The French marque of Sunn represented a level of continental quality to the BMX and MTB scene of the 1990s. Perhaps it was the funky branding, the quirky (yet well-thought out) engineering or the all-star pro team of riders such as Cédric Gracia, Nicolas Vouilloz, Anne Caroline-Chausson and Christophe Leveque. Sunn ventured briefly into the urban bicycle market with the Traff, an elegant frame which bore perhaps too close a resemblance to it’s legendary off-road siblings.
Unfortunately for the Traff, Sunn’s talent for creating excellent BMX and mountain bikes did not translate well onto Parisian streets. Jean-Pierre Garnier was the brilliant designer and spirit-keeper of Sunn, who failed to account for the necessary elements of an urban bike such as fenders, racks, lights and a kickstand. Only two 6061-T6 alloy prototypes were created: one has been lost to the pages of history and this one is owned by Med from BMX Groupment, whose Sunn Royal we have previously featured on The Spoken.
Med has applied his own custom touches to the Traff, distilling its BMX and MTB heritage. A Cannondale fork has been installed, along with a Sunn stem and handlebars, Rigida rims laced to Suzue BMX hubs and St Martin cranks. Considering the winning entry of last year’s Oregon Manifest from Geekhouse Bikes, obvious the Traff was yars ahead of its time.
