A friend of mine went to a Dave Scott tri clinic this year and heard about the Griffen bikes that Dave promotes. According to the Griffen website, they are made out of some kind of metal matrix material that is supposed to be a better bike material than anything else out there. I’ve never seen or noticed a Griffen at any the races in our area. Has anyone out there ridden one or know anything about them?
I rode a griffen vulcan for two seasons- it was the best bike I ever owned. smooth, quiet, it felt fast. due to my itchy feet, of course I had to try another tri frame ( wanted to go carbon), but it was a big mistake selling the griffen. good customer support, awesome bike- I would recommend it-
I built one up for a buddy a few years back, a Vulcan… very stiff, very fast, very chic.
I looked at buying one, but it was slightly out of my price range, and besides, he’d tell me I was trying to be like him…
I concur with the others - I had Griffen road bike, and loved it. Bought it mainly because of the exotic frame material and name (my son is named Griffin). Anyway, a crash claimed her 
and like most cyclists, I went with something else (litespeed vortex). They are a bit pricey, but there is really nothing else like them.
I did a camp in Cali this past spring, and Tony Free at Griffen was kind enough to outfit anyone who was interested on a Griffen for the week. I rode the Kompressor road bike, and thought it was really, really nice. Comfortable, light, responsive. Excellent. I think a big testament was that Tony sold 3 or 4 tri bikes to athletes at the camp that week. People who brought their Kestrals, Treks, etc preferred Griffen.
At Interbike we were looking for smaller fame size, female specific triathlon frames. Most of what I saw what merely lip service to female triathletes. The top tubes weren;t short enough and the geometry really didn;t pan out for short top tube/short torso/steep angle bikes. The only brand I saw that offered promise was Griffen.
I don’t sell Griffen- yet. But I would be interested in taking a much closer look. I think they are very interesting.
Ben,
Just curious…were you at a Chuckie V tri camp?
B-
For what it’s worth… the only person I’ve known to own a Griffen was a woman… probably for the reasons you posted. She was also a serious biker, double Ironman.
I own a Griffen Vulcan and love it. I bought the bike directly from Tony Free (who was a absolute pleasure to deal with) and then had it fit by Paul Levine. I have had it a year and used it for both flat courses (Eagleman) and hilly courses (IMLP). Its fast on both and looks cool - I plan on riding it for a long time.
Don’t want to speak for Ben, but he was at Chuckie V’s camp last March in Solvang- I know since he was my roomate, and we rode together most days. We rode equally there, but Ben tore it up in MAdison…
It was a fantastic camp (awesome scenery, weather, food, comradery, and some shenanigans), and one of the highights was being able to ride the Griffen bike for the week. I told Tony Free (from Griffen) that I would be back to buy one of those Kompressor road frames thsi MArch.
Tony was also kind enough to offer a discount to those who attended the camp. More info on the camp can be found at www.chuckiev.com. Highly recommended.
Rob Aitken (Canada)
P.S. More on Griffen’s at www.griffenbike.com
“I own a Griffen Vulcan and love it.”
Not sure if I’ve even ever seen one up our way. Noticing that they’re all 76 degree seat posts. Just wondering about the holes in the frame on the XTC model?