Road Cycling - Which titanium to buy?

Hello again! I want a titanium bike. Can I get opinions on which one I should buy? Tried a Merlin, it was ok, very well made it seemed. The Litespeed Tuscany and Siena seem to be my two choices at the moment, but I'm having a hard time finding any other titanium frames to choose from :(

How can anyone else tell you what to buy?? Lemond,Airborne,Colnago,Seven,Serotta,Douglas,Sampson,Macalu,Merckx

SEVEN!

They were reviewed last night on OLN.

DROOOOOOOOOOOL!

I researched titanium bikes for two years and decided on a Seven. Although expensive, I have never regretted it.

I've had a Litespeed Classic for the past 4 years and I love this bike. Very comfortable. easy to take care of and looks good. If I had the choose another Ti bike I'd probably get a Seven. They are totally custom and you will pay a premium, but the few friends of mine that have them love to ride them and they are truly works of art when it comes to the build quality.

Independent Fabrication (IF) (http://www.ifbikes.com) also makes a very nice Ti bike as well as a nice selection of steel frames. My next bike (someday) will be set up for long distance to contrast my more "race oriented" Litespeed and I'm leaning towards an IF steel frame with S&S couplings for travel in a small case.

I have a 2001 Litespeed Tuscany. :love: it!!

I made some inquiries before buying mine and found many satisfied Litespeed owners in the Atlanta area. :beer:

Asking an open ended question like that leads me to believe you can buy what you want. So, if that's the case, your choices are endless :) Enjoy... I have my dream bike, a Fondriest Titan Level 9...love it BIG TIME.

Stay away from Airborne and Macalu.

Basicly if you are in a budget your only choices will be 3/2.5 straight tubing.

Most all out there are the same. Where you will find differences is in the way the tubes are shaped. Some builder on their expensive models will offer more oeversized tubes to stifen up the ride. This is what you want.

Also buy from authorized bike shop. Try not to buy grey market as you may not have a warranty.

But most important. Make sure you get the right size. Too many fall for looks and buy what a shop has instock and normally it is incorrect size.

Originally posted by Xavier
Stay away from Airborne and Macalu.

WHY??? Seemed you did not think much of Litespeed either, but maybe that was just with respect to a '10 year bike'.

Originally posted by Xavier



Most all out there are the same. Where you will find differences is in the way the tubes are shaped. Some builder on their expensive models will offer more oeversized tubes to stifen up the ride. This is what you want.

REALLY! There is also alloy and butting to consider. Many don't need the really stiff stuff, and what it cost.It depends on rider size and weight and what they are looking for in comfort or performance.Many really are happy with what an inexpensive frame like Airborne has to offer.

I mentione Macalu because I have gooten a few complaints in the past from customers.

Airborne because of their business practices in the past and they way they handled dealers a while back. Things customers never see. They do offer an inexpensive product but service may not necessarily be there in the future like such stable comapnies like Merlin.

Litespeed is funy because in years past they slammed aluminum frames. Look at them now.

Originally posted by Xavier
I mentione Macalu because I have gooten a few complaints in the past from customers.

Airborne because of their business practices in the past and they way they handled dealers a while back. Things customers never see. They do offer an inexpensive product but service may not necessarily be there in the future like such stable comapnies like Merlin.

Litespeed is funy because in years past they slammed aluminum frames. Look at them now. Very enlightening,but I suppose one could dig up that kind of 'dirt' on any comapny.

Don't forget Moots out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I got to see their line at Interbike this year. Very cool. I would also recommend a Seven. Both companies have a very good reputation.

www.moots.com

Midwesterners with deep pockets who want the cachet of a custom frame from a small builder might consider Cherry (http://cherry.dcwi.com/cherry/index2.html) or Sramek (http://www.sramekbike.com).

Litespeed Ultimate! Between the Tuscany and Siena, I like the Tuscany.

You asked for it. So, just in case you aren't sufficiently confused yet, here's another one to look at. Sampson (http://www.sampsonsports.com/) does build-to-order bikes that get good reviews and seem to be a good value. I was about to order one before the LS Classic I wound up getting went on sale at my LBS.

I have a Sampson Silverton that I've been riding for the past two years. It's not a "high zoot" bike with all sorts of curvey, multidimensional bends. It's just a great, comfortable, responsive bike. I wouldn't trade it for any other.

Looking for a new road bike in the New York area. I haven't tried any yet, but I'm thinking of Titanium (Litespeed Tuscany). What other similar bikes should I road test?

A litespeed Tuscany

What about Merlin?

Were the owners of Merlin and Litespeed associates at one time?

