Originally Posted by
Drew Eckhardt
I've been riding the same titanium frame for the last fifteen years and will replace/supplement it with another one (I've become soft in my old age, want my weight on panniers instead of a back pack, and want fenders in the rainy season).
A custom titanium frame will get me geometry that fits, long reach brakes, and rack eyelets where I want them. Carbon fiber won't. Painted steel/aluminum will look like crap within 7 years while titanium still looks good after double that. Stainless steel (Reynolds 953) would work too but cost more and mean additional weight to haul up a staircase.
Drew, I think you're on the same wavelength as I am. I have some steel frames, and I love them, but the combination of less weight and greater longevity makes titanium really attractive to me. If I had the money for my friend's Colnago c50, I might think different, but I don't!
You mention you're interested in a custom frame. Are there quality issues with the big manufacturers? I know that, like steel, all carbon fibre is not equal, but what about the titanium they use? Is there gaspipe ti?