Conor McGregor is the undisputed king of the UFC ring, known around the world for his record-breaking boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr., his sharp wit, and his even sharper dress sense. But what you might not know is that he also loves cycling.
Road biking is an important part of McGregor’s training regime, so it was really only a matter of time before the 29-year-old had to have the thing that every cyclist dreams about – a totally custom carbon rig that reflects his unique style and his commitment to performing at the highest possible level.
Fittingly for someone who prides himself on where he’s come from, the Dubliner found the perfect frame builder right around the corner from his home-town gym – FiftyOne Bikes, a newcomer to the cycling world that we profiled recently right here on Element.ly.
Photo: Dean Kelly / deanella.com
Photo: Dean Kelly / deanella.com
Photo: Dean Kelly / deanella.com
Photo: Dean Kelly / deanella.com
The connection came through Dr. Julian Dalby, an old friend of Duff’s from his racing days who is now a member of McGregor’s coaching staff. His brief was simple: “I like my bling. Make me a bike that reflects my tastes.” And once a frame was hand-built to the UFC’s star’s bespoke measurements, the real work began, creating a distinctive design that did justice to one of professional sport’s most fashionable personalities.
A ghost paint effect carries both his name and his “Notorious” moniker across a rich, deep black frame that’s accented with real 24 carat gold leaf, painstakingly applied by hand in small pieces to create a truly extraordinary result. Every inch of the frame is hand painted, without decals. It’s one of the things that makes FiftyOne stand out as a brand, because while the big bike companies move ever closer towards total standardisation, they allow the client to have control over every little detail, from the geometry to the final finishing touches, like McGregor’s golf-leaf adorned stem and aero handlebar from Zipp.
Roadies might think that the custom Crankbrothers flat pedals, finished in black and gold and inscribed with “Notorious” to match the frame, don’t belong on such a dream racing bike, but they were a special request from the McGregor camp, owing to an old ACL injury that he has to carefully manage while training.
“Conor’s gym is only about a kilometre from our workshop,” says Aidan. “But the actual link is his trainer and doctor, Julian Dalby. Julian has some impressive records on the track, he won the Irish national road race in 1993. When he hung up the wheels, he eventually became a doctor, involved in sports medicine.
“Cycling is a big part of McGregor’s training routine, and once we started to work on a frame for Julian, Conor saw that there was a whole world of deep custom that he didn’t know about, and had to have one too. What we tried to do is build it within his character. Obviously, when you’re dealing with gold leaf, it’s a balancing act between making it look distinguished and classy, rather than cheap and tacky. Hopefully, we’ve achieved that.
“The paint details are something we tried to do to balance the gold, which is very in your face. The other details are subliminal and play very well in the sunlight. When it’s indoors you can hardly see them.”
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