You could also check out Spectrum (Tom Kellogg) and Serotta.

I debated over a Litespeed for a long time and went away from it. I looked at the quality of construction of the frame and being an Engineer by trade the welds were ok at best. You want to look at quality, look at Moots. They just blow the Litespeed frames away. I purchased a Moots and it looked like some jeweler made it. Not one flaw anywhere. The ride is spectacular. FYI, I purchased all Dura Ace equipment with the Moots Vamoots frame and it cost me less than the Tuscany.

Snowblower

You should check out Guru also.

Independent Fabrications

I bought the Litespeed Ultimate, found one pre-carbon seat stays and am loving every second riding it!

I've also heard good things about Habanero (http://www.habcycles.com/) and TiCycles (http://www.ticycles.com/). The issue might be testrides since you're not local to these builders? They also do custom work which you might want to consider for the ultimate fit.

In Italy the best one is made by www.passoni.com Have a look at the site

Dean (http://www.deanusa.com/) and Epic (http://www.epicti.com/) also make custom Ti bikes. Here's mine:

http://members.shaw.ca/nemod/dean.jpg

I don't think you'll be making a mistake by purchasing any of those cycles mentioned. Lightspeed, Guru, all of them make great bikes and you can find faults and technology, quality, or performance pros and cons with each bike and the company itself regardless of who it is.

Being able to spend 4-5K on a bike puts you in an enviable place, but also a difficult one because you have that many more options. My next bike will be a Serotta Legend TI which will be my reward for entering and finishing next years St. Anthony's Triathlon. My choice may change by next year, but it's hard to beat getting a bike of that quality that built just for you, to fit you in the best possible way.

One thing that I find difficult to rationalize away however, with any large purchase for instance, is the idea of diminishing returns on your dollar. Is a $5000 bike really worth a thousand dollars more than a $4000 bike? There is a huge and readily appreciable difference between a $2000 bike and one for a $1000. But I'm not sure that same jump in realized gain is seen as you move up. You begin paying for the very marginal differences that you may not even realize a true or needed benefit from. Just something to keep in mind.

The nice thing is, whatever you purchase at that level will be a fantastic ride and will have your friends green with envy. :)

Originally posted by Snowblower
I debated over a Litespeed for a long time and went away from it. I looked at the quality of construction of the frame and being an Engineer by trade the welds were ok at best. You want to look at quality, look at Moots. They just blow the Litespeed frames away. I purchased a Moots and it looked like some jeweler made it. Not one flaw anywhere. The ride is spectacular. FYI, I purchased all Dura Ace equipment with the Moots Vamoots frame and it cost me less than the Tuscany.

Snowblower

humpf :mad:
I fart in your general direction, infidel!!!!!!
:crash: :crash:

may the fleas of a 1000 camel invest the hair under your armpits and may you scratch yourself till you bleeeeeeeed:crash: :crash:


Ok so at least you bought a Moots, you have some taste. You're semi forgiven

Originally posted by TimB
humpf :mad:
I fart in your general direction, infidel!!!!!!
:crash: :crash:

may the fleas of a 1000 camel invest the hair under your armpits and may you scratch yourself till you bleeeeeeeed:crash: :crash:


Ok so at least you bought a Moots, you have some taste. You're semi forgiven

Ahhhh, you must have a Tuscany :lol: Don't be such a sore loser, just because you paid a lot more than me for an inferior bike. My condolences to you......

Originally posted by Snowblower
Ahhhh, you must have a Tuscany :lol: Don't be such a sore loser, just because you paid a lot more than me for an inferior bike. My condolences to you......

:rolleyes: so maybe i did......

heres to Ti:beer:

PS; What did you pay for the Moots or may i not ask :-)

I ride a Litespeed Classic. over the last year I have put 6500+ miles on it and I loved every mile. My previous bike was a R600 Cannondale(12,000 miles on it). I have enough experience on both to give a good evaluation on each. The Litespeed is more comfortable and enjoyable to ride. Less vibration, easier on the hands and seat. The performance is slightly better than the Cannondale and that may be due to the comfort factor. You can't go wrong with a properly fitted Litespeed!

Originally posted by TimB
PS; What did you pay for the Moots or may i not ask :-)

It was $3,700.00 complete. It is a Dura Ace triple, Richie WCS OS stem and handlebars, Reynolds Pro Ouzo Fork, Chris King Headset, Moots ti seatpost, Terry Fly Gel seatpost, Ksyrium Elite wheels & continental 3000 tires. Here is a pic:

Oooooooo Thats Nice! i've got to get a digital image of mine.
Good price, It's about what a Paid for my Tuscany