/sizes that aren’t available “off the shelf?”

IC: I am very proud to have customers from all over the world and all walks of life. That’s something I take tremendous pride in! From a couple on a tandem that has been ridden around the world, to an Iditarod racer, masters BMX racers, some upcoming Olympians, the person with one or several bikes used for transportation, and absolutely everyone in between. The “typical” Ignite customer is, plain and simple, a person who loves riding bikes! Besides the compliments on the visual aspects and custom colors we do, the number one piece of feedback I get is how dead-reliable our parts are. Set-it-and-forget-it as well as being user-serviceable with a minimum of tools are the main reasons why riders chose our parts.

I do consulting engineering and manufacturing as well and get asked all the time for things that aren’t [yet] made. I will always take the time to understand the person’s goal and work with them to either realize that vision or, at the very least, guide them with some advice based upon 25+ years designing and making things.

JW: Would you walk me through your bottom bracket/crank interface?

IC: I hate “new” standards as much as anyone else, however, some bring about meaningful benefits. One of the driving factors while designing should be the use of early-sourced hardware and common hand tools for service. With regards to the bottom bracket specifically, I wanted something that used the best bearings in the world. This is talking about both the actual steel elements as well as the seals. Then, I wanted to do something that allowed anyone who knows how to use a wrench to be able to remove and replace those bearings when they eventually do wear out. That machined aluminum cup is worth something, and it bothered me that it was seen as a disposable item. Our BBs include a socket that doubles as a bearing press and allows the customer or their shop to replace just the bearing.

For the chainring interface, I abhorred the idea of creating a new spline interface. There are a lot of quality rings out there, including ours, using the 3- or 8-bolt standards and so it just made sound sense to design the interface based upon those already accepted standards.

JW: And those amazing finishes!? 

IC: A good finish starts with good parts. I deburr all edges in the machine so when a part is finished being machined the first, middle, and last parts go through inspection in batches and then immediately get wrapped and packed to go to anodizing or Cerakote. From the beginning, I wanted to do something that stood out from the rest; from both an engineering AND appearance standpoint.

I also grew up with Kooka and Ringle’s ads hanging on my bedroom wall, so that inspired me to launch with some wild splatters, sprays, and other finishes that have now kinda become hot and mainstream again. I have worked with Ashley at JB Precision Coatings since before we both “made it” [in cycling] and we have a great relationship. Being on the same page as your finisher allows for a LOT of awesomesauce to be brewed up. Receiving a large package back from finishing is always like a kid-in-a-candystore [moment] and I am very happy to offer mild-to-wild for my customers.

JW: What’s next from Ignite? Are you planning to offer more parts in the future and/or are you having a hard enough time keeping up with current demand?

IC: I have recently caught up with current orders, from where I was backlogged for several weeks or months. I have additional capacity on the production side now and lead times are greatly reduced and stock is good on standard parts. I have a few tricks up my sleeve for upcoming products, one of which will be a joint venture with a world-class creator in the bike space and will go “boing-boing” up as well as down while having a beautiful blend of our two stand-out styles.

Forever

The privilege associated with stewarding a bike like this is not lost on me. I was fortunate to pick it up when I did and I’m grateful for the places it’s taken me and the relationships it’s helped cultivate.

John just wrote about his forever camera. One he’d never sell even under serious financial duress. This Oddity is my forever bike. While there might be some redundancies in my MTB stable, this bike isn’t going anywhere.