[SpongeDad]

I'm thinking of getting a mtb to ride in winter, but mostly to hack around with my boys (which will probably be more challenging and certainly involve more dirt and rocks).

So I've noticed that high end mtbs seem to be going carbon. I have a Ti road bike and have always appreciated the zero maintenance aspect of the frame, in addition to the ride quality.

I would think that these qualities would apply even more in mtb'ing where the prospect of banging into stuff that might put a small crack into a carbon frames seems higher.

Am I missing something? (It's not like carbon is cheap, so it can't be the price of Ti can it?)

[edit -pls skip this one - meant to post in the more general forum]

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[patentcad]

Just buy this (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fly_TI_09.htm).

[SpongeDad]

Just buy this (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/fly_TI_09.htm).

Your posts re "this" pretty much precipitated my general question.

Just seems to me that if Ti is good for road, it's even better for mtb - no worrying about scratching up the paint or clearcoat.

I hear the siren song of carbon, like anybody else, but riding my Merlin roadie never fails to be exactly what I want even if it weights a pound more than a superlight frame.

[patentcad]

If you want a harder core racing hard tail, carbon might be better than Ti. That's true for road bikes. But Ti might be a better all around bike. You'd have to ride a few state of the art bikes, and that's not easy to arrange, particularly with MTBs.

[CrankshaftYQX]

Pcad, is that what you bought? That thing looks like an awesome deal for 2 large, even if it is a Motobecane.

[patentcad]

Pcad, is that what you bought? That thing looks like an awesome deal for 2 large, even if it is a Motobecane.

Umm.. yeah. By the way I got over the 'even if it is a Motobecane' part after two rides. Now I LOVE the friggin bike, love the decals, love the whole thing. A screaming bargain deluxe. You'd have to see it in person to believe it. Amazing. Like a $5K bike for $2K. The frame is just stunning. Phenomenal in the woods, on the road, exceeded all expectations.

I'm so amazed @ the value BD delivered with this I'd love to see their Ti road bikes.

[CrankshaftYQX]

The MB thing never bothered me all that much, but that spec list for 2k? I have to assume something's up, right?

[ProFail]

The MB thing never bothered me all that much, but that spec list for 2k? I have to assume something's up, right?

I'd just buy the damn thing for its parts.

[patentcad]

I'd just buy the damn thing for its parts.

I took the Fly Ti to my LBS for some tweaking (I buy a ton of stuff there, they're cool with this). Two of the employees there took one look at the Fly Ti, and when I told them the price they also said they'd buy the bike for the parts. If you parted that bike out and sold everything separately on eBay I think you'd net $2500+. I just netted $850+ doing that with a ten year old Jamis Dragon steel MTB.

[ss-jimbo]

Why are the is the Fly Ti TT so short? 22.4" for an 18" frame? And they claim it fits someone up to 6 feet tall? That's ridiculous.

[patentcad]

Why are the is the Fly Ti TT so short? 22.4" for an 18" frame? And they claim it fits someone up to 6 feet tall? That's ridiculous.

That's about 57cm, same tt length as my 56-57cm road bikes, works for me. I'm 5'11", long legs, shorter torso, I have a 130mm stem on the Fly Ti, but a 120mm would also work.

[Fat Boy]

Why are the is the Fly Ti TT so short? 22.4" for an 18" frame? And they claim it fits someone up to 6 feet tall? That's ridiculous.

I'm 5'9" on a good day. The Ti Fly top tube is just about right for me. I want it a little longer when climbing and a little shorter when descending. If feels _real_ upright compared to my road bike, but I guess it should. If you're 5'10" or more, I'd guess the large size is a better fit, though.

[patentcad]

The only reason the 18" Fly Ti fits my 5'11" frame is my shorter torso. For somebody 5'11"-6' with more typical proportions (longer upper body, slightly shorter legs) I'm not sure that 18" frame size would work. Which is why they publish frame geometry tables. Read them. I did, figured it would work, and it does, although I did have to get a longer 400mm seat post. I also swapped the stock 100 or 110mm (can't recall which) stem for a 130mm, although a 120mm would work for me too.