Originally Posted by
Nachoman
How did that happen? Was it a crash? And if so, do you believe that your carbon bike would have suffered the same fate?
The chainstay cracked. Manufacturing defect, I never crashed that bike. OTOH I crashed my Cervelo R3 at 30 mph and the frame and carbon bars were undamaged (unfortunately I landed on my face, and even with insurance my crash damage cost as much as a couple good bikes). Crash survival is more about luck than frame material. Hit any frame light enough to be sporty "wrong" and you'll damage it. At least CF is cheaper to repair than any other frame material.
I can only go on my personal experience, but both of my CF frames ride better than the Ti frame I had, and it was one known for a smooth ride. The CF seems to absorb some of the high frequency vibration that Ti passed through to the rider. Perhaps I am more sensitive to these than other people. I suggest taking test rides and seeing for yourself.
If you like hand-made stuff there are plenty of custom CF builders. But that's not in the OP's price range. I have to admit that really well done welds on Ti look nice. But I buy bikes to ride, not to look at.